Podcast Awesome

• WordPress Just Got Awesome (Again) – Font Awesome Plugin v5 Deep Dive with Mike Wilkerson

  Episode Summary:We're heading back to the basement — (sort of). In this episode, Matt catches up with Mike Wilkerson, the OG guest of Podcast Awesome, to unveil the biggest update yet to the official Font Awesome WordPress plugin. From block editor visual support to full-on SVG injection wizardry (yes, that’s a thing), this version is all about giving developers and designers more power, more precision, and fewer plugin conflicts.Whether you’re a WordPress purist or a page builder rebel, you’ll walk away knowing how to get your icons looking sharp, staying pro, and loading like a dream.🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:🔌 The origin story of the plugin (and the furnace that helped launch it)🧱 Full block editor visual editing support (finally WYSIWYG!)🛠️ SVG injection + self-hosting benefits🛡️ How to squash plugin conflicts like a pro🔍 Page builder struggles—and what might be coming next🤝 How to send feedback to actual humans™ at Font Awesome⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Basement beginnings & podcast nostalgia 02:00 – WordPress + Font Awesome: how widespread is it? 04:00 – Why Version 5 is a game-changer 06:00 – How inline SVGs improve performance and reduce conflict 08:00 – Self-hosting benefits & advanced options 10:00 – When to load (or not load) your kit 12:00 – Compatibility tips for older content 14:00 – What’s next for FA + WordPress 16:00 – How to give feedback to actual humans™🔗 Links & Resources:Official Font Awesome WordPress PluginUsing Kits with WordPressConflict Detection & TroubleshootingEmail us: [email protected] up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• Living the Dream: Dan Cederholm's Creative Journey [Part 2] | Podcast Awesome

  🧠 What do LEGO logos, hand-puppet dreams, citrus gadgets, and naming things "Turbo" have in common? They're all part of Dan Cederholm’s design universe — and part of this wide-ranging, joy-filled second half of our conversation.In this episode, Dan returns to talk about: • Embracing constraints as a creative fuel source• Naming fonts after misspelled words (because ... domains)• The delightful hellscape of naming anything in tech• Why imposter syndrome might actually be useful• And how a puppet changed everything at Font Awesome 🧡🎧 It’s a show-and-tell episode full of unexpected design wisdom, warm fuzzies, and orange peelers.What We Cover in This Episode:• 🧠 Dan’s creative process: one font at a time• 🚫 Naming things is still the hardest problem in tech• 🐀 The birth of the Font Possum Puppet• 🧃 The power of a really good citrus squeezer• 🤖 Why AI can’t fake taste (yet)• 💌 Why Dan's newsletter works (and yours could too)• 😵‍💫 Making peace with imposter syndrome• 🧩 Why being weird is a superpower⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro01:15 – The creative process of typeface design04:04 – Naming fonts is a nightmare06:05 – The importance of naming & branding12:25 – Imposter syndrome in the creative industry18:15 – A puppet changed everything22:31 – Why a newsletter is like old-school blogging29:03 – Orange peelers, joy, and the power of small specificity37:17 – The impact of creativity38:14 – Building community through creativity41:16 – Wrap up with Dan Cederholm42:24 – Final Thoughts & Credits📌 Links & Resources• Dan Cederholm → https://simplebits.com• Dan's newsletter → https://simplebits.com/newsletter• Turbo Typeface → https://simplebits.com/fonts• Font Possum cameo → [FontAwesome YouTube Channel]• BrickLink Studio (Lego design app) → https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studioStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• Living the Dream: Dan Cederholm's Creative Journey (Part 1)

