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Backend Banter

Latest episodes

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Feb 17, 2025 • 1h 5min

Programming Music with Sonic Pi feat. Sam Aaron | S02 E06

Sam Aaron, the creator of Sonic Pi, discusses his innovative tool that turns code into live music. He delves into the origins of Sonic Pi and its ties to Raspberry Pi, designed to engage students in coding through music. The conversation covers the platform's evolution, unique features like real-time coding, and the balance between randomness and structure in performances. Aaron also shares insights on maintaining Sonic Pi as an open-source project, the challenges of financial sustainability, and the support from a vibrant community.
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13 snips
Feb 10, 2025 • 1h 7min

KRAZAM Unfiltered feat. Ben Burke | S2 E05

Join Ben Burke, co-creator of KRAZAM and a backend engineer, as he dives into the wild origins of their absurdist tech satire. He shares the hilarious challenges of creating sketches while balancing tech careers. The duo discusses their unique approach to content, prioritizing loyal viewers over virality. Ben reflects on the influence of comedy legends like Tim and Eric and explores the joy of crafting humor that resonates in the tech world. He also touches on the nostalgia of managing personal data in this digital age, making for a witty and insightful conversation.
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10 snips
Feb 3, 2025 • 1h 20min

Does ADHD really make programming harder? ft. Chris Ferdinandi | S2 E04

Chris Ferdinandi, a frontend developer and educator behind ADHD for the Win, sheds light on the unique challenges faced by programmers with ADHD. He discusses why so many in tech have ADHD, and how modern distractions impact attention spans. Chris emphasizes the importance of gamification in learning, revealing its potential to enhance engagement through immediate feedback. The conversation also explores effective learning strategies tailored for ADHD, making coding more accessible and enjoyable for those who struggle with traditional approaches.
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4 snips
Jan 27, 2025 • 1h 10min

Why You Need To Stop Worrying About AI feat. Danny Thompson | S2 E03

In this engaging conversation, Danny Thompson, Director of Technology at This Dot Labs, shares his inspiring journey from a cashier to a tech leader in Dallas. He emphasizes the importance of functionality over aesthetics in software development. Danny discusses how AI is reshaping job prospects in the tech industry, and offers invaluable advice for new developers navigating their careers. He also highlights the significance of community building through tech meetups and conferences, showcasing how collaborative efforts can foster growth and learning.
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8 snips
Jan 20, 2025 • 1h 12min

Everyone is doing memory management wrong. feat. Ryan Fleury | S2 E02

Ryan Fleury, a skilled game developer at Epic Games, dives into the world of memory management and debugging tools. He discusses the revolutionary concept of arenas versus traditional garbage collectors, highlighting their real-world applications in game development. Ryan emphasizes the importance of pointer stability and dynamic allocation's simplicity. He shares insights into his game dev journey, offering practical tips for efficient programming and the intricacies of customizing memory allocation strategies.
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20 snips
Jan 13, 2025 • 1h 23min

Is Elixir the Future? feat. José Valim | S2 E01

Join José Valim, the mastermind behind the Elixir programming language, as he dives into its growing popularity and unique features. Discover why Elixir isn't statically typed and how this choice impacts developers. The conversation also covers Elixir's resilience strategies, including supervision trees, and its impressive concurrency capabilities compared to languages like Go. Valim shares insights on building fault-tolerant systems and highlights the significance of immutability in software design—all while showcasing Elixir's role in real-time applications like Discord.
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Sep 2, 2024 • 1h 15min

#069 - Season Finale: The Boot.dev Origin Story w/ Allan

Allan Lires, the first official employee of Boot.dev, shares the inspiring origin story of the tech platform. He recounts the early days, highlighting the challenges faced and milestones achieved in building Boot.dev. The conversation dives into the evolution of its curriculum, emphasizing the importance of practical skills in programming. Allan discusses the shift from gamification to a more robust learning experience, setting realistic expectations for learners. Listeners gain insights into the future vision of Boot.dev and the impact of community feedback on its growth.
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Aug 26, 2024 • 1h 13min

#068 - Should you trust tech influencers? feat. Charles The III

Charles The III, co-host at Whiskey Web and Whatnot, dives into the murky waters of tech influencers and their impact on the community. He and the host explore whether celebrity developers are beneficial or detrimental, warning against basing tech choices solely on their hype. They also discuss the trend of career speedrunning and how it often leads to self-sabotage. With insights on architecture choices and a nod to overlooked topics like security and accessibility, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone in tech.
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16 snips
Aug 19, 2024 • 59min

#067 - How to Be Better than 96.487% of Developers

In this engaging discussion, Aaron Francis, a software developer and co-founder of Try Hard Studios, shares his insights on balancing entertainment and education in course creation. He emphasizes the importance of good presentation and proactivity in standing out as a developer. Aaron also highlights the challenges of personal branding, advocating for genuine contributions over influencer status. Additionally, he discusses the structured approach to his High Performance SQLite course and the exciting future educational endeavors for TriHard Studios.
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Aug 12, 2024 • 55min

#066 - CSS Is The Hardest Programming Language

In this engaging discussion, Adam Argyle, a CSS Dev Rel at Google and content creator, sheds light on the complexities of CSS, revealing why it's often underestimated despite its challenges. He explores the unique role of CSS in web development and the importance of collaboration between designers and developers. The conversation covers AI's impact on web design, the barriers faced in front-end versus back-end development, and even parallels between public speaking and developer advocacy. Adam's insights will reshape how you view CSS!

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