Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development Neat

@whiskey.fm

A podcast by RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III about whiskey, web development, and a wide range of whatnot.

415 followers104 following247 stories

Longform Stories

AI Harnesses, Framework Wars, and Why Beards Beat Mustaches

This week, Robbie and Adam are coming to you live from the Clerk booth at React Miami with a rapid-fire lineup of lightning podcasts. Fueled by Cutwater cocktails and conference energy, they caught up…

Jun 11·3 min read·597 words

From COBOL to Claude: Live Coding, AI Agents, and the Death of Typing w/ Typecraft

This week, Robbie and Adam are live from React Miami at the Clerk booth, sipping Cutwater cocktails and talking hot takes with Typecraft. They dig into whether React is a framework or library, server …

May 31·3 min read·549 words

React Foundation, AI Agents, and the Future of Frameworks w/ Seth Webster

This week, Robbie and Adam welcome Seth Webster—executive director of the React Foundation, former React lead at Meta, and chief developer evangelist at Expo—to talk React's past, present, and future,…

May 21·3 min read·435 words

Keyframes, Cash, and CodePen w/ Shaw

This week, Robbie and Adam welcome Shaw from CodePen to talk CSS animations, web components, server side rendering nightmares, and why building things by hand still matters in the age of AI slop. They…

May 14·3 min read·456 words

From Wetware to Software (Presented by Warp)

This week, Robbie and Adam sip on Ardbeg Wee Beastie and dive into the wild world of AI development, cloud leaks, and whether humans are officially becoming wetware in their own systems. They explore …

May 7·3 min read·504 words

Axios Is Out. Fetchium Is In. (Presented by Warp)

This week, Robbie and Adam welcome Kristen Garrett to talk signals, reactivity, and whether we've finally found the abstraction that makes sense. They dig into the differences between signals and hook…

Apr 30·3 min read·498 words

AI Cowgorithm Disrupts The Herd (Presented by Warp)

This week, Robbie and Adam sip on whiskey from the Muff Liquor Company and dive deep into the chaotic state of AI development, Jensen Huang's wild claims about AGI and token spending, and whether we'v…

Apr 16·3 min read·469 words

Flogging Margins With The Dropcap Murphys

This week, Robbie and Adam welcome Chris Coyier and Dave Rupert from ShopTalk Show to talk brand truth versus brand slop, whether CSS knowledge is now your biggest advantage, the rise of dark factorie…

Apr 9·3 min read·478 words

Next.js Is Dead, Long Live Next.js! (Presented by Warp)

This week, Robbie and Adam sip Redwood Empire Pipe Dream and dive into the messy reality of AI development, PR reviews, and whether we're all just vibe coding our way into chaos. They debate 200-file …

Apr 2·3 min read·450 words

The Transactional Trap: How 97% of Developers Are Using AI Wrong w/ Leon Noel & Danny Thompson

This week, Robbie and Adam welcome Leon Noel and Danny Thompson to talk AI workflows, agentic development, and whether the job of coding has fundamentally changed. They dig into prompt engineering, me…

Mar 26·3 min read·487 words

The Manager Has Become The Managed (Presented by Warp)

This week, Robbie and Adam sit down with Amelia Wattenberger—digital creative, product builder, and former principal research engineer at GitHub—to talk about AI agents, the death of chatbots, and whe…

Mar 19·3 min read·433 words

Hot Pockets Pro Max (Presented by Warp)

This week, Robbie and Adam sip a rare Single Malts of Scotland 12-year Hogshead release and dive into the world of AI-powered development, OpenClaw setups, and why hot pockets might be the perfect met…

Mar 12·3 min read·473 words

Pay No Attention to the LLM Behind the Terminal w/ Zach Lloyd

This week, Robbie and Adam sip Lagavulin 16 and catch up with Zach Lloyd—founder and CEO of Warp—about building the modern terminal, shipping AI agents to the cloud, and why editing text like it's 202…

Mar 5·3 min read·448 words

Humans Are Now Legacy Dependencies

This week, Robbie and Adam sip High ‘n Wicked Straight Rye and dive deep into the current state of AI development tools, the rise of agentic workflows, and whether humans are becoming legacy dependenc…

Feb 26·3 min read·409 words

We Fired the Tools: No Ralph Wiggum, No Training Wheels, Just Agents

This week, Robbie and Adam talk winter storms, snow blowers, and autonomous yard work before diving into the real topic: AI agents gone wild. They debate why Ralph Wiggum loops don't actually work, wh…

Feb 19·3 min read·441 words

We Stopped Coding by Hand Because Agentic AI Is Too Good

This week, Robbie and Carlo sip Sagamore's 10-year reserve rye and catch up with Carlo on life abroad, AI coding workflows, the changing developer landscape, and why cars, whiskey shipping, and proper…

Feb 12·2 min read·392 words

We Accidentally Deleted Programming (Presented by CodeRabbit)

This week, Robbie and Adam sip on Whistle Pig's Liquid Death collaboration and debate whether we've accidentally deleted programming itself. They dig into the shift from code-first to spec-first devel…

Feb 5·3 min read·425 words

Is AI Just Stealing with Extra Steps? (Presented by CodeRabbit)

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about the ethics and economics of AI, and why “stealing with extra steps” feels like the right metaphor for where things are headed. They dig into open source burnout, …

Jan 29·3 min read·517 words

Santa.exe (Presented by CodeRabbit)

This week, Robbie, Chuck, and Adam bring you the holiday edition of Whiskey Web and Whatnot: random whiskeys, Christmas hot takes, and dev debates. They discuss AI agents, guardrails, prompt-driven de…

Jan 22·3 min read·526 words

MCP Security, Framework Fatigue, and AI Agents with Will Johnson (Presented by CodeRabbit)

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Will Johnson—senior developer advocate at Auth0—about web dev, parenting, and internet culture. They debate whether CSS is a “real” programming language, riff on h…

Jan 15·3 min read·576 words

A Very Merry Descent Into Holiday Madness

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about holiday travel chaos, parenting stress, and health scares before diving into AI-assisted coding, Linux quirks, IDE trends, burnout in open source, and more. In th…

Jan 8·3 min read·571 words

SOC 2 in the Streets, Spaghetti in the Sheets

This week, Robbie and Chuck sip Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye, and discuss why SOC 2 compliance is a painful but necessary sign of company maturity. They also dig into AI coding tools, React fatigue…

Jan 1·3 min read·573 words

Spooky Scary CSS

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about Halloween vibes, excellent scotch, and the strange state of modern web development. After rating an Orphan Barrel single malt, they dig into AI coding workflows, …

Dec 25·4 min read·603 words

The Piano Man of State Machines w/ David K. Piano

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with David K. Piano about state machines, the chaos of overusing React hooks, Tailwind controversies, AI agents, security risks in emerging AI tooling, and why determin…

Dec 18·4 min read·610 words

Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well: CodeRabbit’s Approach to AI Code Review

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Nick Taylor talk with Erik Thorelli and Hendrik Krack from CodeRabbit about how they’re rethinking AI-powered code review, why focus beats fe…

Dec 11·3 min read·407 words

Are Developers Overthinking Everything? w/ Bdougie

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Nick Taylor talk with Bdougie (Brian Douglas) about open source’s impact on their careers, the legacy of OpenSauced, and why developer tools …

Dec 4·4 min read·603 words

The Future of Front-End, Vim Wars, and Raising Gamer Kids w/ Nick Taylor

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Jason Torres talk with Nick Taylor about Kubernetes mishaps, DevRel life, front-end nostalgia, CSS wizardry, arcade emulators, and why taste …

Nov 27·4 min read·691 words

From Librarian to Developer: w/ Roxy Rodriguez-Becker

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie and guest co-host Jason Torres talk with Roxy Rodriquez-Becker about her journey from educator and librarian to aspiring developer, the community supporting he…

Nov 20·3 min read·493 words

How to Build a Career When the Rules Keep Changing w/ Taylor Desseyn & Jason Torres

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie talks with Taylor Desseyn and Jason Torres about the future of tech careers, AI’s impact on hiring, and why relationships still matter more than résumés. They …

Nov 13·4 min read·613 words

Open Source, Agents, and the Next AI Wave w/ Angie Jones

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie Wagner and guest co-host Jason Lengstorf talk with Angie Jones about AI, coding models, and the evolving landscape of open source. They unpack the importance o…

