Build and Learn

This week we're digging into when to hold on and when to call it quits when it comes to a business. The team at Craftwork is paying down tech debt with Polish week. We also chat about USB hubs, llamas, and how to get started on YouTube. BUILDING CJ : Polish week at Craftwork - cleaning up code formatting, todos, tests, UI polish and clean up, DX clean up, etc. Colin : Coworking space deep dive Run...

In this episode, we catch up on recent tech events, discussing in detail the AI launches at both OpenAI and GitHub. We chat about the Hu.ma.ne AI pin, and touch on GitHub Universe. We also talk about Docs implementations and the challenges of managing and maintaining code snippets in documentation. Show notes : Docs  Astro Starlight - https://starlight.astro.build/ Tailwind UI protocol - https://t...

Episode 31 Intuit is apparently shutting down Mint , pushing folks to Credit Karma  Colin's school bus update Building CJ is continuing to build out a comms center for managing customer comms in a scalable way for Craftwork. SAML` Colin is working on the conference room booking app, Likely use jumpstart for all stuff you need when you build something new CJ talks more about his new side project, S...

In this episode, we'll share updates and talk about what we're learning and working on. First up, is the exciting prospect of buying a short school bus and converting it into a fun project. We'll touch on UI frameworks like PhlexUI, as well as share updates about our experiences with different diet and fitness regimens. We'll chat about some more AI tools. Lastly, we'll share updates on the confer...

No cut off date + multi-modal ChatGPT Generating AI voices with ElevenLabs Looking cool with New Ray Ban + Meta Smart Glasses ? Making an epic screencast set up with Screencasting.com from Aaron Francis Who’s upgrading to the new iPhone 15 with USB C Traveling with international / regional esim cards from Airalo Betting against SaaS? Once from 37Signals Calculating customer lifetime value Not havi...

This time around Colin and CJ talk about learning styles and how to learn to learn. We highlight a documentation framework called "Diataxis," which provides a structured approach to content categorization, differentiating between tutorials, how-to guides, explanations, and references. The significance of recognizing and adapting to varied learning styles, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic....

It's the One Year Anniversary of Build & Learn! In this episode we chat about refreshing OAuth tokens and building CRM features with SMS/voice APIs. CJ and Colin also talk about the tradeoffs of building "calm", bootstrapped companies versus venture-backed startups. It seems like everything that is old is new again! What startups from the 2009-2012 vintages do you think could do with some disr...

In this episode you'll hear about Colin's adventure of building a Google Calendar Discord bot using CloudFlare, mastering Google Calendar APIs, and navigating serverless Postgres with neon.tech. We'll also share our insights on the benefits of being part of Y Combinator, and the unexpected hiccups we faced with Rails' Turbo Streams. Dive in and learn from our experiences! Resources: * https://neon...

Welcome back after the summer break! CJ and Colin get caught up after a summer of adventure and... new job announcements! CJ update  Tahoe Time / Family Time E-Bike with Dad Boat / Plane flight simulator Colin update  Spending time on the coworking space Summer camping Role reversals and announcement  We have new jobs! Context switching  Colin : product & engineering → developer relations CJ :...

In this episode, we chat with Dave Paola, the founder of the Agency of Learning, an organization aimed at getting early-career developers job-ready, especially developer boot camp graduates. We delve into the history of boot camps, identify key gaps in current education methods, and explore how the Agency of Learning addresses these gaps by simulating a real-team environment and emphasizing techni...

In this episode, we talk with Chris Oliver about his deliberate approach to building GoRails and his other businesses on Rails. In a tech world that only seems to be moving faster and faster, we discuss the slow and steady path he has followed to create a fulfilling life for himself and his team while shipping awesome Rails things for his customers. Some links to things we discussed: Build Your Sa...

In this episode, we're joined by Alan Shreve, the founder and CEO of ngrok, to discuss the future of software development and the emergence of innovative tools that simplify complex tasks -- like ingress. We talk about ngrok's solid approach to error handling, which enhances troubleshooting and user experience by assigning unique codes to each error. The conversation also delves into the evolution...

