Programming Music with Sonic Pi feat. Sam Aaron | S02 E06

More from Backend Banter

1. 

   S2 · E9 · 10 Mar 2025 · 48 min

   Vercel’s Big AI Bet. ft. Malte Ubl | S02 E09

   Today we welcome Malte Ubl, CTO of Vercel, to discuss the evolution of frontend development and the role of AI in shaping modern engineering workflows. Malte dives into V0, Vercel's innovative tool for generating frontend code using AI, and explains how it empowers developers—especially backend engineers—to build full-stack applications. We also explore the concept of verticalization in engineering roles, the challenges of balancing innovation with infrastructure, and how AI is redefining productivity in tech. Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast…

2. 

   S2 · E8 · 3 Mar 2025 · 54 min

   Build skills, not degrees. ft. Madison Kanna | S02 E08

   Today we welcome Madison Kana—a self-taught dev who defied the traditional path. From dropping out and navigating a world of homeschooling to launching the Code Book Club, Madison transformed her unconventional journey into a thriving community of coders. In this episode, she shares how bypassing the typical education route fueled her passion, the real challenges of learning on your own, and the power of mentorship in building a dynamic tech career. If you’re ready to break the mold and carve your own path in software development. Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on…

3. 

   S2 · E7 · 24 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 14 min

   Roll your own auth or you’re ngmi. ft. Dreams of Code | S02 E07

   This time Elliot from @dreamsofcode joins us to talk about building his own course platform we dive into why he chose to go custom, the tech stack behind his platform, and the philosophy of building vs. buying in software. We also discuss the challenges of teaching programming, the role of AI in development, and what it really takes to create a great online course. If you're into coding, education, or the intersection of both, this one's for you! Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.devListen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm Elliott's Youtube:…

4. 

   S2 · E5 · 10 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 7 min

   KRAZAM Unfiltered feat. Ben Burke | S2 E05

   Today, we bring a very special guest, one whose face you might recognise, one that appears on your homepages with a sporadic video and seemingly disappears. His name is Benjamin Burke, or simply Ben, he’s the co-creator of KRAZAM, a channel that consists of sketches that combine grotesque and absurdist humor with technological anxiety, satirizing the tech industry and the modern alienation of the corporate life in general. In this episode, which admittedly is a bit different from the usual, we’ll focus on KRAZAM and its origins, creative process, and what future plans and ambitions the duo…

5. 

   S2 · E2 · 3 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 20 min

   Does ADHD really make programming harder? ft. Chris Ferdinandi | S2 E04

   Lane chats with Chris Ferdinandi—creator of Go Make Things and ADHD for the Win—a frontend dev, educator, and all-around expert in making JavaScript (and learning) simpler. Chris has built a career helping devs cut through the noise, level up their skills, and embrace ADHD-friendly ways to stay focused and productive. We dive into his journey from discovering his own ADHD to reshaping how people learn to code. We talk about why so many devs have ADHD, how gamification can actually help (when done right), and how today’s tech is messing with our attention spans. Plus, we get into the…

6. 

   S2 · E3 · 27 Jan 2025 · 1 hr 10 min

   Why You Need To Stop Worrying About AI feat. Danny Thompson | S2 E03

   We’re joined by Danny Thompson, currently Director of Technology at This Dot Labs and technical leader and organizer of the Dallas Software Developers Group, where he fosters vibrant local tech ecosystem through workshops, cohorts, and meetups. With a passion to help others learn and find jobs, Danny shares his stories and insights that he gained throughout his extensive and fascinating career! From working as a cashier to now giving talks and organizing meetups for which people fly out to attend, Danny talks about how he got into coding in the first place and his progression, his advice to…

7. 

   S2 · E12 · 31 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 8 min

   The Tools Are Smarter. Are You? ft. YK Sugi | S02 E12

   Today we welcome YK Sugi—engineer, educator, and the mind behind CSS Dojo—for the final episode of season two. We talk about his journey from YouTube dev tutorials to building one of Sourcegraph’s most-used AI tools, and how the role of DevRel has changed (and in some cases, disappeared). YK also breaks down how senior engineers are actually using AI, why fundamentals still matter, and how Agent Chat was born during a company hackathon. If you’re curious about AI devtools, the future of DevRel, or just want to hear how a former YouTuber accidentally shipped a flagship feature—this one's for…

8. 

   24 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 14 min

   How to Win at Learning ft. Quincy Larson | S02 E11

   In this episode, we sit down with Quincy Larson, founder of Free Code Camp, to explore his incredible path from high school dropout to influential tech educator. Quincy shares his unconventional journey — from living in his car and working fast food jobs to building one of the most impactful coding education platforms in the world. We discuss the power of self-learning, the evolution of coding education, and the philosophy behind building meaningful skills. Quincy also dives into his productivity habits, structured routines, and why he prioritizes lifelong learning over traditional memories.…

9. 

   17 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 4 min

   Mitchell Hashimoto: From Terraform to Ghostty | S02 E10

   Today we welcome Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp and creator of Ghostty, a new terminal emulator built in Zig. In this episode, Mitchell shares the story behind Ghostty, how his curiosity about terminals evolved into a full-fledged project, and why Zig became his language of choice. We also dive into Ghostty’s unique features, the role of libghostty, and why Mitchell believes native-feeling apps are essential for developer experience. Plus, we explore his insights on computer science education, dynamic linking, and what really matters when learning to code. If you’re into…

10. 

    S2 · E2 · 20 Jan 2025 · 1 hr 12 min

    Everyone is doing memory management wrong. feat. Ryan Fleury | S2 E02

    This week on Backend Banter, we’re joined by Ryan Fleury, a talented game developer currently working with Epic Games on their Rad Debugger project. Ryan shares his journey from building games to creating powerful developer tools, offering insights into arenas, memory management, and the fascinating world of programming from the ground up. In this episode, we dive deep into memory management, exploring the differences between stack, heap, and arenas, and how they shape modern development. We discuss the trade-offs of various allocation strategies, the magic of pointer stability, and how…

Every episode of Backend Banter →