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In this episode I talk with Adam Dawkins, CTO of Dragon Drop, about building internal tools using Ruby on Rails, the challenges of growing codebases, and how to effectively manage design and technical debt. We explore abstractions, code quality, and the philosophy behind good testing practices. Links: - Dragon Drop - adamdawkins.com - Adam Dawkins on LinkedIn - Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Edward Tewiah about his journey with PropertyWebBuilder, a Ruby on Rails toolkit for real estate websites. We discuss the challenges of building a flexible UI, meeting client needs, and how AI is revolutionizing Edward's approach to development. Links: - PropertyWebBuilder on GitHub - Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Errol Schmidt from reinteractive about the evolving role of development agencies amid rapid AI advancements. We explore the impact of AI tools on productivity and the future of software development, as well as the cultural differences in responding to AI's rise. Links: reinteractiveRubyConfNonsense Monthly

In this episode, I talk with Dave Thomas about RubyConf 2026, the essence of a good conference, and the philosophy of programming, including abstraction and the art of using AI in coding. Links: The Pragmatic ProgrammerThe Pragmatic BookshelfPragDave.meNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with David Santoro, CTO of Carwow, about his journey from startup co-founder to leading a large engineering team. We discuss carwow's evolution, their focus on scalability, and how they tackled growth challenges across different countries. David also shares strategic product and technical decisions. Links: CarwowDavid Santoro on LinkedInCarwow Product Engineering BlogNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with John Gallagher about changes in AI over the last 18 months and the impact of luck on success. Links: John's LinktreeJoyful ProgrammingJohn's LinkedInNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Tyler Ewing about Ductwork, his innovative workflow framework for Ruby and Rails. We explore its unique position between background job libraries like Sidekiq and heavier solutions like Temporal, and how Ductwork aims to streamline complex workflows with a focus on durability and usability. Links: Ductwork WebsiteDuctwork GitHubDuctwork DocsNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Brad Taylor about his journey as a fractional CTO and advisor for various companies. We discuss his experience with open source medical records, the importance of business objects, and navigating complexity in software projects. We also touch on storytelling in code and managing technical debt. Links: Brad Taylor's CompanyBrad Taylor's SubstackNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with JP Camara about RubyConf 2026, submitting CFPs, and why everyone should give talks. JP shares his experience using SaturnCI on the Mastodon project, and we dig into Saturn CI's Docker-based setup, Kubernetes architecture, and test-focused UX philosophy. Links: jpcamara.comSaturnCINonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Christian Genco about IQ, the pros and cons of high intelligence, the Big Five personality traits, evolutionary differences between men and women, hypergamy, the origins of money, and whether Yuval Harari's "shared fiction" concept holds up. We never got to the AI topic we planned. Links: Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Cody Kendall about building software for his dad's HVAC business, learning usability testing, pivoting from contractor software to AI-generated code, and why he built LlamaPress. LlamaPress AINonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Steve Pike, founder of Infield, about dependency management and automated Rails upgrades. We discuss the tradeoffs of taking on dependencies, authorization libraries like CanCanCan versus Pundit, open source maintainer obligations, and how AI is changing the upgrade automation landscape. InfieldOnce a MaintainerNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Sean Schertell about his return to Rails after many years in JavaScript, the pain of node module hell, Kamal for deployment, and Sean's new startup ZiaMap for land surveyors. Links: CodepilotZiaMapNonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Christian Jenko for round two. We explore abstraction as the most important idea in software, Michael Singer's philosophy on consciousness and thoughts, whether AI can become conscious, and how our mental abstractions shape what we see in reality. Links: Designing Object-Oriented Software by Rebecca Wirfs-BrockThe Surrender Experiment by Michael A. SingerThe Untethered Soul by Michael A. SingerLiving Untethered by Michael A. SingerI Am a Strange Loop by Douglas HofstadterA Thousand Brains by Jeff HawkinsIncognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David EaglemanThe Emperor's New Mind by Roger PenroseConjectures and Refutations by Karl PopperBeing There: Putting Brain, Body, and World Together Again by Andy ClarkOn Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz

In this episode I talk with Christian Genko, founder of Fileinbox. We discuss bootstrapping SaaS products, finding business ideas through openness rather than forcing, how LLMs have changed development workflows, TDD with Claude Code, and the enduring value of taste and abstractions in software. Links: FileinboxChristian Genco's personal websiteChristian Genco on XNonsense Monthly