Whiskey Web and Whatnot

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with David K. Piano about state machines, the chaos of overusing React hooks, Tailwind controversies, AI agents, security risks in emerging AI tooling, and why determinism still matters. They also chat about pianos, creativity, and finding grounding outside of tech. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:40) - Whiskey rating & review: Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt (06:5...

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Nick Taylor talk with Erik Thorelli and Hendrik Krack from CodeRabbit about how they’re rethinking AI-powered code review, why focus beats feature-bloat, the value of transparency, and how CodeRabbit reduces cognitive load for developers while keeping humans meaningfully in the loop. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (00:45) - Wine ra...

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Nick Taylor talk with Bdougie (Brian Douglas) about open source’s impact on their careers, the legacy of OpenSauced, and why developer tools succeed—or don’t. They dive into Git philosophy, editor wars, AI’s sometimes-chaotic influence on coding, and how strong frameworks like Rails still shape the ecosystem. In thi...

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Jason Torres talk with Nick Taylor about Kubernetes mishaps, DevRel life, front-end nostalgia, CSS wizardry, arcade emulators, and why taste and creativity still matter in an AI-accelerated world. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (03:26) - Wine rating & review: Cupcake Prosecco (09:42) - Casinos, arcades, and emulator nostalgia (11:45)...

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Jason Torres talk with Roxy Rodriquez-Becker about her journey from educator and librarian to aspiring developer, the community supporting her transition, navigating motherhood and advocacy, and how her son’s medical challenges inspired her to build a life-changing G-tube feeding app. In this episode: (00:00) - Working Edit (01:03) -...

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie talks with Taylor Desseyn and Jason Torres about the future of tech careers, AI’s impact on hiring, and why relationships still matter more than résumés. They share insights from years in recruiting and community building, stressing that genuine connection—not cold applications—opens doors in today’s market. In this epi...

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie Wagner and guest co-host Jason Lengstorf talk with Angie Jones about AI, coding models, and the evolving landscape of open source. They unpack the importance of community-driven tooling, skill gaps in using AI, the future of agentic systems, and why open communities matter in shaping technology. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:18) - Wine rating & r...

Recorded at All Things Open 2025, Robbie Wagner and guest co-host Jason Lengstorf chat with developer-turned-creator Shruti Kapoor about her leap from Slack and PayPal to YouTube, the joys and pitfalls of open source, and eternal web dev debates. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:37) - Wine rating & review: Fre Sparkling Brut (06:33) - Hot Take: git rebase vs. git merge (09:11) - Hot Take:...

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Naman Goel about the origins and evolution of StyleX, how it integrates with React and other frameworks, and the pros and cons of different programming languages like Rust, TypeScript, and Swift. They dive into the challenges of building performant, type-safe styling systems, the surprising complexity of theme APIs, designing for developer experience, and more....

This week, Robbie, Chuck, and Adam talk about the worst whiskey they’ve tasted, Tailwind as a “state management library,” and recent security scares in open source. Also — dependency hygiene, developer visa drama, and whether inflated tech salaries are finally being reckoned with. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:14) - Whiskey rating & review: Evan Williams Kentucky...

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Kevin Powell about the quirks and complexities of CSS, from Tailwind and Flexbox to AI’s failure to write decent styles. While sipping some Crown Royal Black, they dig into weird web history, emerging CSS specs, toast milestones, and the beauty of clean code. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:51) - Whiskey rating & review: Crown Royal Black (07:54)...

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Dave "Macho Man Randy Standards" Rupert about whiskey, web culture, and the quirks of building side projects. They dive into the shifting landscape of the web—AI-driven development, spec-driven workflows, RSS’s decline, and the joy (and pain) of creative tinkering. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (03:21) - Whiskey rating and review: Suntory World W...