Nov 6·3 min read·475 words

Why Open Source Might Be Your Best Career Move w/ Shruti Kapoor

Recorded at All Things Open 2025, Robbie Wagner and guest co-host Jason Lengstorf chat with developer-turned-creator Shruti Kapoor about her leap from Slack and PayPal to YouTube, the joys and pitfall…

Oct 30·3 min read·505 words

Rust Is Overrated w/ Naman Goel

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Naman Goel about the origins and evolution of StyleX, how it integrates with React and other frameworks, and the pros and cons of different programming languages l…

Oct 23·4 min read·659 words

npm Worms & RubyGems Coups: Trust Issues in Open Source

This week, Robbie, Chuck, and Adam talk about the worst whiskey they’ve tasted, Tailwind as a “state management library,” and recent security scares in open source. Also — dependency hygiene, develope…

Oct 16·3 min read·581 words

Is CSS a Programming Language? w/ Kevin Powell

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Kevin Powell about the quirks and complexities of CSS, from Tailwind and Flexbox to AI’s failure to write decent styles. While sipping some Crown Royal Black, they…

Oct 9·3 min read·557 words

TalkShop Show w/ Macho Man Randy Standards

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Dave "Macho Man Randy Standards" Rupert about whiskey, web culture, and the quirks of building side projects. They dive into the shifting landscape of the web—AI-d…

Oct 2·3 min read·559 words

Agents of Chaos: Whiskey Experiments and the Future of IDEs

This week, Chuck and Adam talk about flavored whiskeys, offbeat experiments, and the chaos of tech culture. They discuss AI workflows, Warp vs. IDE debates, and the realities of coding culture, from b…

Sep 25·3 min read·417 words

DevRel, Linux, and the Shrinking Path for Junior Developers w/ Ali Diamond

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Ali Diamond about her journey through tech, cybersecurity, and community building. They sip tequila, swap hot takes on programming languages and developer culture…

Sep 18·4 min read·624 words

Is Cracker Barrel a JS Framework?

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about JavaScript trends, from the overuse of hooks to frameworks chasing sameness, and why Cracker Barrel’s rebrand feels like a frontend metaphor. They dive into tech …

Sep 11·3 min read·587 words

Dial-Up Is Dead, Long Live Adam Argyle

This week, Robbie and Adam talk about CascadiaJS, Adam’s new role at Shopify, and why tech interviews are so broken. They explore accessibility in front-end dev, the sameness of modern frameworks, and…

Sep 4·3 min read·589 words

Will Frameworks Survive? Web Development in an AI-Driven World w/ Typecraft and Robert Jackson

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Typecraft and Robert Jackson about everything from Japanese rice whiskey to the future of software engineering. They dig into Robert’s open source journey, his in…

Aug 28·3 min read·409 words

Live from Big Sky Dev Con: Code Debates, Content Insights, and What's Next for Web Development

Live from Big Sky Dev Con, Robbie is joined by Aaron Francis, Ken Wheeler, and Typecraft to discuss HTML and CSS programming status, React’s future, app security failures, NPM’s weak spots, content cr…

Aug 14·3 min read·503 words

Error 500: Our Lives

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about whiskey on Mondays, parenting chaos, and Chuck’s hot-water disaster. They dive into open-source dependency drama, including the Stylus package getting flagged as…

Aug 7·4 min read·644 words

Modern Web Dev Meets 2000s Flip Phone: What Could Go Wrong?

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Tom Barrasso about building modern web apps for $15 flip phones, and the challenges of building for ultra-low-end devices. Tom shares his journey from building a …

Jul 31·4 min read·631 words

From the Rickhouse: Tech Talk, Social Media Use, and Netflix with The Primeagen

The Primeagen is known for embracing controversy. He returns to the podcast for a conversation on a range of topics like masculinity, social media, and pornography. He also opens up about his father’s…

Jul 24·3 min read·585 words

From the Rickhouse: Why Svelte Might Just Outdo React w/ Rich Harris

In this special International Whiskey Day episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner, and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by special guest Rich Harris.  They share a toast wit…

Jul 17·3 min read·457 words

From FAANG to Fired: The Illusion of Stability in Big Tech w/ Adam Argyle

This week, Robbie and special guest co-host Adam Argyle talk about life after layoffs, the myth of job security at big tech companies, and what it really means to build meaningful things on the web. …

Jul 3·3 min read·496 words

The One Rye to Rule Them All w/ Kendall Miller & Rishi Malik

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kendall Miller and Rishi Malik about their startup Friday Deployment Spirits, and creating whiskey for developers. They discuss the art of making good whiskey, bo…

Jun 26·3 min read·469 words

Father's Day Drinking w/ Typecraft

This week, Robbie talks with Typecraft about the chaotic joys of fatherhood, the realities of raising twins, and various dad-related hot takes. They also discuss their tech carries and conference talk…

Jun 19·3 min read·522 words

Will AI Kill the Joy of Coding?

This week, Robbie and Chuck review Barrell Craft Spirits' Cranky Kong, and talk about the AI boom, how senior devs are (or aren’t) using it, and what the future of software jobs might look like. They …

Jun 12·3 min read·536 words

Stop Fixing Things That Aren't Broken

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about the unintended chaos of “move fast and break things” in both software and startups. From Riverside glitches to Tesla’s overengineered wipers, they explore how up…

Jun 5·4 min read·630 words

The Myth of Perfect Code w/ Marc Backes

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Marc Backes about Vue vs. React, work-life balance, and the realities of messy codebases. They also sip an Evan Williams Single Barrel, debate inbox zero, and dis…

May 29·3 min read·446 words

Should You Learn Tailwind Before CSS? w/ Bree Hall

This week, live from React Miami, Chuck, and special guest co-host Aaron Francis, talk with Bree Hall about React styling strategies, Tailwind CSS, and whether you should learn fundamentals before fra…

May 22·3 min read·511 words

Static, Dynamic, Generative: What’s Next for the Web? w/ Guillermo Rauch

This week, Chuck and special guest co-host Aaron Francis talk with Guillermo Rauch live from React Miami. From early days at Zeit to founding Vercel and launching Next.js, Guillermo shares stories of …

May 15·3 min read·458 words

Why You Can’t Skip the Fundamentals w/ Henri Helvetica

This week, Chuck and special guest co-host Aaron Francis talk with Henri Helvetica live from React Miami. They explore the evolving challenges of web performance, why genuine research skills still mat…

May 8·3 min read·426 words

Are Frameworks Still Worth the Tradeoffs? w/ Adam Rackis

This week, Chuck talks with Adam Rackis live from React Miami. Along with special guest-host Aaron Francis, they dig into React Server Components, the quirks of modern JavaScript frameworks, and why T…

May 1·3 min read·550 words

WTF is MCP? w/ David Cramer

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with David Cramer about MCP—microservices for language models—and why it might be the future of AI tooling. They dig into the state of AI agents, developer efficiency,…

Apr 24·3 min read·418 words

Vibe Podcasting: App Rewrites, AI Assistants, PB&Js, and more!

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about American whiskey, buttered PB&Js, and the quirks of AI coding assistants. They swap TV recommendations, debate developer priorities like security and rewrites, a…

Apr 17·3 min read·511 words

Your Terminal Is Getting Smarter with Ben Holmes

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Ben Holmes—Astro core team alum and now at Warp—about the rapid evolution of developer tools, the promise and quirks of AI-powered coding, and why he’s betting bi…

Apr 10·3 min read·420 words

Inside Sagamore: The Revival of Maryland Rye with Clint Spotleson

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Clint Spotleson of Sagamore Spirit about the craft behind their unique Manhattan Finish Rye, the history of Maryland-style whiskey, and why great whiskey is meant…

Apr 3·3 min read·403 words

What Makes a Good Job in Tech?

