In this episode, we reconnect for season 3, after a short hiatus to chat about life in Developer Relations (DevRel) at bigger companies, the avalanche of meetings that come with onboarding, the rollercoaster of prepping for big events like GDC, and the ongoing quest to create top-tier documentation and SDKs. We swap tips for maximizing AI tools, reflect on building the DevRel muscle from scratch, and share some fun side stories about local AI models, the surprising details that delight developer...
Feb 17, 2025•45 min•Ep. 58
This week we talk about travel from a tech/gear lens and learning game development. CJ is back from Italy apple pay, currency conversion, splitwise, train, google maps, translation apps, tour headsets Colin's food tip: Topjaw on youtube Airalo for esim Train travel in europe is amazing! One-bag travel, having an extra smaller bag Pack Hacker Colin learning Unity Flappy bird tutorial CJ is winding down from Craftwork, what's next! Interviews and AI Advent of Code 2024!...
Dec 30, 2024•46 min•Ep. 57
In this episode, we discuss the WordPress vs. WP Engine drama. We also chat about Discord Activities, the new way to embed games and experiences directly in Discord. Resources https://replicate.com/ https://mikecann.co.uk/posts/battletabs-global-launch-on-discord-activities https://a16z.com/discord-activities-social-gaming/ Tech Crunch Wordpress Drama Explained https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/07/wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained/...
Nov 25, 2024•45 min•Ep. 56
CJ and Colin chat about AI tools and coding environments. Pros and cons, daily workflows, and challenges of various AI-driven coding tools like VS Code, Cursor, and Copilot. We also talk about the broader implications of AI in content generation, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn, and emphasize maintaining a human touch in communication to avoid hollow, AI-generated content. - Avante nvim plugin - Cursor - Github Copilot...
Nov 11, 2024•43 min•Ep. 55
In this episode, you'll learn about the PARA Method for organizing your notes and tasks, emphasizing the importance of balancing craftsmanship with delivering real customer value. Discover insights from Pieter Levels' success with straightforward tech stacks and recurring revenue from multiple startups. The discussion covers the power of building in public, optimizing productivity with personal CRMs and AI tools, and managing digital notes using Obsidian and Logseq. Tune in to explore practical ...
Oct 28, 2024•40 min•Ep. 54
In this episode, Colin and CJ discuss their audio and video setups, ideal microphones, cameras, and software for content creation. They dive into the specifics of the equipment they use and recommend budget-friendly options for those just getting started. Additionally, they touch upon some useful applications and tools that streamline their workflows, and discuss their experience with various developer-related projects. Our Daily Drivers 1. Shure SM7B 2. Shure SM58 3. Cloudlifter 4. Triton Fethe...
Oct 14, 2024•37 min•Ep. 53
In this episode, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ruby on Rails, reflecting on its impact and vibrant community. We share Rails origin stories from the late 2000s and early 2010s. You'll hear about different companies' reading and writing cultures, including practices like decision documents, meeting notes, and internal newsletters. You'll hear updates on current projects, with Colin discussing a major documentation initiative and the challenges of balancing meta-work with actual work. CJ pr...
Sep 23, 2024•42 min•Ep. 52
We discuss visiting NYC, DevRelCon, red-eye flights, and why enums are terrible. Some of the bits and bobs mentioned in this episode: - DevRelCon - Chef's Table ( S2E1 Grant Achatz ) / Alinea - Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon - CJ enumerating lessons about enums...
Sep 10, 2024•44 min•Ep. 51
We're celebrating our 50th episode and two years of podcasting. In this milestone episode, we reflect on what has kept us consistent, our laid-back approach to podcasting, and give a shoutout to you! We also explore how social media affects consumer behavior and share tips for managing digital consumption and mental health. You'll also hear about our latest projects, including optimizing Redis for better performance in our Rails app and our current work at Discord and Craftwork. Plus, we dive in...