This week, Chuck and Adam talk about flavored whiskeys, offbeat experiments, and the chaos of tech culture. They discuss AI workflows, Warp vs. IDE debates, and the realities of coding culture, from bleeding-edge hype to WordPress drudgery. Plus, Chuck shares updates on life in Italy. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (03:33) - Whiskey rating and review: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Apple and Honey (13:...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Ali Diamond about her journey through tech, cybersecurity, and community building. They sip tequila, swap hot takes on programming languages and developer culture, and dig into the realities of junior engineering paths, DevRel’s evolution, and how passion—not tools—shapes meaningful work. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:39) - Tequila rat...

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about JavaScript trends, from the overuse of hooks to frameworks chasing sameness, and why Cracker Barrel’s rebrand feels like a frontend metaphor. They dive into tech nostalgia, from retro consoles to old-school LAN parties, and debate AI’s role in therapy and modern workflows. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:09) - Whiskey rating & review: Whis...

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about CascadiaJS, Adam’s new role at Shopify, and why tech interviews are so broken. They explore accessibility in front-end dev, the sameness of modern frameworks, and whether AI is the future of engineering or just another hype cycle. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:46) - Whiskey rating & review: Jim Beam Pineapple (07:00) - CascadiaJS preview + spe...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Typecraft and Robert Jackson about everything from Japanese rice whiskey to the future of software engineering. They dig into Robert’s open source journey, his insights on MCP and AI, and whether frameworks will remain relevant in an LLM-driven world. They also explore how AI changes the way new developers learn, the importance of systems thinking, and w...

Live from Big Sky Dev Con, Robbie is joined by Aaron Francis, Ken Wheeler, and Typecraft to discuss HTML and CSS programming status, React’s future, app security failures, NPM’s weak spots, content creation hooks, survival tech fantasies, and balancing big tech ambitions with family life. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (00:55) - Whiskey rating and review: Undammed Distilling Co. Shields River -...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about whiskey on Mondays, parenting chaos, and Chuck’s hot-water disaster. They dive into open-source dependency drama, including the Stylus package getting flagged as malicious, and the TEA app’s massive data leak. They question the stability of NPM, the illusion of software licensing security, and the ethics of data deletion. They also explore how AI is transform...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Tom Barrasso about building modern web apps for $15 flip phones, and the challenges of building for ultra-low-end devices. Tom shares his journey from building a podcast app during the pandemic to working in developer relations at CloudMosa. They dive into digital minimalism, the surprisingly advanced features of today’s flip phones, and what it’s like to work...

The Primeagen is known for embracing controversy. He returns to the podcast for a conversation on a range of topics like masculinity, social media, and pornography. He also opens up about his father’s passing and his journey growing up with a single mother. Michael Paulson aka The Primeagen, Software Engineer at Netflix, is an influential figure in the tech community. He shares his thoughts on Rea...

In this special International Whiskey Day episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner, and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by special guest Rich Harris.  They share a toast with Lagavulin Offerman Edition whiskey and dive into a discussion covering a range of topics from Rich's journey in software development, his work on the Svelte framework, to his thoughts on cheese,...

This week, Robbie and special guest co-host Adam Argyle talk about life after layoffs, the myth of job security at big tech companies, and what it really means to build meaningful things on the web. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:23) - Whiskey: Chicken Cock Rye (02:45) - From FAANG to fired: the illusion of stability in Big Tech (14:49) - How HTML and CSS are replacing JavaScript, one featur...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kendall Miller and Rishi Malik about their startup Friday Deployment Spirits, and creating whiskey for developers. They discuss the art of making good whiskey, bourbon vs rye, coding in the age of AI, and much more. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (00:53) - Meet Rishi and Kendall (03:01) - Whiskey rating and review: Friday Deployment Generative A Rye (21:27)...

This week, Robbie talks with Typecraft about the chaotic joys of fatherhood, the realities of raising twins, and various dad-related hot takes. They also discuss their tech carries and conference talks, including Typecraft's Vim nerdery and Robbie’s sarcastic ode to underappreciated HTML features. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (02:05) - Beer selections (03:11) - Newborns and parenting (07:34) -...