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about career moves and tech transitions. They discuss Robbie’s new role at HashiCorp and Chuck’s dive into cybersecurity. They also debate legacy tech quirks, open-sou…

Mar 27·3 min read·465 words

Why Most Developers Overcomplicate Everything w/ Aaron Francis

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Aaron Francis about developer education, Laravel vs. Rails, and the evolution of full-stack development. They explore the trade-offs of opinionated frameworks, th…

Mar 20·2 min read·392 words

Tailwind 4, DeepSeek AI, and the End of the Old Web

This week, Robbie and Chuck cover a wide range of topics, including AI and its impact on web development. They discuss DeepSeek, Tailwind’s latest updates, and whether Stack Overflow is still relevant…

Mar 13·2 min read·371 words

Is jQuery Really Dead? And Other Hot Takes w/ Travis Wagner

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Travis Wagner about his career move from Universal Music to Crunchyroll and the nuances of backend development. They discuss a wide range of hot takes, including …

Mar 6·2 min read·379 words

Is This the End of Tech Conferences? w/ Dax Raad

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Dax Raad about his evolving career from software engineer to open-source advocate and content creator. They dive into his work on SST, explore the bizarre economi…

Feb 27·2 min read·377 words

From JavaScript to PHP: Josh Cirre’s Unexpected Dev Journey

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Josh Cirre about his journey from JavaScript to PHP, working with the Laravel team, and creating content for developers. They also discuss the value of opinionate…

Feb 20·2 min read·384 words

The Future of Web Dev: Are We Overcomplicating Everything?

This week, Chuck and Robbie talk about the neverending evolution of web dev tools and frameworks. Over a Hatozaki Japanese whiskey, they dive into ORMs, the pros and cons of Prisma, Drizzle, and Astro…

Feb 13·3 min read·504 words

The React Debate No One Wants to Have (But Should) with Ken Wheeler and Typecraft

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Ken Wheeler and Chris Power about everything from React and fantasy football to bizarre Airbnb experiences. They debate React’s evolution, lament the quirks of ho…

Feb 6·3 min read·575 words

How to Make a Podcast Worth Listening To with Dan Blumberg

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Dan Blumberg about his journey from radio producer to product manager and podcaster. They explore the art of building great software, podcasting essentials, and t…

Jan 30·3 min read·493 words

Is Cereal Soup?, the FG Scale, and JS vs CSS with Adam Argyle

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Adam Argyle about the quirks of CSS and JavaScript tooling, and modern web development. They discuss why JavaScript often takes center stage over CSS, the funding…

Jan 23·3 min read·484 words

Authenticity in a World of Algorithms

This week, Robbie and Chuck dive into the delicate balance between authenticity and adaptation, both in tech and everyday life. They unpack the challenges of staying true to their passions—like whiske…

Jan 16·4 min read·620 words

What Makes a Christmas Movie? Plus, a Toast to New Beginnings

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about Christmas traditions, from sweaters and trees to classic holiday movies and music. They dive into various light-hearted hot takes, holiday preferences, gift-givi…

Jan 9·3 min read·530 words

Decentralized Identity: The Future of Privacy and Security with Angie Jones

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Angie Jones, Head of Developer Relations at TBD, about verifiable credentials, decentralized identity, and the potential of Web 5. They discuss practical applicat…

Jan 2·2 min read·331 words

Navigating Career Pivots and Politics with Kelly Vaughn

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kelly Vaughn, Director of Engineering at Spot AI and a “recovering entrepreneur.” They discuss career evolution, the challenges of hiring and job-seeking, career …

Dec 26·2 min read·355 words

Building Reputation in Tech with Adam Stacoviak and Jerod Santo

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Changelog’s Adam Stacoviak and Jerod Santo about content creation and its role in web development careers. They discuss the nuances of reputation-building, the pi…

Dec 19·3 min read·451 words

Breaking Down Open-Source Licensing with Carlo Piana

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Carlo Piana about the intricacies of open-source licensing, challenges in enforcing it, sustainability, and the impact of AI on both the tech and legal industries…

Dec 5·2 min read·291 words

Open-Source Ethics and Monetization with Chris Coyier

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Chris Coyier about the complexities of open-source, balancing community contributions with monetization, the quirks of modern web development, and creative approa…

Nov 28·2 min read·375 words

FAANG is dead; long live MANAMANA!

This week, Robbie and Chuck discuss Fresca’s nostalgic comeback, generalization vs specialization in web dev, the death of FAANG, and the career impact of AI. They also talk about the future of self-d…

Nov 21·3 min read·514 words

Building a Better Web: Open Source, Simplicity, and Speed with Jason Lengstorf

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Jason Lengstorf about the evolving world of web development and the challenges of open-source monetization. They share insights on simplifying tech stacks, choosi…

Nov 14·3 min read·445 words

Live from THAT Conf: Web Frameworks and Developer Experience with James Quick

In this live episode from THAT Conference, Robbie and Chuck talk with James Quick about his journey as a developer and content creator. Over a Scottish single malt, they discuss frameworks like Astro …

Nov 7·2 min read·372 words

Front-end Adventures with Bad at CSS' David East and Adam Argyle

This week, Robbie and Chuck welcome Adam Argyle and David East from the Bad at CSS podcast, for a fun conversation about their favorite dev tools and the finer points of CSS. They discuss code editors…

Oct 31·2 min read·395 words

Shepherd.js, the Future of Open Source, Capitalism, and Corporate Responsibility

This week, Robbie and Chuck sip on some Stranahan’s Second Chance Single Barrel Colorado Whiskey, and explore a variety of topics, from new tech to health. They discuss the future of open-source libra…

Oct 24·3 min read·411 words

From Frontend to Backend: Lane Wagner's Journey to Boot.dev

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Lane Wanger, the creator of Boot.dev, about his journey to backend development and launching Boot.dev. They discuss the state of developer education, how advanced…

Oct 17·3 min read·426 words

Balancing Code and Wellbeing: Michelle Bakels on React and Developer Health

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Michelle Bakels, Program Director at G2i and co-organizer of React Miami. They cover a range of topics, from developer health initiatives to the challenges of org…

Oct 10·3 min read·422 words

Developer Communities, Career Growth, and Front-End Hot Takes with Madison Kanna

Madison Kanna joins Robbie and Chuck to discuss her journey as a developer and the creation of CodebookClub, an online community for developers. They dive into hot takes on Tailwind, TypeScript, and t…

Oct 3·3 min read·443 words

Frameworks, AI, and the Complexities of the Gig Economy

In this episode, Robbie and Chuck review a Kings County Distillery spiced whiskey, and discuss a range of topics, from shiny object syndrome and framework overwhelm to the impacts of AI. They also exp…

Sep 26·2 min read·342 words

Frameworks, Football, and Fast Cars with Kelly Vaughn

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kelly Vaughn about web development, whiskey, and a variety of hot takes including car preferences, Taylor Swift connections, and …

Sep 19·3 min read·426 words

Dev Jobs, Burgers, and AI with Spotify’s Taylor Poindexter

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie and Chuck welcome back Taylor Poindexter, an engineering manager at Spotify, to discuss a range of topics from web development, career advice, and jo…

Sep 12·2 min read·384 words

Woodford Reserve, Air Conditioning in Europe, Podcasting, TypeScript, and Taxes

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III explore the nuances of a Woodford Reserve wheat whiskey, while also tackling subjects from the intricacies…

Sep 5·3 min read·468 words

Italian Culture, CSS, Remote Work, Gen Z Career Advice, and more!

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III sip some Old Forester 1920 and Bushmills, and dive into a casual conversation about their experiences of I…

Aug 29·2 min read·379 words

Typecraft: TypeScript, Vim, Foodie YouTube, Linux, and More!

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie and Chuck talk with Chris Power, the creator behind the Typecraft YouTube channel. Known for his expertise in Linux and TypeScript, Chris discusses v…

Aug 22·2 min read·396 words

Htmx, Open Source, Retro Tech, and Dev Tools with Carson Gross

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie and Chuck talk with Carson Gross about his journey in web development, including the creation of htmx and its predecessor, intercooler.js. They touch…

Aug 15·3 min read·544 words

Coding Languages, AI, and the Evolution of Game Development with Philip Winston

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie and Chuck talk with Philip Winston about various web development best practices, the intricacies of working with multiple languages within the same c…

Aug 8·3 min read·483 words

Disappointing Whiskey, Pizza Debates, and Tech Conference Adventures

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III review a disappointing whiskey that leaves them questioning their life choices, discuss their lacklu…

Aug 1·3 min read·428 words

The Future of Ember and Modern Build Tools with Chris Manson

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie talks with Chris Manson about the intricacies of JavaScript classes, the evolving landscape of React and Ember, and the benefits of using Vite in mod…

Jul 25·3 min read·442 words

Edge Browser and PWAs: A New Era in Web Development with Diego Gonzales

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts Charles William Carpenter III and Adam Argyle share a drink with Diego Gonzalez, a PM working on the Edge team. The discussion centers on progressive…

Jul 18·2 min read·332 words

Secrets of a JavaScript Guru: Natalia Venditto on AI, GraphQL, and More!