Aug 27, 2024•44 min•Ep. 50
Producer's note: This episode should have gone out as episode 48 ahead of Webhooks! This is our missing episode. Join us next episode for episode 50! Colin has a fitness update: working on the lungs, breathing and stress in general. CJ is digging into enums and converting them to models at Craftwork. More to come on that topic soon. Colin continues to avoid building Coworking Software (to everyone's applause) and CJ is digging back into James Clear's Atomic Habits. Colin: Fitness update / massag...
Aug 13, 2024•42 min•Ep. 49
In this episode, you'll learn about webhooks and how they enable event-driven integrations. We cover webhooks, how they work, and best practices for providers and consumers. Topics : - The evolution of webhooks and how they compare to traditional API polling methods - Implementing webhooks securely, including verification techniques - Strategies for handling and processing webhook data - Challenges you might face with versioning and payload changes - Useful tools and resources for working with w...
Jul 23, 2024•39 min•Ep. 48
CJ and Colin with the summer updates and fitness check-in. We dive into cron jobs, scheduling those jobs with various tools and services and best practices for when/how to cron. - Summer updates - CJ's live peloton class in the studio - Peloton hotel finder - Colin gives a RTO recap - Craftwork update, one year of the Rails codebase - Realtime project view tracking with action cable (who’s looking at the same doc as me) - Command Palette using Ninja Keys - CJ on Enums in Rails and other best pra...
Jul 09, 2024•45 min•Ep. 47
Colin and CJ explore the ongoing debate between monolithic architectures versus API-driven frontends, touching on the pros and cons of GraphQL and REST. The conversation also covers the intricacies of integrating Next.js with Rails applications. On the personal front, CJ shares his solar pool heater project and Colin prepares for his upcoming relay race, Reno Tahoe Open (RTO). Both hosts reflect on their work anniversaries and discuss the challenges and strategies for effective Developer Relatio...
Jun 24, 2024•39 min•Ep. 46
This week, CJ and Colin talk about content clickbait, Gameboy nostalgia, and the in-vogue topic of AI/LLMs. CJ dives into some cautionary tales around more API integrations and his steps to avoid platform risk while trying to build software at a growing company. Finally, we bid farewell to RailsConf and discuss the market for Ruby/Rails conferences in 2024 and beyond. Colin's Gameboy nostalgia a dose of retro gaming wifi gameboy cartridge right to repair Retro Future YouTube Acquired FM: The Com...
Jun 10, 2024•47 min•Ep. 45
In this episode, you'll hear about the Write the Docs conference in Portland, a must-attend for anyone in the tech writing community. CJ and Colin chatted about the unique, community-focused vibe of the event, which was akin to RailsConf or RubyConf, and shared some standout talks. One highlight is Calvin Fung's "Beyond Words: Strategies for Leveling Up Your Tech Writing Career," where he details practical tips for documenting your work and aligning it with your job description to advance your c...
May 27, 2024•40 min•Ep. 44
This week, we discuss building companies on top of API integrations and recent acquisitions that we've been following closely and dig into some tech we're both using in our daily work. If you feel like you have a lot going on in your world right now, we also tease our upcoming episode on Cal Newport's newest book, Slow Productivity. - Postman acquires Orbit ! Congrats to the team! - Discussing building companies that are heavy on integrations - Autocode shut down - Cloudflare acquires Partykit -...
May 06, 2024•41 min•Ep. 43
In this episode, Colin shares insights from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) on cutting-edge technologies like motion capture and AI-powered game creation. We'll chat candidly about the challenges of achieving work-life balance, recognizing burnout signs, and staying productive amid demanding software projects. Additionally, we'll explore personal finance topics, such as budgeting, emergency funds, and leveraging AI and APIs to optimize spending and financial planning. Resources frvr.ai http...
Apr 22, 2024•42 min•Ep. 42
In this episode, we talk about that subscription fatigue that is coming for us all. CJ has been working on some homesteading projects, including maple syrup harvesting and an AI birdspotting camera. Colin finally reveals what he's been working on at work: a new SDK! What we're building - CJ is homesteading: maple syrup - Raspberry PI + camera + AI to detect birds in the yard - Colin finally shares what he's been working on at work: documenting a new Discord SDK! What we're learning - Our lessons...
Apr 08, 2024•51 min•Ep. 41
In this episode, we'll dive into the codebase of Campfire, a product released by the 37signals (now Basecamp) team. Sharing our initial impressions of the codebase hitting some of these topics: - The use of helpers and views in this Rails app - The gems and dependencies - The decision to use SQLite - The integration of Hotwire, Stimulus, and front-end tech - The inclusion of Go code for the Thruster proxy accelerator - The CSS files and design choices Resources https://twitter.com/dhh/status/174...
Mar 25, 2024•37 min•Ep. 40
This week, Colin and CJ discuss how differently we can feel when we get caught in the mindless doomscrolling traps of consuming content rather than creating things, interacting with other IRL humans, and more! - Accountability/fitness update - Quick update on Buckets ! - Consumption vs Creation - Learning styles - Badass Course Creators podcast: Raising the bar for online learning with Greg Rog Next episode, we're digging into the Campfire codebase from 37Signals / Once . glhf!...
Mar 04, 2024•47 min•Ep. 39
In this episode of Build and Learn you'll hear CJ and Colin discuss the following: CJ's weekend project of installing new kitchen cabinets. They share the DIY process of customizing and installing inexpensive cabinets from Lowe's. Running and training tips, including focusing on "zone two" aerobic base training. Colin shares his goals to rebuild his running foundation and get faster this year. How performance reviews work at their companies, the process of self-reviews and peer feedback, and how...
Feb 19, 2024•38 min•Ep. 38
2024! This week, we're sharing the various tools we use day-to-day in our work and side projects. Let us know if you have any favorites on Twitter @buildandlearn_ Building CJ: working on a side project, https://buckets.cjav.dev Colin: working on some fun docs projects at work Learning: Sharing Our Tools in 2024 Tools by Category Terminal Editor API tools/clients Content Creation/Editing Mac Helper Apps Notes Calendar Email CJ's Toolkit Warp terminal ohmyzsh with my own theme which is based on Sa...
Feb 05, 2024•43 min•Ep. 37
In this episode, we'll touch on office setup and soundproofing, with a focus on effective techniques and materials. We talk about the challenges and strategies in finding non-technical co-founders for startups, emphasizing the importance of shared values and complementary skills. The episode also delves into the impact of AI on the tech industry, particularly concerning recent layoffs. Additionally, we discuss technical topics like API documentation, memory management in Ruby and Rails, and the ...
Jan 23, 2024•39 min•Ep. 36
Chris and Colin wrap up 2023 chatting about personal finance, website annotations, vim and a growing need to "finish" something over starting yet another thing. Replacing Mint Colin is using Copilot money CJ was using YNAB earlier this year Tagging + podcast expenses: notion, zencastr, transistor, descript Use our referral code 7X6AQD to get 2 months free https://copilot.money/link/9p7G8LwLqNWGkfrL6 Building Colin: Website Annotations Annotate the web Rap Genius CJ: Lots of little API integratio...
Jan 08, 2024•40 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, Colin and CJ discuss their experience with Advent of Code challenges. They use it as a virtual meetup for their local developer group and the value of solving problems in new languages. They also talk about live streaming using Twitch's built-in Stream Together feature and alternatives like Meld Studio for multi-person streaming setups. Other topics include potentially writing code with voice in the future, resources for learning Ruby like Avdi Grimm's Graceful Dev, and managing...
Dec 26, 2023•38 min•Ep. 34
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 Running numbers on business models Using chatGPT to run forecasts Sustainability Book: Quit by Annie Du...
Dec 12, 2023•49 min•Ep. 33
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://tailwindui.com/templates/protocol Angular - angular.dev Markdoc - https://markdoc.dev/ Calendars cal.c...
Nov 28, 2023•41 min•Ep. 32
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, Story Fuel Learning Colin is also learning a lot about sending/receiving audio over socket connections...
Nov 13, 2023•44 min•Ep. 31
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 conference room booking app and the Reno Colective co-working space's accountability group. Resources Phle...
Oct 30, 2023•33 min•Ep. 30
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 having to deal with churn Hashicorp and the Business Software License OpenTofu - open terraform initiati...
Oct 09, 2023•47 min•Ep. 29
