Code with Jason

In this episode I talk with Cody Kendall about building software for his dad's HVAC business, learning usability testing, pivoting from contractor software to AI-generated code, and why he built LlamaPress.LlamaPress AINonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Steve Pike, founder of Infield, about dependency management and automated Rails upgrades. We discuss the tradeoffs of taking on dependencies, authorization libraries like CanCanCan versus Pundit, open source maintainer obligations, and how AI is changing the upgrade automation landscape.InfieldOnce a MaintainerNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Sean Schertell about his return to Rails after many years in JavaScript, the pain of node module hell, Kamal for deployment, and Sean's new startup ZiaMap for land surveyors.Links:CodepilotZiaMapNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Christian Jenko for round two. We explore abstraction as the most important idea in software, Michael Singer's philosophy on consciousness and thoughts, whether AI can become conscious, and how our mental abstractions shape what we see in reality.Links:Designing Object-Oriented Software by Rebecca Wirfs-BrockThe Surrender Experiment by Michael A. SingerThe Untethered Soul by Michael A. SingerLiving Untethered by Michael A. SingerI Am a Strange Loop by Douglas HofstadterA Thousand Brains by Jeff HawkinsIncognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David EaglemanThe Emperor's New Mind by Roger PenroseConjectures and Refutations by Karl PopperBeing There: Putting Brain, Body, and World Together Again by Andy ClarkOn Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz

In this episode I talk with Christian Genko, founder of Fileinbox. We discuss bootstrapping SaaS products, finding business ideas through openness rather than forcing, how LLMs have changed development workflows, TDD with Claude Code, and the enduring value of taste and abstractions in software.Links:FileinboxChristian Genco's personal websiteChristian Genco on XNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Miles Woodroffe, CTO of Mindful Chef. We discuss his music career touring with The Specials and working with Bob Dylan and Ray Charles, how he transitioned into tech, building great teams, and finding people who enjoy working together.Links:mileswoodroffe.comMindful ChefNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Paul Hammond about TDD as a discoverable principle—something alien programmers would independently arrive at. We discuss my "specify, encode, fulfill" formulation, why programming needs theory instead of rules of thumb, and the business payoff of technical quality: Paul returned to a well-built project after 18 months and delivered months of planned work before Christmas.Links:ScenaristNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Becky Freeman, staff engineer at Caribou and co-organizer of Rocky Mountain Ruby, about legacy code, refactoring long-running applications, and the psychological skills required to get team buy-in for technical improvements.Links:Bekki Freeman on LinkedInRocky Mountain RubyCaribouNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Andrea Laforgia about programming principles, why good code is code that's easy to change, and his motto: "write your code so it can be easily deleted." We discuss technical debt as an operating model, the fallacy of sacrificing quality for speed, and AI's impact on learning fundamentals.Links:Andrea Laforgia on LinkedInNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Dave Thomas about why code reuse is overrated, the economics of programming principles, and why we can't empirically test whether practices work—we have to scrutinize the arguments behind them. Dave also discusses his new book Simplicity and his "developer without portfolio" concept.Links:SimplicityNonsense Monthly