Join host Charles William Carpenter III and special guest host Adam Argyle as they welcome Natalia Venditto on this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot. They dive into Natalia's background in JavaScri…

Jul 13·2 min read·392 words

Exploring Bevvy's Whiskey App World with Nas Tonchev

We sit down with Nas Tonchev, CTO of Bevvy, a whiskey app for mobile and the web. We discuss features and functionalities of the Bevvy app, which helps users track, discover, and rate whiskeys. We als…

Jul 4·2 min read·358 words

Understanding Whiskey with Prime Barrel's Michael Nagdi

Michael shares his transition from the corporate world to the whiskey industry, emphasizing whiskey’s role in building relationships. The discussion covers a range of fascinating topics: the nuances o…

Jun 27·2 min read·323 words

Oh My Zsh with Robby Russell

Explore the evolution of web development, Rails, and TypeScript, all while sipping Mortlach Single Malt Whisky. The discussion also covers vintage music formats like vinyl records and cassettes, the T…

Jun 20·2 min read·280 words

Unlocking the Secrets of AI in Tech with April Yoho

Join hosts Charles William Carpenter III and Adam Argyle for a riveting episode of 'Whiskey Web and Whatnot' featuring guest April Yoho. Based in the UK and a seasoned developer advocate, April share…

Jun 13·2 min read·344 words

Aspire to Greatness: .NET Innovations You Can't Miss! w/ David Fowler and Damian Edwards

Join Charles William Carpenter III and Adam Schmargyle in an engaging episode of 'Whiskey Web and Whatnot' as they welcome Damian Edwards and David Fowler from Microsoft. Listen as David shares his j…

Jun 6·2 min read·360 words

AI vs Human: The Future of Job Interviews with Taylor Desseyn

Join hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter VIII on Whiskey Web and Whatnot as they welcome back Taylor Desseyn for another round of whiskey and engaging conversation. Dive into discussi…

May 30·2 min read·317 words

Why Svelte Might Just Outdo React: Rich Harris Unveils Shocking Comparisons!

In this special International Whiskey Day episode of 'Whiskey Web and Whatnot', hosts RobbieTheWagner, and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by special guest Rich Harris. They share a toast wi…

May 16·3 min read·445 words

Flagging Features and Dropping Beats with Ben Rometsch

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by Ben Rometsch, CEO and co-founder of Flagsmith. The discussion kicks off with a lighth…

May 9·3 min read·421 words

Secrets Exposed: The Art of Keeping API Keys Safe From Developer Slip-Ups with Dante Lex

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by Dante, the founder of Onboardbase and hi.new. Dante shares insights on building securi…

May 2·3 min read·404 words

When Hackers Send the Bill: Who Really Pays for Cloud Catastrophes?

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III delve into a mix of topics starting with their thoughts on the Jack Daniels Sinatra Select whiskey, …

Apr 25·2 min read·371 words

From AI Deep Dives to Giblets and Fig Wasps with Ken Wheeler

This episode features a unique blend of discussions and narratives, weaving together spirited debates on technology and AI's impact on society and creativity, personal stories of whiskey appreciation,…

Apr 19·3 min read·469 words

From Data Lakehouses to Penis Botox: An Unfiltered Journey through Tech and Life w/ Mal

In this episode of 'Whiskey Web and Whatnot', hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III (Chuck) kick things off by playfully anticipating Chuck's landscaper interruptions due to his Phoe…

Apr 11·3 min read·472 words

Unleash Developer Superpowers: Tracksuits, Productivity Hacks & Wordpress on Vercel w/ Joel Griffith

In this episode of 'Whiskey Web and Whatnot,' hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III welcome Joel Griffith, founder and CEO of Browserless.io. The trio initially clarifies the common …

Apr 4·3 min read·470 words

FEHH x WWW: AI, VR, and the Future of Web Development

In this crossover episode, Chuck and Robbie join Jem Young and Ryan Burgess from Front End Happy Hour for an engaging discussion over whiskey. They share their career backgrounds, touching on their wo…

Mar 28·3 min read·494 words

Curling, Coding, and Deno with Kevin Whinnery

In this episode of 'Whiskey Web and Whatnot,' hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by Kevin Whinnery, a member of the Deno team. They discuss Kevin's work with JavaScript…

Mar 21·3 min read·446 words

From React Miami to Fly Fishing: Diving Deep with ThePrimeagen and Friends

This episode uniquely blends a variety of discussions, ranging from Prime Barrel whiskey tastings with RobbieTheWagner, Charles "the Plumber" Carpenter, and ThePrimeagen, to in-depth explorations of t…

Mar 15·3 min read·505 words

Empowering Black Women in Tech: Shaundai's Insightful Discussion on Self-Promotion and Career Growth

The Whiskey Web and Whatnot podcast welcomes Shaundai Person, a senior software engineer at Netflix, to discuss her impressive career transition from sales to software engineering. Aside from some li…

Mar 7·3 min read·410 words

Inclusive Experiences in React Applications: Championing Neurodivergent Accessibility w/ Amera White

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot hosts Robbie and Charles discuss various aspects of coding and web development with special guest, experienced front-end Engineer, Amera White. She shares he…

Mar 1·3 min read·425 words

Next.js's Speed vs. RedwoodJS's Strength: The Web Development Drama You Can't Ignore

Join hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III as they delve into a wide variety of topics on their podcast, Whiskey Web and Whatnot. This episode features a detailed tasting of the Book…

Feb 22·3 min read·424 words

Chris Coyier on Embracing Technology and the Future of Web Development

Hosts Robbie Wagner and Charles William Carpenter III welcome special guest, Chris Coyier the co-founder of CodePen and an avid web enthusiast, to share his insights on the latest trends and happening…

Feb 15·3 min read·431 words

Upgrade Your Lifestyle: From the Ballmer Peak to High Tech Toilet Seats

In this episode, Robbie and Chuck discuss a variety of topics. They initially discuss a controversial tier list video from Theo. They criticize Theo's technology ranking, particularly his negative vie…

Feb 8·3 min read·439 words

A Deep Dive into Managed DNS with Jeff Cronstrom

Join hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III as they welcome Jeff Cronstrom, a DNS specialist with experience dating back to the 90s and the founder of CloudfloorDNS. In this episode, …

Feb 6·2 min read·375 words

The Missteps of GraphQL and the Promise of Progressive Enhancement

In this episode of 'Whiskey, Web, and Whatnot', hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III debate podcast names, discuss the feasibility of creating a company, and share insights on tech …

Feb 1·2 min read·373 words

Monthly Malarkey: JavaScript Modules, HTML, and Ryan Reynolds

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III dive into their experiences with the Astro framework and discuss the challenges with JavaScript modu…

Jan 25·2 min read·386 words

Bearded Talks on Beardless Hosts: VSCode Sidebars, AI, and GraphQL with Kelly Vaughn

In this episode, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III invite guest Kelly Vaughn for a casual discussion over a glass of Bardstown Fusion bourbon. The conversation meanders around va…

Jan 18·2 min read·353 words

Tech Conferences, Remote Work and the Intersection of AI and Web Design with Clark Sell

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III invite Clark Sell onto the show. Clark, the founder of 'THAT Conference' and 'Unspecified', talks ab…

Jan 11·3 min read·426 words

Monthly Malarkey: Cat Pee Problems, French Cuisine and Halloween Costume Plans

Are you ready to swap the smooth strokes of a keyboard for the smooth taste of whiskey? Get set to be whisked away on a "Monthly Malarkey" adventure where H Derringer bourbon whiskey takes center stag…

Jan 4·4 min read·655 words

Hot Takes, Web Technologies, and Learning to Code with Ken Wheeler

Ken Wheeler is a software engineer with well over a decade of experience. He shares stories about his journey into tech, his life, and his hobbies. Ken fell in love with coding as a kid, building his…

Dec 28·4 min read·705 words

Open-Source, Payload, and Sim Racing with James Mikrut

The world of programming can be complex, but some developers find beauty in keeping coding clean, simple, and straightforward. This philosophy led developer James Mikrut to write his entire codebase i…

