In this episode I talk with Matthew Ford about AI-assisted coding at BitZesty. We discuss how AI speeds up development while requiring human oversight, the risks of "vibe coding," why automated testing remains critical, and how AI changes but doesn't replace fundamental software development practices like version control and architecture decisions.

Links:

• Bit Zesty
• Matthew Ford on Twitter
• Matthew Ford on Bluesky
• Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Steve Ruiz about creating TLDraw, an open-source canvas SDK. We discuss the intersection of design and engineering, managing complexity through abstractions, state machines, and how multiple rewrites helped him discover the core problems. Steve shares insights on building developer tools and solving difficult UI challenges.

Links:

• tldraw
• Steve Ruiz's personal website
• Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Anthony Eden about building DNSimple, a DNS provider and domain registrar. We discuss his 25 years in the domain industry, technical challenges, and why specialized niches create natural competitive moats.

• DNSimple
• Anthony Eden on LinkedIn
• [email protected]
• Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Radan Skorić about his book Master Hotwire, the challenges of Hotwire documentation, blogging in the AI age, how AI affects content creation, the Chinese room thought experiment, consciousness and computation, trust versus critical thinking, and why quality content that goes deeper than AI can produce still matters.

• Master Hotwire
• radanskoric.com
• Radan's Rails World talk

Jason's stuff:

• Nonsense Monthly
• SaturnCI

In this episode, I discuss AI with Daniel Nastase, covering Daniel's journey from building neural networks from scratch to understanding embeddings and vector databases. We explore the limitations of current AI learning models versus explanation-based reasoning, and discuss practical AI applications including agents and voice interfaces for programming.

• JS Craft
• Daniel's LangGraph book
• Daniel's LangChain book
• SaturnCI
• Nonsense Monthly

In this episode I talk with Cody Norman about his journey from economics to programming, his tattoo shop management software SpotSquid, and lessons from building products for non-technical users. We discuss market challenges, customer development strategies, and Cody's path to conference speaking.

• CodyNorman.com
• Spot Squid
• Nonsense Monthly
• SaturnCI

In this episode I talk with Joel Drapper about open source development, the joy of coding without constraints, AI tools like GitHub Copilot, and our shared discomfort with the phrase "duplication is better than the wrong abstraction." We explore abstraction, technical debt versus "technical poison," and our mutual search for high-quality work environments.

• Joel Drapper on LinkedIn
• Phlex
• Nonsense Monthly
• SaturnCI

In this episode I talk with Jim Remzick about how AI has affected the job market, the value of in-person networking, and XO Ruby, Jim's series of regional Ruby conferences happening across the US.

• XO Ruby
• Flagrant
• Nonsense Monthly

In this episode, I talk with Joe Masilotti about his new book on Hotwire Native, which lets Rails developers build mobile apps using web views with native functionality. We explore the writing process, consulting approaches, client engagement strategies, and how both of us find clients through speaking and writing.

• Hotwire Native for Rails Developers book (use discount code CodeWithJasonHotwire for 35% off)
• Joe Masilotti's website
• Nonsense Monthly

In this episode, I chat with Paul Hammond about effective testing strategies, the joy of working with well-designed TDD systems, and how synchronous collaboration improves code quality. We examine what true agility means and how technical excellence enables fearless releases and sustainable development.

• Feedback-Driven Development
• Paul Hammond on LinkedIn
• Nonsense Monthly