  SummaryDesigner, author, and co-founder of Dribbble, Dan Cederholm joins Podcast Awesome to chat with Matt Johnson and Jory Raphael about finding joy in creativity later in life, making fonts just for fun, and the art of embracing imperfection. From typefaces and merch to dice games and design detours, Dan shares how side projects, constraints, and a healthy dose of curiosity keep the creative spark alive.This two-part conversation is full of laughter, nostalgia, and lessons about learning new things just because they’re fun. You’ll walk away inspired to make something— anything — awesome.Key TakeawaysCreativity thrives in curiosity: Dan reminds us that learning new things (even outside your job) can reignite your creative energy.Constraints fuel originality: Sometimes not knowing everything — or having limited tools — can sometimes help create the most human, interesting work.Merch can tell a story: From fonts to dice games, playful side projects become part of a designer’s personal brand.Imperfection = personality: The best designs often come with flaws that make them real, memorable, and relatable.Spend time not doing your job: Font Awesome’s team philosophy — creativity grows when you step outside your usual sandbox.Timestamps00:00 — Introduction and catching up with Dan Cederholm02:00 — Typefaces as creative puzzles06:00 — The joy of passion projects10:00 — The first font and lessons from “Chameleon”18:00 — The lineage of icon design and learning from imperfection26:00 — Failures, Field Notes, and finding the next fun thing30:00 — Creative constraints and the beauty of not knowing everything36:00 — Humor, joy, and “making stuff that makes you laugh”38:00 — The icons that exist just because they’re funny42:00 — Hidden glyphs, zombie hands, and bonus icons in fonts44:00 — Wrap-up and where to find Dan onlineRelated LinksSimpleBits.com — Dan’s home for fonts, merch, and creative experimentsDan’s Newsletter — The one Font Awesome staffers never skipDribbble — Co-founded by Dan, still inspiring designers everywhereCreditsProduced and edited by Matt Johnson Video editing by Isaac Chase Theme music by Ronnie Martin Interstitial music by Zach MalmStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• How We Built Web Awesome with 11ty (and Why It’s So Fast)

  Build once, run everywhere. In this full-nerd, front-end-leaning episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Zach Leatherman (creator of Eleventy) and Konnor Rogers (Web Awesome developer) to chat about how a static site generator just might be the key to building some of the most powerful, performant documentation on the web.We dig deep into Eleventy’s evolution, Web Awesome’s hybrid architecture, and how a team of devs found a way to keep docs fast, flexible, and secure — without rewriting everything from scratch or giving up on open source values. Spoiler: they didn’t go full ExpressJS for fun.Whether you’re a seasoned dev or a newb, this one's packed with insight, edge-case explorations, and some seriously satisfying build-time nerdery.In this episode, we explore:⚡️ Why Eleventy’s simplicity still scales 🧠 Making static sites feel dynamic (without a heavy JS framework) 🔐 How Web Awesome handles auth + private docs with minimal friction 🚫 Avoiding vendor lock-in and runtime gotchas 📦 The future of Eleventy in browsers, edge runtimes, and beyondPull up your terminal. This one’s for you.🔗 Links & Credits🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns (Lemon Productions)🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase🔗 Eleventy🔗 Web AwesomeStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• Clippy Cult: The Paperclip That Wouldn’t Quit

  Inside the UX lessons, internet lore, and surprising comeback of ClippyLove him or loathe him, you remember him. Clippy — the googly-eyed paperclip that lived inside Microsoft Word — has become a permanent fixture in internet culture. But how did a productivity tool become the patron saint of annoying-yet-adorable UI? In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we’re digging into the cult of Clippy with behind-the-scenes insights from Clippy's original creator Kevan Atteberry and Microsoft designer Sam Cundall. From meme fame to Microsoft Teams emoji, Clippy's legacy is more layered than you think.📝 What We Cover in This Episode:📎 Why Clippy was loved and hated🧠 The psychology of nostalgic design🔁 When Microsoft secretly brought Clippy back🤖 What Clippy might teach us about the future of AI assistants✍️ thoughts on reviving legacy designs the right way⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to the Cult of Clippy 02:00 – The origin story: from helpful to hated 04:30 – Nostalgia and annoyance: why we love to hate him 06:00 – Microsoft’s secret Clippy emoji comeback 08:00 – What makes emoji design "work"? 10:00 – Fun at work: why weirdness builds culture 14:00 – The creator's take: Kevan Atteberry on designing Clippy 20:00 – From embarrassment to pride: Clippy's redemption arc 24:00 – Clippy vs. Siri: The rise of personality-driven UI 26:00 – Final thoughts: where personality fits in UX🔗 Links & Resources:Sam Kundal on LinkedInKevan Atteberry's booksHow to add a paperclip emoji to your UIVote a favorite icon up the leaderboard🎥 Podcast Awesome on YouTube 🎶 The Font Awesome Theme Song – Composed by Ronnie Martin🎸 Music Interstitials by Zach Malm🎬 Produced and edited by Matt Johnson with some extra help from Isaac Chase Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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