Roundabout: Creative Chaos

Dave Thomas is a programmer, author, publisher, and one of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto. He co-authored The Pragmatic Programmer with Andy Hunt and later co-founded the Pragmatic Bookshelf, applying software development practices to the way technical books are written, produced, tested, updated, and published.

In this episode, Dave talks about discovering programming as a teenager, writing The Pragmatic Programmer, bringing Ruby to an English-speaking audience, and helping create the Agile Manifesto. We also get into the origins of code kata, using AI without surrendering judgment to it, the decline of technical publishing, writing Simplicity, and what developers need to learn when generating code is easier than ever.

In this episode:

• How the Agile Manifesto came together and why Dave believes the movement lost its original focus
• Using feedback, iteration, and reversible decisions to change direction without losing everything
• Where code kata came from and what repetition teaches programmers
• Why using AI effectively still requires knowing how to do the work yourself
• How Dave discovered programming and found a way to express his ideas through code
• How consulting notes became The Pragmatic Programmer
• Why Dave and Andy Hunt decided to start the Pragmatic Bookshelf
• How software development practices shaped the way the Pragmatic Bookshelf produced books
• Writing Simplicity and working with an editor for the first time
• What AI and changing reading habits mean for technical publishing
• Why Dave measures professional success by the effect his work has had on other people
• The story behind his family's zombie apocalypse cellar

Topics: software development, programming, agile development, Agile Manifesto, artificial intelligence, code kata, technical writing, publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, The Pragmatic Programmer, Ruby

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Venkat Subramaniam is a programmer, author, educator, and founder of Agile Developer. His career has taken him from computer architecture and software development to teaching, consulting, speaking, and writing books.

In this episode, Venkat talks about the unexpected decisions that changed the direction of his career, including volunteering to teach C before he really knew the language. We also get into how teaching changed the way he learns, what writing books taught him about feedback, and why he believes software development is as much about discipline as it is about technology.

In this episode:

• How Venkat found his way from engineering to software development
• Learning C by volunteering to teach it
• Why teaching became such an important part of his career
• Writing books and learning to value critical feedback
• What agile development means to Venkat and why adaptive planning matters
• How his thinking about AI has changed

Topics: software development, programming, agile development, teaching, technical writing, AI, software quality

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Adam Tow has spent decades exploring what technology can do and building tools to solve problems he encounters along the way. A longtime Apple developer and technologist, he's created software ranging from early Newton applications to MixEffect, ActionPhrase, and his latest app, C1B.

C1B grew out of Adam's experience helping care for his father during cancer treatment. Faced with medications, appointments, schedules, notes, and information spread across multiple places, Adam built an app around the realities of day-to-day caregiving. His approach reflects a pattern that runs throughout his career: see a problem, understand it, and build something useful.

In this episode:

• Growing up with the Apple II and discovering software development
• Why Adam builds apps to solve problems he encounters himself
• Creating MixEffect and ActionPhrase
• How caregiving for his father led to C1B
• Using AI agents to develop software
• What AI could mean for the future of programming

In the after show: Adam shares another major chapter of his career: nearly 15 years with All Things D, Recode, and Vox Media, where he had a front-row seat to the changing technology industry.

Topics: Apple, software development, AI, caregiving, C1B, indie development

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bob Wegner has spent decades making music and digging into the history behind it. A multi-instrumentalist, music historian, archivist, and writer, Bob has worked with artists including Rush and Led Zeppelin and performed with Classic Albums Live. He is also the author of Max Webster: High Class, a book that took seven years to research and write.

From his own music to his deep dive into one of Canada's most distinctive rock bands, Bob brings a mix of research, firsthand experience, and a genuine love of music history. His work with Max Webster goes far beyond the songs, uncovering the people, performances, photographs, recordings, and stories that document the band's place in Canadian rock.

In this episode:

• Bob's journey as a musician and music historian
• How his interest in Max Webster became a seven-year book project
• Researching the people, performances, and stories behind the band
• What makes Max Webster's music and career so distinctive
• The challenges of documenting music history
• Preserving the stories behind Canada's rock history

Topics: music, Max Webster, Canadian rock, songwriting, music history, books

Audio note: Due to an issue with the original recording, you may notice a few audio imperfections in this episode. We've restored the audio as much as possible while preserving the conversation. Thanks for your understanding.

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kaine "Korp" Kulczak built a creative community around a simple idea: drawing is something anyone can do. After more than twenty years working in an office, he transformed a lifelong passion for art into Korp Academy, helping people rediscover creativity without fear of making mistakes.

