Imagine stepping into the control room of a major tech conference with us as we chat with Andy Croll, CTO of Coverage Book and freshly minted co-chair of RailsConf. This episode peels back the curtain on the meticulous craft of conference planning – from the adrenaline rush of putting together a tech event to the nitty-gritty of ensuring that every attendee leaves with more than they came for. Andy's vision for RailsConf marries the camaraderie of small engineering teams with the prowess of industry titans, striving for a lineup that reflects the global community's rich tapestry.

With Andy at the helm, we travel the path from Brighton Ruby's intimate gatherings to the sprawling expanse of RailsConf, painting a vivid picture of the care poured into speaker preparation and the quest for the Holy Grail of event organization – flawless Wi-Fi. You can almost hear the cogs turning as we delve into the logistics of venue scouting and the art of crafting a compelling call for papers. Whether you're a conference going enthusiast or simply fascinated by the orchestration behind the scenes, Andy's insights offer a unique lens into the world of tech events.

Wrapping up the discussion, the podcast takes a lighthearted detour through personal anecdotes and the shared excitement for both the upcoming RailsConf and the cherished Brighton Ruby conference. The warmth of reconnection and the buzz of collective anticipation for future engagements leave us with a sense of renewed community spirit. Join us on this engaging journey through the ins and outs of bringing a beloved industry gathering to life.

Links

• @andycroll on Twitter
• @brightonruby on Twitter
• @railsconf on Twitter
• @[email protected] on Mastodon
• RailsConf 2024 CFP
• railsconf.org
• andycroll.com
• brightonruby.com
• 
  

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It's time for another Ruby on Rails podcast crossover episode! This time I'm joined by the RoR Podcasts new host, Elise Shaffer. Elise interviews me about the game show I've been giving, I offer my thoughts on doing "weird talks", and we chat about how I got started podcasting. We then flip the script and I interview Elise about her new course on Test Driven Development (TDD), her podcast, and her thoughts on teaching and learning. Elise also had some great tips for getting started (or getting better) with Vim.

Links:

• The Ruby on Rails Podcast
• Original RoR crossover episode (Episode 4)
• Course hosting

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In this eipsode I had the pleasure of talking to Adarsh Pandit, Executive Director of Ruby Central, who gave me a peek behind the curtain. From discussing his journey through the coding industry to arriving at Ruby Central, to the challenges he tackled stepping into an executive role - Adarsh's story is a tale of perseverance, growth, and community building.

Get ready to uncover how Ruby Central is keeping the Ruby community vibrant and innovative. You'll hear about RubyConf and the exciting Community Day initiative that Adarsh is leading - a celebration of knowledge sharing, public speaking, and community engagement. Adarsh also shares his insights on adapting conferences to changing times and the strategies he's using to revamp the RubyTogether membership program. It's a candid look at the realities of running a tech organization in an ever-evolving industry.

But we don't stop there. We also dive into Ruby Central's efforts to foster collaboration and creativity within the Ruby community. From fiscal sponsorship programs to the Scholars and Guides Program - Adarsh gives us a detailed tour of how they're stoking the fires of innovation. And not to be missed is our exploration of community building through local meetups. It's all about creating spaces for connections and learning, and we're sure you'll find Adarsh's experiences and insights invaluable. Tune in for a conversation that's not just about code, but also about fostering communities, encouraging creativity, and building a shared sense of purpose in the tech world.

Links

• @[email protected] on Mastodon
• rubycentral.org
• Ruby Central Memberships
• RubyConf 2023

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In this episode, I'm joined by a special guest, Ben Ornstein, one of my Ruby heroes. I may fan-boy a bit as I express my admiration for Tuple, a tool I love. Together, we dive deep into Tuple's journey, starting from its inception and delving into the creative problem-solving and ingenuity behind its design and development. Ben also reveals his transition from CEO to Head of Product.  We discuss the fresh perspective on team collaboration methods and product development this change offers. We explore how feedback loops and Agile practices play a pivotal role in Tuple's continuous evolution. Along the way, we also reflect on the 'My Life in Weeks' poster, which serves as a stark reminder of the fleeting nature of our time on Earth. This episode is a roller-coaster of insights, trivia, and reflections that will hopefully leave you feeling wiser and more contemplative.