Dec 21·3 min read·550 words

Tech Stacks, Building Apps, and Gaming Nostalgia with David Cramer

Whether you're a seasoned coder or just starting out, the tech you choose can make a big difference. Sometimes choosing the wrong tech can be frustrating and ruin a great project. David Cramer, Co-Fo…

Dec 14·3 min read·592 words

Throwback Frameworks, Tailwind Fandom, and CSS with Jhey Tompkins

Have you ever reflected on the tools that shaped your journey as a developer? Jhey Tompkins, Senior DX Engineer at Vercel, takes a trip down memory lane with Chuck and Robbie, even diving into the top…

Dec 7·3 min read·556 words

Cracking the Podcasting Code with Andrew Lisowski and Justin Bennett

Podcasts are a popular way to share knowledge, stories, and ideas in the tech space and the medium continues to evolve rapidly. But what does it truly take to create a successful podcast that captivat…

Nov 30·4 min read·605 words

Leveraging CSS, Web Design, and Gaming UI with Adam Argyle

Adam Argyle, Chrome CSS Developer Advocate at Google, is not your typical CSS expert. He is big on education and hosts two podcasts that aim to bridge the gap and help developers embrace the challenge…

Nov 23·4 min read·720 words

Learning Angular, Leadership Opportunities, and Google Culture with Sarah Drasner

The transition from coder to manager isn’t easy for developers who love the creative satisfaction and thrill of coding. But both sides of the fence have unique challenges. Sarah Drasner, Senior Direc…

Nov 16·3 min read·582 words

Engineering Management vs Individual Contributor, Travel, and Inflation with Taylor Poindexter

Being a great engineer doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be a great engineering manager. So how do you know if a leadership role is right for you? Taylor Poindexter, Software Engineering Manager at Spot…

Nov 9·4 min read·645 words

Tech Talk, Social Media Use, and Netflix with The Primeagen

The Primeagen is known for embracing controversy. He returns to the podcast for a conversation on a range of topics like masculinity, social media, and pornography. He also opens up about his father’s…

Nov 2·4 min read·604 words

Privacy, Cyber Crime Stories, and Tech with Jack Rhysider

Social media platforms have become our virtual playgrounds, and the choices we make in this realm can have profound impacts on our lives. Are we sacrificing our privacy for the sake of convenience Ja…

Oct 26·4 min read·603 words

Self-Taught Engineering, Boot Camps, and Veganism with Welch Canavan

Some engineers have a linear path to their careers, but most of them take unconventional routes to become a developer. For Welch Canavan, Principal Engineer II at Stitch Fix, his journey into coding w…

Oct 19·3 min read·575 words

The Framework Wars, Certifications, and Cincinnati Chili with Dr. Kate Holterhoff

As the tech industry advances at breakneck speed, traditional university programs are struggling to keep pace. Outdated course content and failure to adapt are encouraging developers to go the untradi…

Oct 12·3 min read·593 words

Adaptability, HTMX, and DivOps with Jonathan Creamer

Jonathan Creamer, Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft and a tech enthusiast, is carving out a niche in the world of front-end tooling. He's even coined the term "DivOps" with the help of his team. J…

Oct 5·4 min read·632 words

SST, AWS, and Ember with Dax Raad

Dax Raad, Founder of Bumi and Ironbay and SST Core Maintainer, is a passionate open-source developer who knows his way around the startup tech space with over a decade of experience under his belt. He…

Sep 28·4 min read·669 words

Hot Takes, Ember Data, and Open Source with Chris Thoburn (Runspired)

After years in the tech game, senior developers know that it’s important to find a balance between innovation and stability in engineering. How can developers strike the balance between embracing new …

Sep 21·4 min read·602 words

Vite, Debugging, and PNPM with Ed Faulkner

The landscape of tech is always changing and adaptability is key. Ed Faulkner, Ember Core Team Member and Founder at Polynomial LLC shares his insights into the dynamic world of software engineering. …

Sep 14·3 min read·521 words

Polaris, Vite, and Exploring the Future of Ember with Jared Galanis and Preston Sego

Recorded at EmberConf from the heart of the Multnomah Whiskey Library with Jared Galanis, Software Engineer on the Ember Learning Team, and Preston Sego aka NullVoxPopuli, Software Artificer at AuditB…

Sep 7·4 min read·674 words

Tech Topics, Traditional Jobs, and Grinding at Work with Jason Lengstorf

Work-life balance can feel like an impossible expectation to meet. For developers and other tech professionals, it’s even harder to unplug when your profession and personal life are connected to the w…

Aug 31·3 min read·571 words

Hot Takes, React, and WebAssembly with Jack Herrington

By now we know that an engineer with skin in the game is a senior engineer. Experience teaches wisdom and Jack Herrington, Principal Full Stack Engineer, has plenty of it. Jack dissects the various p…

Aug 24·3 min read·581 words

Hot Takes, Developer Relations, and AI with Rizel Scarlett

The tech industry is in the middle of an AI revolution, and some developers are wondering if their jobs are at stake. Rizel Scarlett, Developer Advocate at Github, is encouraging developers to embrace…

Aug 17·3 min read·581 words

Tech Talk, TypeScript, and Empowering Engineers with Shaundai Person

Shaundai Person, Senior Software Engineer at Netflix, is a TypeScript convert, educator, and advocate for the programming language. But her unconventional journey started as a self-taught engineer wor…

Aug 10·3 min read·575 words

TypeScript, React, and API Issues with Matt Pocock

Matt Pocock, a TypeScript educator and author of Total TypeScript, became an evangelist for the programing language after searching for a solution for a project plagued by API contract issues. When Ty…

Aug 3·4 min read·632 words

Frontend Feud: CSS Pod vs Whiskey Web and Whatnot

Una & Adam from The CSS Podcast [https://thecsspodcast.libsyn.com/] defend their Frontend Feud title against challengers Chuck & Robbie from Whiskey Web and Whatnot [https://whiskeywebandwhatnot.fm/].…

Jul 28·1 min read·77 words

Tech Interviews, Contract-To-Hire, and Authenticity with Taylor Desseyn

Navigating the current job market is proving to be a daunting task for developers, even experienced ones like Chuck. Does the hiring process need to be fixed? Taylor Desseyn, former Managing Director…

Jul 28·3 min read·563 words

Whiskey Web and Whatnot 100th Episode Round Table with Chris Coyier, Scott Tolinski, Tracy Lee, and Wes Bos

In this milestone 100th episode, Chuck and Robbie are joined by a round table of industry experts and web developers with different philosophies, preferences, and experiences in the tech space to shar…

Jul 20·4 min read·655 words

OpenSauced, Developer Advocacy, and AI with Brian Douglas

Brian Douglas, Founder and CEO at OpenSauced, learned to code while pursuing his MBA and stayed up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies by tuning into podcasts and blogs. Brian’s passion e…

Jul 13·3 min read·590 words

Tech Careers, Hot Takes, and Wix with Emmy Cao and Yoav Abrahami

Chuck and Robbie are joined by Emmy Cao, Developer Advocate at Wix, and Yoav Abrahami, Chief Architect at Wix at the RenderATL 2023 conference to talk all things tech, including whether low code, no c…

Jul 6·4 min read·607 words

Hot Takes, Remix, and Next.js with Chance Strickland

Chuck and Robbie catch up with Chance Strickland, Senior Software Engineer at Replo, at the RenderATL conference. Chance kicks off the conversation by sharing that he is now working at a small startup…

Jun 29·3 min read·589 words

Web Browsers, Level Up Tutorials, and Sentry with Scott Tolinski

Chuck and Robbie are joined by Scott Tolinski, Executive Producer at Sentry, for a recorded chat from the RenderATL conference. The trio delves into lively discussions on various tech topics and share…

Jun 22·4 min read·657 words

Next.js, Vercel, and Subscription Models

Chuck and Robbie dive into their recent experience of building a new podcast site and all the frameworks in their toolkit including Next.js, Vercel, and surprisingly, React. Robbie shares the motivat…

Jun 15·3 min read·586 words

CodePen, Web Animation, and the Future of AR/VR with Stephen Shaw

Stephen Shaw is a Front End Developer at CodePen. But his journey into the world of web development traces back to his earliest memory, captured in a nostalgic photo from 1987 of him sitting on his da…

Jun 8·4 min read·687 words

Building Zed: A Code Editor for Performance and Collaboration with Nathan Sobo

Nathan Sobo, Founder of Zed Industries, is a founding member of the team that built Atom at GitHub. With nine years of experience under his belt, Nathan made the bold decision to leave GitHub and star…

