I Just Want to Code  ## Metadata - Author: [[The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source]] - Full Title: I Just Want to Code - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/8979e04f-538a-46e7-9761-b67d4f1791d5 ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **Zach Belay's Angel vs. Devil** - Zach Belay experiences an inner conflict between pursuing side hustles and coding for fun. - He manages this by selectively responding to his 'devil' shoulder to avoid burnout while meeting financial needs. Transcript: Jerod Santo Zach Belay's lifelong enjoyment of both A, computers, and B, hustle culture, has cultivated in him the classic angel and devil on the shoulder. Zach says, quote, I constantly find the devil on my shoulder trying to convince me to start a new side hustle. Starting a new monetizable side project is like a latent addiction. Giving in feels like relapsing. The angel says don't worry about some side hustle, just do well in your day job and code for fun as a hobby. But the devil keeps telling me that you can be your own boss and earn what you're worth. End quote. Zach has decided, at least back when this was written in 2023, that he must manage that devil, not vanquish it, because the bills will never stop coming. But he's also learned this, quote, I can no longer force myself to work on things that I don't like forever, since I will burn out. As I mature, I am better honing perception for when and when not to give in to the devil's call to build something for profit. ([Time 0:00:50](https://share.snipd.com/snip/3b02266a-9669-454b-9ad3-ba3e524ded9f)) - **AI Apps Are Horseless Carriages** - Peter Koomen feels AI is far better when it aids creation than in standalone apps. - Current AI apps mimic old software styles and miss potential for radical innovation. Transcript: Jerod Santo AI horseless carriages. Peter Kuhnman noticed something the other day. He enjoys using AI to build software more than he enjoys using most AI applications. I agree with him. Pete says, quote, when I use AI to build software, I feel like I can create almost anything I can imagine very quickly. AI feels like a power tool. It's a lot of fun. Many AI apps don't feel like that. Their AI features feel tacked on and useless, even counterproductive. End quote. Pete is beginning to suspect that these apps are the horseless carriages of the AI era. They're bad because they mimic old ways of building software that unnecessarily constrain the AI models they're built with. To illustrate this point, Pete picks apart Gmail's AI Assistant app and explains how much better it could be if they rethought it from the ground up. His biggest gripe is his inability as the core user to edit the system prompt, which would make all of these apps more personal and useful. ([Time 0:01:50](https://share.snipd.com/snip/be810f72-bb9a-4eb4-9fc8-033d63ab8d4c)) - **Open Source Furniture Making** - Hyperwood promotes building robust furniture with minimal tools and local wood. - This encourages DIY, design, and small manufacturer engagement through open source system. Transcript: Jerod Santo Open source furniture. Well, this sounds incredibly cool. Quote, Hyperwood is an open source system for crafting furniture from simple wooden slats. Hyperwood empowers anyone, DIY enthusiasts, designers, interior architects, and small manufacturers to build beautiful, robust furniture using minimal tools and locally sourced Materials. End quote. The concept is intended for everyone, but the state of the project right now makes it more suitable for hackers like us. All you need to get started is a terminal, a chop saw, and some wood slats. There are two published designs so far, a bench a trough. ([Time 0:02:48](https://share.snipd.com/snip/3b50dc65-c3ca-466f-be90-d97728bb1c48)) - **Store Useful Metadata (YAGRI)** - Store not just minimal required data, but also useful contextual metadata like timestamps and permissions. - This anticipates future debugging, analytics, or features beyond initial UI design. Transcript: Jerod Santo Yagri. You are going to read it. Here's a fun twist on Yagni, one of my favorite acronyms. You might not need it, but you probably are going to read it. Quote, it means that you shouldn't just store the minimum data required to satisfy the current product spec. You should also store data that you'll likely use and read, such as timestamps and contextual metadata. This problem tends to happen when a UI design shows that you only need to display a few specific bits of data to the user, so you only store those exact fields in the database. You've satisfied the design and ship it, then later you realize you're missing valuable info to help debug an issue, do internal analytics, etc. To guard against this eventuality, the author suggests adding these fields to almost any table. Created at, updated at, deleted at for soft deletes, created by, etc., and permissions used during CRUD. See also my post from a few years back. You might as well timestamp it. ([Time 0:04:29](https://share.snipd.com/snip/e586a853-bd45-423a-a0a2-12b1068698ef)) - **Myths Holding Engineers Back** - Anthony Henao debunks myths that stunt engineers' careers: guidance availability, promotion as sole growth, and linear progression. - He encourages questioning these beliefs and imagining a career path liberated from them. Transcript: Jerod Santo Three myths that keep engineers stuck. Anthony Haneo believes software engineers don't get stuck in their career because they lack skills, but because they follow outdated assumptions about how their careers are supposed To work. To help you get unstuck, Anthony is here to debunk three common myths. One, someone will guide you. Two, promotions are the only sign of growth. And three, career progression is linear. Anthony wants you to pause for a moment and answer this question. If I could break free from these myths, how would I want my career to look? I like that question, especially the second half. Myths aside, it's always worth asking yourself what you want your career to look like. But more importantly, append and why to the end. What do I want my career to look like and why? Then you might get to the heart of what matters. ([Time 0:05:27](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1c5c0d11-eb13-439d-834c-096b48f1e6b8))