In this episode — the first half of a special two-part chat — Matt and Liam welcome back Ulysses Maclaren (aka “Mac”) from SSW.

We dive deep into the state of AI today: the hype, the breakthroughs, and the very real existential questions it raises. Uly shares insights from his recent talk on AI agents, self-improving systems, and the accelerating pace of change — plus the personal anxieties and excitement that come with trying to keep up.

We discuss:

As always, it’s equal parts thoughtful and silly — including Uly’s worries about becoming obsolete on his 4-month road trip, Liam’s bottle of wine, and Matt’s philosophical rabbit holes.

🎤 Talks & Links Mentioned

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks

Matt — Sunday Road - Blackwoods pale Ale

Liam — Polishing off the bottle of Glandore Hunter Valley Shiraz from the previous episode

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In this episode, we sit down with Lucy Quinlan, co-founder of Villey, a tech startup built by two non-technical founders on a mission to make life easier for busy families.

Before co-founding Villey, Lucy founded Mother’s Help, a highly successful business that supported hundreds of families through a growing team of trusted helpers. When Suzie and Lucy connected, their shared vision was clear. With their unique backgrounds, they saw the potential to build a tech-enabled marketplace connecting families with trusted, verified helpers and to scale practical support to reach even more people. But how do you build a tech company when you can’t write (or read) code?

Lucy shares how she and her co-founder Suzie bootstrapped their idea from a shared pain point, navigated tough product decisions, and assembled a high-trust team that helped them ship an app used by thousands. We talk about pivots, co-founder dynamics, learning on the fly, and the emotional labour of building something meaningful while parenting young kids.

We also dig into:

This one’s especially for anyone dreaming of starting something without a tech background — and for the rest of us who forgot what it means to build something people truly need.

💬 “Where the why is strong enough, you’ll find a way.” — Lucy

🍻 Drinks:

🔗 Links from this episode:

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Matt’s been to /NEW, a tech and dev conference in Newcastle, and he’s brought back notes, stories, and insights from a range of brilliant speakers (and maybe a few sticker giveaways too). From financial independence to military simulation tech, diversity in funding, and agentic AI, this episode dives deep into the highlights of the conference.

We cover:

💰 Why “F U” money isn’t about yachts — it’s about freedom

This one’s jam-packed. If you’re interested in financial independence, ethical investment, Aussie tech success stories, or how AI is changing… everything, there’s something in here for you.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

FIRE Resources:

AI Resources:

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This one started as a ramble — side projects, creative detours, all the usual suspects.

But somewhere in the second act, a theme emerged: what it means to lead a team through the tough stuff. When stress is high, emotions are raw, and everyone’s looking at you — how do you stay calm without going cold?

In contrast to our earlier chat in the now-infamous Burndown Burnout episode — which focused on navigating stakeholders and external pressure — this one turns inward: the emotional labour of being the steady one inside the team.

We talk:

There’s no script, no tidy arc — just a meandering yarn that ends up in a surprisingly vulnerable place. If you’ve ever felt the quiet weight of leadership, this one’s for you.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

Matt: Fever Tree Sicilian Lime Soda + Pink Grapefruit Soda

Any 👍 Likes, 📣 Shares, 🔔 Subscriptions, and ❤️ Love go a long way to helping us continue this podcast.

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In this episode, Matt and Liam are joined by delivery lead and LinkedIn anti-influencer Sarah Kenyon for a raw, honest yarn about personal branding in tech.

From starting out in your career to the myths of developer stardom, we dive deep into:

🍸 Why your personal brand already exists — whether you like it or not

Whether you’re a backend dev who just wants to do good work or someone chasing the spotlight, this one’s for you.

Plus: Sarah drops some truth bombs on branding, networking, whiskey — and curating a feed that doesn’t make you feel like shit.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

Any Likes 👍, Shares 📣, Subscriptions 🔔, and Love ❤️ go a long way to helping us keep this thing going.

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In this very special episode, Liam and Matt celebrate a milestone: Matt’s 44th birthday and the 44th episode of the podcast! 🎉

To celebrate Liam kindly let Matt geek out on an unusual topic, and we broke from our usual remote setup. Liam came up to Matt’s place, and we recorded this one live in the backyard, each armed with a bottle of Matt’s homebrewed stout.

We dive into one of Matt’s lifelong passions: Superman. But this isn’t just a fandom deep-dive — it’s a look at what Superman represents, why the character resonates across generations, and what it teaches us about hope, resilience, and the human need for heroes.

We discuss:

And after the recording? A few beers and a few games of laser tag to properly mark the occasion. 🍻🔫

If you’ve ever believed that stories can change the world — or just want to hear Matt get animated about something that isn’t JavaScript or tech debt — this one’s for you.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

💬 As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts — especially your own geek-out topics!

Any 👍 Likes, 📣 Shares, 🔔 Subscriptions, and ❤️ Love go a long way to helping us continue this podcast.

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In this episode, Matt and Liam dive into the growing “AI fatigue” in marketing.

From resume-driven design to vibe-driven messaging, we unpack why so much AI branding feels like snake oil — and what authentic engagement really looks like. This is an episode about honesty, hype, and how to tell the difference.

We discuss:

✔️ AI marketing: genuinely useful or just bandwagon buzzwords?

Plus, some bold takes on design tools, algorithm-friendly content, and how cold storage (and cold beer) might be the solution to it all.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

🍸 “The Vibegroni”

🥃 Liam – “GPT-onic”

🔗 Chapters:

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In this special bonus episode, Matt and Liam dive deep into a question that’s been simmering beneath the surface: Is the .NET ecosystem heading for trouble?

From the IdentityServer “rug pull” to Jimmy Bogard’s recent move to commercialise Automapper and MediatR, we explore what it means when open-source maintainers shift to paid models, and how the community responds. Is this a betrayal, or simply what’s needed to sustain the tools we all rely on?

We discuss:

We wrap by proposing a live community conversation on the future of .NET OSS. If you’re a maintainer, contributor, or just someone who cares deeply about the ecosystem, stay tuned. We want your voice in the next round!

Any Likes 👍, Shares 📣, Subscriptions 🔔, and Love ❤️ go a long way to helping us continue this podcast.

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🍻 Tonight’s Drinks 🍻

In this episode, Matt and Liam dust off a six-year-old debate about REST, conventions, and the art of building predictable APIs.

From 404 vs 403, to POSTs that aren’t quite posts, they ask:

They discuss:

Plus: BBQ fires, near-death corn, and the Dunning-Kruger effect of REST philosophy.

💡 Whether you’re team “404 means not found” or “it depends,” this one’s for you.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

Matt: Laphroaig 10 Year Old (Islay, Scotland)

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In this episode, Matt and Liam dive into the topic of app modernisation.

They discuss:

Plus, they revisit last episode’s discussion on open-source maintainers going commercial, and Matt shares updates on his DIY gaming handheld.

💡 Is it possible to build software that stays modern forever? Tune in to find out.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:

Matt: Cherry juice (not red wine)

🔗 Links from this Episode:

Martin Fowler’s Tech Debt Quadrant

Any 👍 Likes, 📣 Shares, 🔔 Subscriptions, and ❤️ Love go a long way to helping us continue this podcast.

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