Jun 1·4 min read·679 words

Hot Takes, Bun, and Zig with Jarred Sumner

Jarred Sumner, Founder and CEO of Oven, is bringing speed to the world of Javascript with his project, Bun. Bun is a next-generation Javascript runtime bundler, transpiler, and NPM package manager tha…

May 25·4 min read·657 words

Native Inputs, Blockchain, and Bluesky

What happened to the blockchain? A few years ago, it seemed like the whole world had high hopes for the technology. Today, Chuck and Robbie wonder if it will ever make a comeback. In addition to follo…

May 18·4 min read·711 words

HTML, Shadowbanning, and Open Source Buyouts

Engineers often have the urge to create something bigger and better than what already exists, driven by their competitive nature. But this desire for innovation can sometimes lead to overengineering, …

May 11·3 min read·575 words

Hot Takes, TanStack, and Open Source with Tanner Linsley

Tanner Linsley, Co-Founder and VP of UI/UX at Nozzle is known for creating some of the most popular open-source libraries in the tech space. These libraries keep the wheels turning by making things ea…

May 4·3 min read·577 words

Confluent, Kafka, and Developer Advocacy with Lucia Cerchie

When you think about the career journey of a software developer, teaching elementary school is not typically the first thing that comes to mind. But for Lucia Cerchie, Developer Advocate at Confluent,…

Apr 20·4 min read·651 words

Twitter Open Source Algorithm, Home Labs, and Chat GPT vs. Bard

Twitter released its open-source algorithm and developers like Robbie and Chuck are digging into the code to find out what they have been hiding. While the recommendation algorithm has been useful, it…

Apr 13·3 min read·590 words

Tech Layoffs, the Economy, and Remote Work

The tech industry is still grappling with the aftermath of the second dot com crash. Executives are cash grabbing, banks are failing and the government seems to be turning a blind eye. Will executives…

Apr 6·3 min read·577 words

Exploring Open-Source and SolidJS with Ryan Carniato

Ryan Carniato, Creator of SolidJS and Principal Engineer at Netlify, has always had a love for music and tech. He set his punk rock dreams aside and settled down to become a full-time engineer. Ryan …

Mar 30·3 min read·590 words

The Benefits of Networking, Tech Conferences, and Disney World

Conferences are one of the best ways to network with like-minded developers and find new insights to bring back to your team. Plus, you might even be able to build your entire wardrobe for the year ou…

Mar 23·4 min read·630 words

PNPM, Algorithms, and Angular

It’s hard to find a good package manager, and even the most seasoned developers still struggle to figure them out. Robbie kicks off the tech talk by sharing his misadventures trying to figure out pnpm…

Mar 9·4 min read·686 words

Balancing Legacy Code, Content Creation, and Career Growth with The Primeagen

Michael Paulson, aka The Primeagen, is known for his live streams, crazy memes, and unpopular opinions on Twitter. But he is also a software engineer with over a decade of experience in a legacy C++ c…

Mar 2·4 min read·756 words

Prioritizing the Team Over the Tool with Jason Lengstorf

Jason Lengstorf built up an audience on YouTube by doing unscripted live coding and sharing his mistakes with his community. He credits his background as a musician and frontman of an emo band for hel…

Feb 23·4 min read·766 words

Astro 2.0, Island Architecture, and React with Fred K. Schott

Astro 2.0 is launching new exciting features and it’s setting the bar for HTML frameworks. What makes Astro unique in web development and what are its future possibilities? Fred K. Schott, CEO of the…

Feb 16·4 min read·670 words

Features of Astro 2.0, Challenge of Material UI, and Cleanse Diets

Astro has once again become a hot topic, capturing the attention of developers and impressing them with its user-friendly features. Astro 2.0 introduced new and improved error overlays that are functi…

Feb 9·4 min read·603 words

Tailwind Twitter Wars and the State of JS

The developer community can be highly opinionated. We find our favorite tools and fiercely support them because they help us meet our goals. Tailwind has been polarizing since it launched in 2017. So…

Feb 2·4 min read·629 words

CSS Trig, Cypress, and Software Testing Alternatives

Slow page speeds and bad developer experience are huge pain points. If you can get those two things right, the developer community will likely rally behind you. CSS hit the bullseye when it introduced…

Jan 26·4 min read·652 words

SQL vs NoSQL, Web Technologies, and Holiday Recap

If you’re like Robbie and you haven’t dug into SQL since college, learning the basics of SQL vs NoSQL is a great place to start. Working with data isn’t a part of every developer’s day-to-day, but it …

Jan 19·4 min read·623 words

The Case for Adopting TypeScript with Josh Goldberg

Many people dream about being their own boss, but there’s no clear rulebook that outlines how to get there. While self-employment seems glorious to some, it’s not for everyone. How does someone know w…

Jan 12·4 min read·651 words

Bringing Designers and Developers Together with Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz

Working together in a professional environment is easier said than done, especially when teams have conflicting workflows, priorities, and skill sets. Designers are all too familiar with having their …

Jan 5·3 min read·588 words

Advent of Whiskey: Holiday Treats, Final Holiday Trivia, and Quantum Computing

It’s the Advent of Whiskey finale, and Chuck and Robbie keep it casual with more holiday treats, trivia, and traditions. But it wouldn’t be Whiskey Web and Whatnot without a little tech. Physicists ar…

Dec 24·3 min read·468 words

Advent of Whiskey: Holiday Trivia Continued and Web Developer Tools

Every developer has a tech stack that they swear by. The perfect stack is usually a combination of convenience and productivity. Robbie released a blog on Ship Shape featuring “Top 5 Web Developer To…

Dec 23·3 min read·447 words

Advent of Whiskey: More Holiday Trivia and Tech Interviews

Robbie and Chuck think the process is rigged. Memorizing algorithms and solving problems in 30 minutes isn’t good enough to judge someone’s capabilities and decide whether they can be trusted for a jo…

Dec 22·3 min read·436 words

Advent of Whiskey: Holiday Trivia, Food History, and YAML

Is YAML a programming language? According to Robbie and Chuck, it’s not. And even though you could code in YAML and add functions to it, doesn’t mean you should. Some things are better left uncomplica…

Dec 21·3 min read·428 words

Advent of Whiskey: Framework Predictions, Voting for WWW on State of JS, and Football

It’s anyone’s guess what the future of front-end frameworks will hold but the developer community on Twitter has its own predictions. Meanwhile, usage numbers for Javascript frameworks are showing tha…

Dec 20·3 min read·486 words

Advent of Whiskey: Testing the Hype of ChatGPT, GitLab, and Holiday Trivia

Popularity doesn’t equal quality. We’ve seen it with React and the latest technology to fall victim to this is OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT. ChatGPT is trending on Twitter and is talked about as one of …

Dec 19·3 min read·481 words

Advent of Whiskey: More on State of JS, TV Shows, and Holiday Traditions

Every developer has their limits and Chuck and Robbie share their points of view. Shadow DOM and Custom Elements are the last browser APIs they know in the State of JS survey. In the spirit of the ho…

Dec 18·3 min read·503 words

Advent of Whiskey: State of JS, ChatGPT, and Browser APIs

The State of JS is one of the best ways to get your voice heard and learn about the Javascript ecosystem. The React developers are likely in the majority of survey respondents but every developer with…

Dec 17·3 min read·500 words

Advent of Whiskey: State of JS and Microsoft's Legacy

The Javascript landscape is ever-changing. We can always rely on the State of JS survey to keep up with the latest trends and changes in the space. According to Robbie, Microsoft seems to be at the fo…

Dec 16·3 min read·537 words

Advent of Whiskey: Coding Advent Calendars and the Strangest AI Projects

It’s the season of advent calendars, and coding platforms are launching challenges left and right. If you are waiting for a sign to try a new language or framework, advent calendars are a great place …

Dec 15·3 min read·500 words

Supabase, Logflare, and Offroading with Chase Granberry

Chase Granberry can be called a serial entrepreneur. He bootstrapped his first software company before selling it and starting the centralized logging service, Logflare. Chase sold the company to Sup…

Dec 8·3 min read·584 words

Javascript Games, WTF JS, and a Visit to Phoenix

It’s not a normal day at the office. Robbie and his family are in Phoenix and the Whiskey Web and Whatnot hosts got together to play a losing game of golf and sip margaritas followed by whiskey. In t…

Dec 1·3 min read·427 words

Debating React, Fonts, and Fatherhood with Josh Collinsworth

React isn’t good at anything, except being popular. That’s a bold statement, but it’s one that Josh Collinsworth stands by. It seems like nearly every major tech company has React in their stack. But …

Nov 24·4 min read·667 words

Framework Debates, Tech Layoffs, and Starlink

The tech layoff saga continues. The latest company in the hot seat is Twitter. After Elon Musk took control of the company, the platform has been in disarray, leaving developers out of jobs and Twitte…

Nov 17·4 min read·647 words

A11y Hour with Amber Hinds

WordPress powers over 43% of sites on the internet today, making it a powerhouse web technology. Its simplicity attracted bloggers and do-it-yourselfers who navigate the platform by Googling code snip…

Nov 10·3 min read·459 words

Funding Open Source Projects, Leaving Homebrew, and Launching Tea with Max Howell

Working on open source projects is a largely thankless job and a labor of love. The developers behind these projects often juggle full-time jobs to pay their bills while maintaining the software that …

Nov 3·3 min read·476 words

Multi-Page Apps, Prefetch vs Preload, and Web Nostalgia

While multi-page apps (MPAs) seem like a new fixation for the developer community, they're pretty ancient news. If you were browsing the web in the 90s, you were likely visiting a multi-page app. Luck…

Oct 27·3 min read·508 words

Tailwind CSS, Headless UI, and Powerlifting with Adam Wathan

Maintaining a CSS codebase can become chaotic pretty quickly and building a new stylesheet for every project can get tedious. Frameworks like Tailwind CSS were born to solve this problem. Adam Wathan…

Oct 20·3 min read·488 words

Native Apps, Progressive Web Apps, and Media Monopolies

There's a lot to consider before committing to a framework to build a native app. If you choose to build in native, ask yourself whether you're prepared to handle the downsides that come with it.   T…

Oct 13·3 min read·485 words

SolidJS: The Framework Creating a Buzz with Dan Jutan

Every once in a while a new framework rises to popularity and gets the developer community buzzing. One of the frameworks with the most momentum right now is SolidJS. But what makes Solid so special? …

Oct 6·3 min read·504 words

Embracing New Tech, JavaScript, and the W3WC NFT Launch

The beauty of tech is that it keeps evolving. As a developer, it's important to keep evolving too. Whether that's trying new frameworks, starting side projects, or adopting emerging tech. JavaScript,…

Sep 29·3 min read·483 words

Balancing Engineering Management, Side Hustles, and Porsches with Kelly Vaughn

We all have at least one friend who somehow finds enough hours in a day to have a full-time job and take on several side projects. How can you successfully juggle a career, side hustles, and make time…

Sep 22·3 min read·529 words

A11y Hour with Crystal Preston-Watson

Accessibility is like learning a new language, leaving many developers wondering where to start. The answer is pretty simple, start anywhere. But the onus isn’t all on devs. Crystal Preston-Watson ha…

Sep 15·4 min read·664 words

The Release of Nuxt 3 with Daniel Roe

The best way to win over a developer is to make their job simpler. The release of Nuxt 3 promises an even better developer experience than its former versions. That’s music to every developer’s ears. …

Sep 8·4 min read·734 words

HTML Accessibility, Package Managers, and the Whiskey Web and Whatnot NFT

Devs have a lot on their plate, but the key is to find time for what's important. Championing accessibility is only possible if devs prioritize it and a good place to start is by knowing your HTML ele…

Sep 1·3 min read·515 words

Tech Rants, Supporting Open Source, and Great TV Shows

Building products is hard. And devs can often feel hamstrung by competing priorities. The battle between revenue and quality is ever-present and ongoing. But is it possible to achieve both?  In this …

Aug 25·3 min read·485 words

Web Frameworks, the Launch of Astro 1.0, and National Parks with Nate Moore

Introducing a new framework can be challenging, especially when developers are loyal to old favorites. But Astro 1.0 is bridging the gap between old and new by staying compatible and familiar with oth…

Aug 18·3 min read·499 words

A11y Hour with Mark Steadman

Like many developers, Mark Steadman began working in web development with just a couple of goals in mind: write something that runs and passes a test. No major thought for those using the interface he…

Aug 11·3 min read·502 words

Conventional Commits vs. Release-It and Chatting About the Changelog

There are two types of engineers. The "normal" ones who strive to make their day-to-day lives as easy as possible and the Robbie's of the world who strive to do everything themselves until the last li…

Aug 4·3 min read·479 words

Emerging Tech, a Resource Renaissance, and Embracing Ember with Preston Sego

A few years into Preston Sego's coding career, a colleague working on increasing interactivity on the company's interface chose Ember for the endeavor. Years later, when Preston began developing his o…

Jul 28·3 min read·509 words

A11y Hour with Eric Bailey

In recent years, accessibility has evolved from a way to avoid legal landmines, to a specialization developers are taking a serious approach to for the sake of their companies, apps, and users. Eric B…

Jul 21·3 min read·512 words

Developing Orbit and the Future of Cross Framework Solutions with Dan Gebhardt

Years ago, Dan Gebhardt was mapping out data needs for an app he was building. In a struggle to make sense of every requirement and apply them to other packages like Ember Data, he hit a wall. At this…

Jul 14·3 min read·515 words

Matt Johnson: When Web3 Is Worth It and Learning to Lead

In high school, Matt Johnson followed in the footsteps of his older brother, pursuing similar hobbies like sports and music. After joining a band, Matt realized they needed a website. Mirroring his br…

Jul 7·3 min read·559 words

Polaris, Starbeam, and the Future of Ember with Godfrey Chan

In 2022, the future of Ember is taking shape thanks to developers like Godfrey Chan. Alongside Yehuda Katz and other engineers, Godfrey's working on a new edition of Polaris. The project has three mai…

Jun 30·3 min read·517 words

Reacting to React, WWDC22, and Bun.sh

Robbie has spent years trying to improve his experience in the terminal. Fortunately, he's learned a few things about customization along the way. Meanwhile, Chuck and Robbie have thoughts about Apple…

Jun 23·3 min read·456 words

A Battle of Two Worlds and Mentorship Above Milestones with Cory Brown

It's not often that a blog post sets the internet on fire. But a recent post by Cory Brown about async/await led to an uproar and even messages of pity from Hacker News. Who knew a simple post about p…

Jun 16·3 min read·506 words

A Framework for Ember TypeScript with James C. Davis

In 2017, James C. Davis moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to work at a non-profit tech company that used Ember in their original Saas platform. While James had dabbled in Ember previously, an ask to …

Jun 9·3 min read·513 words

Mystery Maker's Monday, Testing, and GraphQL

They say if it's not broken, don't fix it. So why are we running tests on tests on tests that aren't business-critical? There's an art to testing beyond just striving to get 100% coverage. In fact, ov…

Jun 2·3 min read·468 words

Leading From the Top, Creating a Community, and Balancing It All with Tracy Lee

Great things come in unexpected places. For Tracy Lee, an ex-boyfriend's T-shirt sporting the Ember Tomster is what tipped her off to software development. Following curiosity and a three-week bootcam…

May 26·3 min read·577 words

Bringing Types to Ember with Chris Krycho

In early 2017, Chris Krycho was working at one of the few startups using Ember, searching for a way to bring types to the emerging language. His primary goal became solving semantic versioning for TS.…

May 19·3 min read·512 words

Are Monorepos and NFTs Worth It?