Rather than focusing on technical perfection, Korp encourages people to pick up a pen, experiment, and develop confidence through practice. His workshops, online classes, and livestreams have grown into a worldwide community built around the belief that imperfect creations can reveal personal style, curiosity, and joy.

In this episode:

• Why drawing with pens helps people embrace creative risk
• Building confidence by learning through mistakes
• Growing an art community from local workshops to a global audience
• Helping adults reconnect with creativity
• Finding a personal artistic voice instead of chasing perfection
• Using online teaching to make art more accessible

Topics: drawing, art education, creativity, creative confidence, illustration, online learning

Audio note: Due to an issue with the original recording, you may notice a few audio imperfections in this episode. We've restored the audio as much as possible while preserving the conversation. Thanks for your understanding.

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Anna Abraham studies one of humanity’s most fascinating abilities: the capacity to imagine something that does not yet exist. Her research examines how creativity emerges through the relationship between the brain, behavior, and environment.

As a psychologist and researcher, Abraham explores creativity beyond traditional ideas of artistic talent. Through books and academic work on imagination and cognition, she investigates how people generate new ideas and how creative thinking develops across everyday life, education, and human experience.

In this episode:

• Studying creativity through psychology and neuroscience
• Understanding how imagination works in the human brain
• Exploring creativity beyond traditional artistic fields
• The relationship between cognition, behavior, and new ideas
• Applying research on creativity to education and daily life
• Discovering what science can reveal about human imagination

Topics: creativity, neuroscience, psychology, imagination, cognitive science, education

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ken and Roberta Williams helped transform computer games into a medium for storytelling, building Sierra On-Line and creating experiences that shaped generations of players. Their work showed that games could combine technology, imagination, and narrative in entirely new ways.

From early adventure games like King’s Quest to later creative projects, the Williamses have continued exploring how players interact with stories. Their journey reflects the challenges of building a creative technology company, designing new forms of entertainment, and returning to game development after decades away.

In this episode:

• Creating Sierra On-Line and shaping early computer gaming
• Designing adventure games that invited players into stories
• The challenges of developing games with early technology
• Building a company around creative experimentation
• The evolution of interactive storytelling over time
• Returning to game development with new ideas and perspectives

Topics: video games, adventure games, game design, interactive storytelling, entrepreneurship, computer history

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

David Arndt’s work examines writing as more than a method of communication—it is a way of thinking, questioning, and understanding the world. His long-developed project Philosophy of Writing brings together ideas about language, creativity, and personal growth.

As a writer, educator, and professor, Arndt studies the relationship between philosophy and creative practice. His approach to authorship has been shaped by years of reflection, teaching, and exploring how ideas become written work.

In this episode:

• The decades-long development of Philosophy of Writing
• Writing as a tool for discovering and refining ideas
• The connection between philosophy and creative practice
• Teaching writing through critical thinking and reflection
• The influences that shaped an approach to authorship
• Building meaningful creative work through patience and persistence

Topics: writing, philosophy, creativity, education, authorship, creative process

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

AJ Porfirio and Evan Derrick built Van Ryder Games around the idea that tabletop games can deliver deep stories through thoughtful systems and player choices. Their work with titles like Final Girl demonstrates how independent creators can build immersive experiences without relying on traditional publishing models.

The studio’s approach blends game mechanics, narrative design, and the practical realities of running a publishing company. From designing solo experiences to navigating crowdfunding, manufacturing, and distribution, Van Ryder Games reflects the creative problem-solving required to bring an idea from prototype to players’ tables.

In this episode:

• Designing tabletop systems that create cinematic experiences
• Building a company around independent game publishing
• The creative decisions behind solo board games
• Using crowdfunding to connect directly with players
• Balancing storytelling, mechanics, and player experience
• The challenges of producing physical games at scale

Topics: board games, game design, tabletop publishing, indie games, crowdfunding, storytelling

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Matt Parkin turned years of teaching digital art into a broader creative journey that combines education, 3D modeling, and independent game development. His work shows how learning creative tools can become a path toward making entirely new experiences.

Through The Polygon Pilgrimage, Parkin has helped artists understand 3D workflows, from modeling and texturing to creating digital environments. His move into building a solo commercial game highlights the challenges of transforming artistic skills into a complete playable project while balancing technical decisions with creative goals.

In this episode:

• Moving from 3D art education into independent game development
• Creating characters, environments, and assets for digital worlds
• Using Blender and game engines as creative tools
• The challenges of finishing and releasing a solo project
• Teaching artists through The Polygon Pilgrimage community
• Balancing technical knowledge with artistic expression

Topics: 3d art, game development, blender, digital art, indie games, animation

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.