Betatalks the podcast

In the 100th episode of Betatalks the Podcast, Rick and Oscar celebrate the milestone with guest Rendle, a software development consultant at RendleLabs and member of the parody band The Line Breakers. Rendle shares the band’s journey from a comedy quiz round to performing tech-themed cover songs at conferences. He highlights his efforts to bring humor and lightheartedness to tech events, including his talk The Worst Programming Language Ever. They also discuss the importance of personal storytelling, overcoming imposter syndrome, and fostering a welcoming tech community. He reflects on his unique career path, blending programming, stand-up comedy, and tech advocacy.About this episode, and Rendle in particular: you can find Rendle on LinkedIn or Bluesky. Or, visit his website rendle.dev. If you want to book The Line Breakers or learn more about them, visit their website. About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we talk with Wesley, a cloud architect and expert, about the evolution of cloud offerings moving from IaaS to PaaS to serverless and the ongoing debate between Azure DevOps and GitHub. While opinions vary, the consensus is that Azure DevOps remains the more enterprise-ready platform, at least for now. We also dive into cloud security and networking, acknowledging the improvements in Azure but also the complexity that comes with managing virtual networks and debugging connectivity issues.About this episode, and Wesley Noordam in particular: you can find Wesley on LinkedIn.About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we have a Christmas special. We talk with two very special guests, the hosts themselves. They discuss their experiences over the past year. They reflect on the diverse range of topics covered on the podcast, from Azure to web development. The conversation touches on the increasing presence of AI and the importance of inclusive language. They discuss how they enjoyed learning about topics outside their daily work and getting to know the people behind the technologies.We want to thank all our guests and listeners for an amazing year, and we hope to see you in 2025.We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!About Betatalks: watch our podcast videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we chat with Valerie Junk, Microsoft Data Platform MVP and owner of PorcuBI. We discuss data visualization and business intelligence. Valerie highlights the importance of turning raw data into insights. We also talk about the challenges of bridging technical skills with business value, and her experiences in the male-dominated tech field. She also emphasizes the value of creativity, community, and balance in achieving success and inspiring others in the data space. About this episode, and Valerie Junk in particular: you can find Valerie on X @porcubi, GitHub and LinkedIn. Or, visit her website to learn more about all the amazing things she does About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we chat with Stefan Judis, a frontend developer. Stefan shares his journey from mastering HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to his current roles in Developer Relations and as a Playwright ambassador. We discuss the challenges of frontend development today, highlighting the need to balance complexity and simplicity while staying focused on performance, accessibility, and maintainability. He also emphasizes the importance of mastering core web technologies despite the rise of modern frameworks and tools. Stefan also shares his passion for continuous learning, including his blog and newsletter, Web Weekly, and we explore how tools like Playwright enhance developer workflows and improve the user experience.About this episode, and Stefan Judis in particular: you can find Stefan on X @stefanjudis, GitHub and LinkedIn. Read his blog and Web Weekly.About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we talk with Alex Thissen, a cloud architect at Xebia. We discuss the evolving .NET ecosystem and productivity tools for developers. Alex shares insights on the collaborative .NET community. We highlight the advantages of Dev Containers, which simplify setting up and managing development environments, allowing for seamless onboarding and multi-project work without conflicts. We also compare Visual Studio Code with the full Visual Studio IDE, noting strengths of each, and explore the value of OpenTelemetry in standardizing observability, making debugging and monitoring more efficient across platforms. About this episode, and Alex Thissen in particular: you can find Alex on X @alexthissen, GitHub and LinkedIn.About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we talk with Roelant Dieben, a cloud and AI architect at Sopra Steria, about his work in the .NET community and the evolving role of AI. He shares his passion for knowledge sharing and discusses AI's rapid advancements, as well as challenges like data quality and identifying good use cases. They also touch on the cooling AI hype, making this a prime time for practical implementations. Roelant emphasizes the need for governance, especially around data leakage, and they discuss AI's impact on developers, regression testing, and balancing budget, performance, and use cases in cloud and AI services. About this episode, and Roelant Dieben in particular: you can find Roelant on X @RoelantDieben and LinkedIn.About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we talk with Rene Schulte, head of 3D CoPs and Quantum Communities of Practices at Reply. We dive into the cutting-edge world of generative AI and digital humans, exploring the potential of AI-powered virtual personas capable of engaging in emotional, human-like interactions. Rene shares how these technologies are used in real-world applications, from personalized customer service to immersive educational experiences. We also discuss the challenges of responsible AI development, including aligning these systems with human values and cultural sensitivities. Additionally, we explore the latest advancements in multi-modal AI models, along with important security and privacy considerations.About this episode, and Rene Schulte in particular: you can find Rene on X @rschu, LinkedIn and GitHub.About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we talk with Martin Zikmund, a Microsoft MVP and an open source contributor. We dive into the Uno Platform, a powerful cross-platform development framework. Martin shares his extensive experience with the Uno Platform and the evolution of Windows development. From working on Windows Phone apps to discovering the Uno Platform as a solution for efficient, cross-platform development. He explains how the Uno Platform compares to other frameworks, highlighting its ability to target a wide range of platforms, including mobile, desktop, and web, while leveraging familiar XAML and C# syntax. We also discuss the open-source nature of the Uno Platform, its relationship with Microsoft, and the competitive landscape it navigates.About this episode, and Martin Zikmund in particular: you can find Martin on X @mzikmunddev, LinkedIn and GitHub. Also look at the Uno Platform website, X, and YouTube channel to stay updated with the latest news. About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we talk with Lisa Hoving, a big data engineer and Microsoft Data Platform MVP, about the diverse and dynamic world of big data engineering. Lisa shares insights into her day-to-day responsibilities, which span cloud architecture, DevOps, development, and more. We discuss the challenges of working across so many technical domains and the importance of being a 'jack of all trades' in this field. We also explore the evolution of Azure data services, the complexities of navigating the growing ecosystem of tools, and the importance of choosing the right solutions for specific use cases. Additionally, we delve into the different roles within data engineering, from data analysts to data scientists, and explain the value of the medallion architecture in managing data lifecycles. Lisa also opens up about her advocacy for neurodiversity, sharing her personal experiences and the positive impact of creating inclusive workplace cultures. About this episode, and Lisa Hoving in particular: you can find Lisa on X @lizaard08 and LinkedIn.About Betatalks: watch our videos and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.