On this episode of Dead Code, Jared talks with Justin Searls, co-founder of Test Double, about programming workflows, decision-making, and the evolving role of developers. They explore how the order and tempo of thought matter more than static code, why tackling the riskiest problems first can shape better outcomes, and how Justin’s idea of the “full-breadth developer” expands a programmer’s role to include product vision and context. The conversation touches on Agile and XP roots, consulting realities, and how AI coding agents can both accelerate and complicate work. The episode wraps with Justin encouraging blogging and direct connection, while Jared reflects on building a “grand unified theory” of how programmers decide their next step.Links:Sign up at jardo.dev/anarchyagile to enter the 50th episode giveaway!Test DoubleJustin Searls: Find his writing, projects, and podcast Breaking Change at justin.searls.coGrowing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests by Steve Freeman & Nat PryceExtreme Programming Explained by Kent BeckThe Secrets of Consulting by Jerry WeinbergClojure REPLSolidusSwiftDataCloudKitCursorClaude CodeDead Code Podcast Links:MastodonXJared’s Links:MastodonXtwitch.tv/jardonamronJared’s Newsletter & WebsiteEpisode Transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:00:49
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1:00:49
Rage Quit Stamina Theory
The 50th episode of the Dead Code Podcast brought Karl Weber, Jared Norman, Benjamin Wil, Sofia Besenski, and Noah Silveira together to mark the milestone with sharp, funny, and critical takes on the state of tech. They skewered CEOs bragging about AI-driven layoffs as short-sighted profiteering, questioned the hype fueling the AI bubble, and praised Ruby and Rails for extending developers’ “rage quit stamina” despite flaws in error reporting and dependency management. The group emphasized the importance of empathetic, fast code reviews and smaller PRs, arguing that culture and collaboration matter more than mythical “10x developers.” They also critiqued DHH’s claim that executives should be the least busy, framing it as privilege disguised as wisdom, while pointing out that rest and balance benefit everyone. The episode captured their signature mix of humor, industry critique, and camaraderie, closing with gratitude for 50 episodes and excitement for what’s next.Links:Giveaway: Anarchy Agile hats — enter at jardo.dev/anarchyagile“CEOs Are Publicly Boasting About Reducing Their Workforces With AI” – FuturismThe Pragmatic Engineer 2025 Survey: What’s in your tech stack? Part 1“Two Simple Rules to Fix Code Reviews” – The Pragmatic Engineer“In Praise of Normal Engineers” – Charity Majors, Honeycomb“Executives Should Be the Least Busy People” – David Heinemeier HanssonDead Code Podcast Links:MastodonXJared’s Links:MastodonXtwitch.tv/jardonamronJared’s Newsletter & WebsiteEpisode Transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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47:42
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47:42
Radiation Hardened (with Dave Gauer)
In this episode of Dead Code, Jared interviews Dave Gauer, creator of the Ziglings project—a whimsical, hands-on tutorial for learning the Zig programming language. Dave shares how Ziglings began as a personal learning tool and grew into a widely loved resource, especially among younger developers. He emphasizes the value of learning in public, blending humor, accessibility, and bite-sized challenges to make complex systems programming concepts less intimidating. The conversation also explores Dave’s deep interest in the Forth language, the appeal of small, self-contained “microworlds” for learning, and his broader philosophy on sharing work, embracing whimsy, and building things that make programming joyful and approachable.Links:ZiglingsZigRustlingsForth ColorForthAlpine LinuxLynx browserWhy’s (Poignant) Guide to RubyLearning PerlThe Little SchemerMindstorms by Seymour Papert Steal Like an Artist by Austin KleonRatfactor.com – Dave Gauer’s personal website and blog.Forth in Space (section on Ratfactor) – Dave’s notes on how Forth has been used in radiation-hardened chips and space tech.Dead Code Podcast Links:MastodonXJared’s Links:MastodonXtwitch.tv/jardonamronJared’s Newsletter & WebsiteEpisode Transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:02:42
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1:02:42
Epistemic Extinction (with Mond)
In this episode of Dead Code, Jared and guest Mond explore how James C. Scott’s concepts of legibility, metis, and episteme apply to tech interviews, arguing that standardized hiring processes prioritize what’s easy to measure over what truly reflects engineering skill. They critique the over-reliance on algorithmic interviews, noting that senior engineering work often depends on tacit knowledge—metis—that can’t be captured in rubrics or LeetCode problems. The conversation touches on Goodhart’s Law, the risks of over-optimization, and how attempts to make human processes more legible through metrics can backfire. Jared shares how his company experiments with more realistic code assessments, though both acknowledge the challenges of scaling less standardized approaches. They conclude by warning that technological standardization of social systems, like hiring, can entrench flawed norms and obscure what actually matters.Links:James C. ScottSeeing Like a StateLegibility (as a concept)Goodhart’s LawThe Cobra EffectLeetCodeYAMLMond’s Blog – Here Comes the MoonDead Code Podcast Links:MastodonXJared’s Links:MastodonXtwitch.tv/jardonamronJared’s Newsletter & WebsiteEpisode Transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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33:29
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33:29
Naked and Semantic (with Fabien Basmaison and Jens Oliver Meiert)
In this episode of Dead Code, Jared speaks with Jens Oliver Meiert and Fabien Basmaison, co-maintainers of CSS Naked Day, a long-standing web tradition that invites developers to strip CSS from their websites for one day to emphasize semantic HTML, accessibility, and the separation of concerns in front-end development. Originally launched in 2006, the event encourages developers to reflect on the underlying structure of their sites and how well they function without styling. Meiert and Basmaison discuss how modern tools like Tailwind, CSS-in-JS, and component-based design both challenge and occasionally align with the event’s philosophy, and they explore reasons for the decline in participation, from increased reliance on frameworks to the rise of AI-assisted development. Looking ahead to the 20th anniversary in 2026, they hope to inspire more developers to join in, even in small ways, as a reminder of the enduring value of accessible, maintainable, and standards-based web design.Links:Jens' BlogCSS Naked DayCSS Zen GardenFrontend DogmaPandaDocDead Code Podcast Links:MastodonXJared’s Links:MastodonXtwitch.tv/jardonamronJared’s Newsletter & WebsiteEpisode Transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The software industry has a short memory. It warps good ideas, quickly obfuscating their context and intent. Dead Code seeks to extract the good ideas from the chaos of modern software development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Netherlands