CJ and Colin are back to chat about getting outside, recap the recent RailsConf and discuss building and participating in developer communities in 2023. Getting Outside The Nature Fix book Outside 365 RailsCamp in Hawaii RailsConf 2023 and Webhooks Workshop Webhooks Workshop Github Repo  Marp Markdown Presentation Tool Ruby Central YouTube Channel  RubyConf San Diego Some other cool events/confere...

In this episode, Colin and CJ discuss using the new GPT tools for work and play. Open AI Large language models Generative AI How do we use it, and is it going to be doom & gloom? How We Use It Brainstorming & riffing on ideas  I was building something in React and hadn’t touched React in a few years. I had all this iteration going on in my components to generate dynamic content. Still, I w...

In this episode we dig into the HackerRank annual survey that was released a few months ago for 2023 including the top in demand skills from employers in this uncertain tech and economic environment.   Note from Colin & CJ: This episode was recorded in November 2022. It is amazing how much changes in a few months. Languages By Volume of HackerRanks Java Python SQL C++ Javascript Bash C# Go Typ...

In this episode about webhooks.fyi, we're joined by Keith Casey from ngrok. You'll hear about webhooks.fyi an information-rich resource for learning how to build and consume webhooks. webhooks.fyi is an open source knowledge base and directory listing and analyzing different webhook providers. We discuss webhook security, signature verification, forward compatibility, and more. Other Links from th...

This week we are joined by Chelsea Otakan, infamously also known as @chexee on most of the internet. Chelsea is a product designer and front-end developer, currently working at Lattice . In this episode, we learn more about Chelsea's design origin story, her philosophies on product design, and why you should "build a skateboard, not a wheel". Chelsea's design philosophies - Ship quickly, ship for...

In this episode of Build and Learn, we discuss code generation (codegen) and how Stripe uses it to generate SDKs for its APIs automatically. We talk about how a declarative shape of an API (such as Open API spec or GraphQL schema) can be fed into a tool to generate an SDK in a specific programming language. This process helps ensure that the SDKs are always in sync with the API and that any change...

In this podcast episode, we are diving into the world of developer advocacy and developer relations with Chris Traganos, aka "Trag." While Chris and CJ originally met working together in developer advocacy at Stripe, Trag talks to us about his new role leading the Developer & Appstore Evangelism program at Amazon .  How DevRel strategies change depending on the type and size of company Tradeof...

In this podcast episode, the we discuss a range of topics related to learning and building cool projects. We begin by discussing the recent snow day and share some funny tips and tricks kids use to create a snow day. Charlie Gerard, a senior dev advocate at Stripe, introduces herself and talks about her role as a creative technologist, primarily working in JavaScript. She shares her love for solo...

In this episode, you'll hear Lindsay's path from graphic designer to support engineer and how she now manages a team of support engineers. We discuss what this transition has looked like for her as well as the training and learnings she undertook along the way. In the second half of the episode, we dig into more specific tactics that her and her team have encountered like supporting customers thro...

In this episode, you'll hear Erik's developer journey and learn about AWS Amplify. We discuss some ƒront-end trends and continue reiterating the value of rolling up your sleeves and building small things to learn new programming languages and frameworks. We compare and contrast working with Vue and React. We touch briefly on trends seen at Vercel with server-side generation and rendering. Shopify'...

We talk about some of the keys to building a personal brand as a software developer. • Authenticity • Consistency • Why you should (or shouldn't) think about developing your brand This Episode's Links • Twitter and the Perils of Obedience • Coolors: the super fast color palette generator • BuildSpace Creator Linked List • Monica Lent : building profitable indie products • Paul Jarvis : Fathom Anal...

Sourcing where you want to apply  Make a list of the tools/apps/companies you like to use Outbound (Make a top 10 list) Inbound (review inbound recruiter outreach from the past 3 months or more) Networking (who do you know, try to do some coffee chats to see if they like their company and team) Cold outreach is tough (numbers game) Timing - interviewing such that offers come in around the same tim...

Some Links Laravel Bootcamp   Rails Hackathon   Ruby Archaeology by Nick Schwaderer   "Build vs Buy" on Rails by Colin Loretz   Content Creation for Software Developers CFP Land Why speak at a conference? Share your hard-won learnings Meet other people Grow an audience Build your talent brand to hire people What makes a conference worth speaking at? Do you need to be very senior to speak at a conf...