CoRecursive: Coding Stories

Burke Holland, a passionate software developer and advocate at Microsoft, shares his deeply personal journey through anxiety and OCD that began with a life-altering college experience. He reveals the challenges of identifying his mental struggles and how they impacted his education, career, and family life. After years of searching for answers, Burke found stability through self-assessment, appropriate therapy, and medication. His story highlights resilience, the importance of naming one's issues, and how overcoming personal battles can lead to newfound empathy and purpose.

Matt Godbolt, an engineer and the creator of Compiler Explorer, shares his passion for diving beneath software abstractions to troubleshoot complex issues. He explores how storage abstractions can mislead performance assessments, recounts his journey from game developer to high-frequency trading, and discusses debugging techniques like visualizing execution on the Dreamcast. His guiding principle, "Godbolt's Rule," emphasizes mastering one layer while understanding the next, ensuring breakthroughs in the obscure depths of computing.

Scott Darlington, a former sub-postmaster whose life was turned upside down by a software bug in the Horizon system, shares his harrowing story. He discusses the devastating impact of accounting discrepancies that led to wrongful prosecution. The conversation dives into the design flaws of Horizon and how its shortcomings led to significant financial losses. Scott reflects on the human cost of a system that prioritized process over people, the failures of oversight, and the long-lasting effects of his wrongful conviction.

Adam shares his personal journey navigating the ups and downs of podcasting, revealing the struggle of maintaining consistency. He reflects on meaningful connections with listeners, including a touching story about a listener and their son. The discussion highlights the importance of maintaining depth in conversations and expresses gratitude for the audience's ongoing support. Exciting future themes and returning guests are teased, promising a fresh wave of engaging content ahead.

The discussion dives into the risks of relying on AI for coding, questioning whether it undermines our critical thinking skills. The tension between automation and personal skill is highlighted, emphasizing the need for thoughtful app creation. Personal stories explore the importance of hands-on problem-solving over debugging tools. The speaker's journey reveals the challenges of merging engineering and marketing, advocating for a deeper connection to coding processes. Ultimately, the talk stresses mastering foundational skills and staying curious in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

The speaker reflects on their journey from rural life to a passion for coding, contemplating the impact of AI tools on the developer identity. They explore fears of obsolescence versus the potential of AI to enhance creativity. Through personal anecdotes, they illustrate the collaboration between human intuition and machine intelligence, transforming projects into sophisticated tools. Embracing curiosity and experimentation, the discussion encourages viewing AI as a partner in creativity, highlighting its role in evolving coding practices.

What if your search for connection took you somewhere you never meant to go—almost costing you everything? John Walker grew up building computers and exploring early internet forums, always looking for a place to fit in. As a teenager, he hacked his school network and spent hours on IRC, but loneliness crept in. Drugs became a fun exploration and a social experiment. But soon, addiction pulled him into homelessness and jail. Even at his lowest, John turned to online communities. He ran IRC bots to keep recovery chatrooms safe from trolls and built scrapers to solve tough data problems at work. These technical challenges gave him a reason to keep going, even when face-to-face life felt impossible. But the real turning point came when John stopped trying to hide his differences. How do you rebuild when you feel like an outsider? Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter

Steve Krouse, the creator of woof.js and founder of Val Town, shares his transformative journey from struggling with math to embracing self-directed learning. He highlights how an innovative program, IMACS, revolutionized his educational experience by encouraging creativity and problem-solving. Steve discusses the significance of context in learning, especially in programming, and how it can ignite passion and understanding. His mission now focuses on making programming accessible and engaging for all, showcasing the potential of collaborative learning environments.

Discover how a single line of code ignited the Climategate scandal, casting doubt on climate science. The discussion delves into critical errors in research that led to dire economic consequences. Learn about the enigmatic file BRIFA-SEP and the ongoing tug-of-war between climate skepticism and scientific integrity. Explore how data proxies reconstruct our climate history and the challenges scientists face, including navigating the human pressures within data analysis. Transparency in science and the implications of data is the core theme throughout.

What if a simple game became a gateway to computational breakthroughs? David Freiberg and Felipe set out on a journey to conquer Hatetris, a notoriously difficult JavaScript game. Their interest ignited when a new world record was set, showing that surpassing the game's high score was possible. Their journey was full of challenges, from building an emulator in different programming languages to tackling complex algorithms. They pushed the boundaries of what's possible but the story didn't end there. Collaborating with fellow enthusiasts, including a Japanese Tetris expert, led to further breakthroughs. By sharing insights and building on each other's work, they set a records after records. Their story highlights the power of curiosity, collaboration, and the joy of discovery. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter