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Jake and Michael return for 2026 and talk about their evolving experiences with AI; what it’s good at, what it’s not, and how it’s changing the way they work. Show links OpenAI / ChatGPTAnthropic / Claude (Sonnet & Opus)OpenCode (multi-provider AI coding interface)Home AssistantZigbee temperature sensorsGitHub CopilotOllama (local LLM runner)NVIDIA DGX SparkAmp CodeMiniMax M2.1 modelSoftware for an audience of oneArborOpenCode Desktop has workspaces supportOpus 4.5 is going to change everything

Michael and Jake open with retro arcade serendipity (a Mortal Kombat cabinet sighting!) and tumble into family bowling, kid-approved card games, and why tactile gadgets are back in style. Then they pivot hard into dev-mode: shadcn/ui (and shadcn-vue), Inertia, React-ish forms, and the age-old tradeoff between “batteries-included” simplicity and modern real-time UX. Highlights: Mortal Kombat cabinet & mini arcades, gift ideas for Laracon AUDuckpin bowling explainer and family bowling stories (plus UNO, Yahtzee, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza)The “analog is cool again” thread: mechanical keyboards, a Keychron board, and a retro 3D-printed mouse shell for a Logitech M185Dev deep-dive: shadcn docs, Inertia forms, partial reloads vs full refresh, Livewire/Alpine, and real-time updates with Pusher/ReverbShow links RetroPie / Arcade1UpLaracon AUDuckpin bowlingKeychron keyboard3D-printed retro mouse shell for Logitech M185Taco Cat Goat Cheese PizzaInertia.jsshadcn/uishadcn-vueLivewireAlpine.jsPusherLaravel ReverbAxiosfetch

Jake and Michael dive into a wide range of topics, from coding practices in Laravel to the evolving role of AI in software development. They kick things off with daylight savings and weekend updates before moving into technical discussions on authorization, policies, and form requests in Laravel. The conversation expands to cover recent changes in middleware and controller patterns, contextual attributes in the service container, and practical approaches to request validation. Later, the focus shifts toward AI tools like Claude, Grok, and Cursor, including their strengths, frustrations, and industry-wide adoption pressures. We reflect on the uneasy balance between developer control and AI assistance, wrapping up with thoughts on productivity, value, and what it means to let machines write code. Show links Lawn HubArcade 1UpRetroPieMortal Kombat cabinetNuno's authorization on form requestsContextual AttributesGrok Code Fast 1

In this episode, Michael and Jake catch up on life and code. They talk about fatigue, seasonal shifts, lawn adventures, and the return of hay fever. We dive into replacing a legacy Salesforce integration with Saloon, frustrations with mocks, and how Saloon fakes have improved testing workflows. Michael walks through his experiments with AI tools like Claude and opencode to prototype fake gateways - treating AI as a “junior dev” pair. The discussion covers gateway patterns, middleware, registry-based response handling, and strategies for testing Salesforce without polluting production environments. From weeds and soil temps to software fakes and AI-driven dev, this one’s a mix of everyday life and practical engineering insights. Show links LawnHub – Michael’s lawn care supplierSaloon (by Sam Carré) – Laravel/HTTP client packageSalesforce – CRM platform discussed in the episodeMockery – PHP mocking frameworkopencode – terminal tool for AI coding (by SST’s Dax and Adam, Terminal Coffee)Claude – AI model used for coding explorationGitHub Copilot – AI coding assistantStripe test cards – referenced in gateway fake analogyBond for Livewire

In this episode, Jake and Michael catch up on life, family, and tech. Michael shares proud stories about his son Eli turning into a “soccer terrorist” on the field, while Jake recounts his own stint as a stand-in soccer coach. They dive into Laracon AU updates — from speaker announcements and Road to Laracon podcasts, to quiz night and swag planning. Other highlights include experiments with AI-generated artwork, Bruce’s new social media adventures, sponsor promotion, and even a tangent on coding tools like PHPStan and how AI can help fix issues in the background. Show links Laracon AURoad to LaraconBruce on XLaravel Live DenmarkBoost

In this episode, Michael and Jake reflect on their recent time at Laracon US 2025 in Denver - catching up in person after six years, reconnecting with the Laravel community, and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the conference floor. They also cover: Why this Laracon felt like a true “homecoming”Building Laravel meetups and fostering communityThe book (and tv show) Station Eleven (and how different things might have been)The value of attending conferences, particularly as a non-speakerContinued discussion on the complexities of handling roles and permissionsThe episode weaves together community highlights, technical challenges, and personal reflections.

In this episode, Michael and Jake kick things off with some Laracon travel talk, sharing their hotel plans, coffee quests, and even jokes about pillow fights at the conference hotel. Michael reveals his precise coffee scouting for the Vib by Best Western hotel, determined not to survive three days on Starbucks alone. Should you define middleware in a controller’s constructor? Michael explains why he avoids it - preferring to keep all middleware in route definitions for better visibility and maintainability. Jake explores the pros and cons and why he’s still tempted to use it for certain edge cases.Dynamic permissions vs. static definitions: We switch gears to talk about the balance between flexibility and clarity when defining permissions for applications, especially when it comes to handling user roles, teams, and complex business rules.Mentioned in this episode: Laracon US travel plansVib by Best Western (the hotel coffee and tacos!)Laravel middleware usagePermission handling in appsTravel gear for developers on the go

In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss the nuance of being “busy”, saying no to features (and why), handling user feedback early, Laravel-powered static views with dynamic data, and building tools that stand the test of time.

In this episode, Jake and Michael reflect on parenting, discuss Apple's new Liquid Glass UI, finding smarter ways to use video on the web, plus share thoughts on AI overload, Laracon prep, and why Wistia might be your next favourite video tool. In this episode:- Apple’s Liquid Glass UI- Kit.com and Wistia for video- Reflections on AI, tech bubbles, and accessibility- Laracon US and vox pop interviews- The emotional ride of watching your kids grow up

In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss Jake's new stealth grill, his eldest son's takeover of the state finals (and metric's takeover of measurement), and Michael goes through the process of refining over 150 talk submissions down to the final Laracon AU schedule.

In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss using interfaces as a dictionary of constants, working with and testing inputs passed down multiple layers of the application, and refactoring legacy code with PHP's ArrayAccess interface.

In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss the ramp up of Laracon AU planning, touch base on Jake's unorthodox usage of Laravel Horizon, and Michael finally coming around to using AI.

In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss Michael's new recording gear, building integrations with external APIs using Saloon, and configuring Laravel Horizon.

In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss circles of influence and information, eloquently handling return of single values from the database, and monitoring tools for your applications.

Jake and Michael discuss those features you ship that nobody uses but everybody has feedback for, testing a system where the valid state can change based on user input, and compliance auditing and adherence.