Do you use monorepos? Do you love NFTs named after dogs? Chuck and Robbie have mixed feelings on both monorepus and Shiba Inu tokens and they're probably not the only ones conflicted. Developer tools …

May 12·3 min read·541 words

Getting Lost in Git and Goodbye tsc

It's been a while since Chuck and Robbie dove headfirst into trending tech topics without a guest to bounce their ideas off of. Today, they discuss the latest in TypeScript and Git, the evolution of J…

Apr 21·3 min read·438 words

Developing as a Developer, Appreciating Workers, and Navigating Framework Wars with Chris Garrett

When someone hands you an opportunity to specialize, to do something crazy with people you like, to learn from people building something before your eyes, it's difficult to pass up. An opportunity lik…

Apr 14·3 min read·520 words

Prioritizing Performance and the Future of the Terminal with Zach Lloyd

The terminal is a constant in the dev world. Every developer will interact with the terminal in one way or another. So what if they worked better? Tools within the Google Suite inspired Warp Founder Z…

Apr 7·3 min read·537 words

Setting Standards, Community Lifelines, and the Beauty of Open Source with Jen Weber

As developers, advancing in our careers can feel like the wild west. No guardrails, no handbook, and no standard path to success, everyone has a unique story when it comes to their coding career.  Fa…

Mar 31·3 min read·562 words

Transitioning to Tech and Writing What You Know with Kara Luton

When it seems like everyone around you has worked in the same field for a really long time, making a career pivot with confidence can be tricky. But not everyone's been coding since their early colleg…

Mar 24·3 min read·561 words

Alternatives to Relay, the GraphQL Stack, and Adulthood with Charles Lowell and Taras Mankovski

Just because something is widely used doesn't always mean it's your best solution. Frontside Founder Charles Lowell and CEO Taras Mankovski, stumbled into an alt GraphQL stack simply because the natur…

Mar 17·3 min read·475 words

Machine Learning in JavaScript, Remix Plus Netlify, and Why DX Engineers Matter with Charlie Gerard

Charlie Gerard loves to experiment. Her love for experimentation and JS has propelled Charlie into the world of machine learning and in turn inspired her recent book, Practical Machine Learning in Jav…

Mar 10·3 min read·487 words

Creating CodePen, Tackling Tailwind, and Keeping It Simple with Chris Coyier

Ten years after launching CodePen, Co-Founder Chris Coyier still thinks of his company as a scrappy startup. That's because CodePen, an app and social community for testing and creating web projects, …

Mar 3·3 min read·501 words

Runspired vs. Chris Manson on Solving the Number One Open Source Maintainer Dilemma

As Chris Thoburn (otherwise known as runspired) began prepping for his own Whiskey Web and Whatnot, he found himself driving along to Chris Manson's episode from a few weeks prior. Nodding along as Ch…

Feb 24·3 min read·566 words

Work-Life Balance, React, and Why Accessibility Is Everything with Melanie Sumner

In this episode, Robbie and Chuck talk with Melanie Sumner, web developer and member of the Ember Core Team.  As a graduation gift from her Uncle, Melanie was handed a computer and told, "learn to wr…

Feb 17·3 min read·555 words

Astro, Dashboards, NFT Memberships, and a TV Roundup

From Astro, Vite, and Snowpack, to VR, and some favorite TV shows, today's episode is the perfect opportunity to catch up on technical whatnots and a few exciting life updates from Chuck and Robbie. P…

Feb 10·3 min read·439 words

The Right Way to NFT, Blockchain, and Making Your Mark in the Digital Marketplace with Juan Palomino

In a world of invaluable yet intangible artwork and every developer fighting for a space on the blockchain, it's hard to sort out what's adding value to our brave new world and what's taking up space.…

Feb 3·3 min read·573 words

Discovering Ember, Adopting Orbit, and Unlocking Optimization with Chris Thoburn (runspired)

Runspired's journey with Ember began just like Chuck's, Robbie's, and many who've come before them — with confusion, hesitancy, and gradual infatuation.  The year was 2008 and runspired was launching…

Jan 27·3 min read·559 words

Decentralized Gaming, IntelliJ, Twitch, and the Shortcomings of Modern VR with Rob Cary

What do web development, Twitch, VR, and blockchain all have in common? More than you might think. After years as a game developer, Ship Shape's longest-tenured employee Rob Cary was bound to put thos…

Jan 13·3 min read·496 words

Chuck's Origin Story: Career Pivots, and Learning to Love Ember

After diving into Robbie’s backstory in episode 017, today we’re panning the camera to Chuck. If you’ve ever wondered how he ended up at Ship Shape and where Chuck first discovered the world of the we…

Jan 6·4 min read·654 words

Robbie's Origin Story: Learning to Code, Learning to Hire, and Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap

If you’ve ever wondered where Ship Shape got its shape and how Robbie became Ember’s number one fan, this episode is for you. Robbie and Chuck revisit the early chapters of Robbie’s career, including…

Dec 30·4 min read·752 words

The Beauty of Remix, Falling for Tailwind, and Why NFTs Are a Scam with Kent C. Dodds

Kent Dodds spends much of his professional life helping emerging developers learn. Earlier this year, as he began refreshing a stack of educational resources, Kent realized that simply switching to Re…

Dec 23·3 min read·557 words

Next.js 12, React vs. Svelte, and the Future of Frameworks with Wes Bos

Between constantly changing frameworks, updates, and languages, web dev life is anything but stagnant. Shiny object syndrome is a real thing, and it's easy to feel like there's too much to keep up wit…

Dec 16·3 min read·506 words

Ember vs. React, Jamstack, and Holes in the Hiring Process with Chris Manson

They say if it's not broken, don't fix it. But if it is broken...keep iterating? While not everyone may agree on how to solve the technical headaches that come with one language or another, developer …

Dec 9·3 min read·553 words

RedwoodJS, Developer Experience, and Developing for Scale with Tom Preston-Werner

Every developer straddles the fine line between creating a unique space and reinventing the wheel. Tom Preston-Werner has lived between those two lines for much of his career, most recently while deve…

Dec 2·3 min read·521 words

Boss Hog: Magellan's Atlantic, Recaptcha, GraphQL, NFTs, Crypto

Chuck is in Middleburg, in person, for this episode, where we celebrate his Ship Shape anniversary with the WhistlePig Boss Hog: Magellan's Atlantic. We discuss preventing bots from submitting forms w…

Oct 14·1 min read·92 words

Four Roses, Elixir, Flutter, and Whatnot w/ Sundi Myint

In this episode, we try some Four Roses, and chat with Sundi about Elixir, Flutter, cooking and various whatnot.

Sep 9·1 min read·47 words

Hughes Belle of Bedford, Ember and Whatnot w/ Robert Jackson (rwjblue)

In this episode of our Whiskey Web and Whatnot podcast, we are joined by our special guest, Robert Jackson, from the Ember Core Team. We sampled the Hughes Belle of Bedford Rye whiskey, discussed how …

May 26·1 min read·113 words

Uncle Nearest 1856, JSON:API vs GraphQL, Traveling, Mexico, and Middleburg

In this episode we try the Uncle Nearest 1856 100 proof premium whiskey, discuss the pros and cons of JSON:API vs GraphQL, and give updates on our lives post-vaccination, the new office space in Middl…

May 20·1 min read·98 words

Old Elk, NFTs, Crypto, Tech Tangents

This time we accidentally try two different Old Elk whiskeys, talk about NFTs, crypto, and go on various tech tangents.

Apr 18·1 min read·46 words

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, EmberConf, Next.js, Porsche vs Mustang

This week we try Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, discuss EmberConf and Next.js and talk about Porsches vs Mustangs.

Apr 2·1 min read·45 words

Basil Hayden's Dark Rye, DevOps, Arcades and Whatnot

In this episode we try Basil Hayden's Dark Rye, discuss DevOps and Kubernetes, Arcades and Whatnot.

Mar 19·1 min read·40 words

Kamiki Whisky, Ember/Glimmer updates and whatnot w/ Chris Garrett (pzuraq)

In this episode we try a Japanese whisky from Kamiki Whisky and chat with Chris Garrett (pzuraq) from the Ember Core Team about new things coming in the Ember/Glimmer world.

Mar 10·1 min read·70 words

Hudson Short Stack, Front End Frameworks, Italia

In this episode we try Hudson Whiskey's Short Stack, discuss JavaScript frameworks, and explore Chuck's time in Italy.

Mar 3·1 min read·43 words

Rabbit Hole Dareringer, Serverless, Cryptocurrency

In our third episode we try the Rabbit Hole Dareringer bourbon in our new Norlan whiskey glasses, discuss the Serverless Application Framework, learn a bit about Chuck's previous life as a blackjack d…

Feb 27·1 min read·93 words

Peerless Rye, Monorepos, Super Bowl LV

In the second episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie Wagner and Charles W. Carpenter III try a Kentucky straight rye whiskey from Peerless Distilling. They discuss the pros and cons of monorepos, …

Feb 13·2 min read·220 words

Hello World

On our first episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot we have Sagamore Spirits Rye as our whiskey, discuss Travis CI's latest problems and how GitHub Actions has filled the space, as well as talk about Nint…

Feb 8·1 min read·90 words