Links:

• @r00k on Twitter
• Tuple (aka my favorite way to pair)
• 'My Life in Weeks' poster
• 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson

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Matt Swanson stays on to talk about Canadian Football and no it's not Rugby.

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Hands down my most boring episode to date. In this episode I'm joined by Mr. "Boring Rails" himself, Matt Swanson.  We talk about removing premature abstractions, how decision fatigue impacts exploration, and revisiting ActionMailer (and finding it to be better than we remember). Even though Matt is notorious for sticking to boring tech the conversation was still great and I'm looking forward to having him on again. Maybe to talk about TypeScript? ;)

Links:

• @_swanson on Twiiter (or X or whatever)
• boringrails.com
• ActionMailer Guide
• ActionMailer Docs
• arrows.to

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PostgreSQL wizard Andrew Atkinson joins the show to discuss his new book, "High-Performance PostgreSQL for Rails." Andrew talks about the challenges of writing a database book for Rails developers, refactoring prose, and the importance of maintaining a work-book-life balance. With his multiple fantastic talks on the subject of PostgreSQL, it's no surprise that he possesses a ton of knowledge to share. I'm genuinely delighted that I had the opportunity to have him on the show, and I'm incredibly excited for the book's upcoming release.

Links:

• @andatki on Twitter
• andatki.bsky.social on Bluesky
• andyatkinson on GitHub
• andyatkinson.com
• High-Performance PostgreSQL for Rails
• PGSQL Phriday #001 — Query Stats, Log Tags, and N+1s

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Web3! 😱

Now that I have your attention. This episode I'm joined by Thomas Carr. Thomas is a Consultant & Software Developer for Emerging Technologies at CGI Federal. Which is a fancy way of saying he gets to play around with all the new tech out there and see what might have real world application. Thomas just gave an awesome talk at Blue Ridge Ruby called "Digital Identity or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Web3" and I found it so fascinating (much to my surprise) I felt like I had to have him on the show.  If you're like I was and think Web3 is just a buzzword Tech Bros use you definitely want to check out this episode!

Links:

• htcarr.com
• @htcarr3 on Twitter (or X or whatever he's calling it this week)
• Thomas Carr on LinkedIn
• htcarr3 on GitHub
• SSI Land
• CGI Federal
• "Digital Identity or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Web3" at Blue Ridge Ruby (link to come)

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Fresh off his Ruby Kaigi talk, Vini Stock, joins the show to talk about all things Ruby LSP.  Even though he's given a plethora of talks on the subject already there's so much to LSPs and to the future and vision of this project that I learned a ton while recording.  Vini confirms what I always suspected, that getting paid to work on developer tooling is awesome. I'm super excited about this project and I suspect after listening to this episode you will be too!

Links:

• @vinistock on Twitter
• vinistock.com
• Vinicius Stock on LinkedIn
• @vinistock on GitHub
• RubyLSP Repo
• RubyLSP plugin for VS Code
• Ruby Kaigi Talk

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Another double-guest episode! This time, I'm joined by Alan Ridlehoover and Fito von Zastrow from Cisco Meraki. There's almost too much great content in this episode to provide a proper summary. We discuss everything, from the modularization of massive Rails apps to building a toy framework. Alan and Fito have a ton of experience and are working on some awesome things. Best of all, they're hiring! If this episode makes you hungry for the types of problems they're solving, definitely check out Cisco Meraki's career page.

Links:

• Alan Ridlehoover on LinkedIn
• @[email protected]
• Fito von Zastrow on LinkedIn
• @[email protected]
• Cisco Meraki's career page
• A Brewer’s Guide to Filtering out Complexity and Churn (RubyConf Mini)
• Liberty Framework
• Manufacturable
• Alans Blog
• Ruby Flog VS Code Extension
• Coverage Status VS Code Extension
• Rubyist (an opinionated color scheme for Ruby development)

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