The Programming Podcast

• How GREAT Senior Software Engineers Think! (Steal these 9 TIPS!) Kent C. Dodds

  Senior engineers don’t “wing it.” They use mental models to turn plans into production—faster, safer, and with less drama. Danny Thompson, Leon Noel, and Kent C. Dodds break down the exact models they use: decision docs, second-order thinking, reducing cognitive load, Occam’s Razor, leaky abstractions, feature flags vs. staging, chaos engineering, AI context windows (and rot), MCP, onboarding docs, blind code reviews, and more. If you’re pushing from mid → senior (or trying to sound senior in interviews), steal these.Guest: Kent C. Dodds!https://kentcdodds.com/https://x.com/kentcdodds @KentCDodds-vids SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!You’ll learn→ How to communicate invisible work like a senior (impact vs activity)→ Decision documents: making tradeoffs explicit→ Second-order thinking to prevent “future bugs”→ When to ship fast with flags vs. slow with staging→ Designing for onboarding—humans and AI assistants→ Using AI without nuking your circle of competence→ Local job tactics (Memphis example), recruiters, and “entry-level” framingIf this helped, hit 👍 and subscribe. Drop your favorite mental model in the commentsChapters00:00 Cold open — “When plans break in prod”00:36 Why mental models matter for seniors02:45 Define “mental model” (map vs. territory)05:22 Intros + episode setup07:05 Decision documents & guiding principles10:48 Coaching moments: easy vs. right solutions12:56 Second-order thinking (caching, short links, spam)15:58 Occam’s Razor in real engineering decisions18:12 Onboarding for Future-You (and your AI)20:44 Tests as guardrails for humans + LLMs22:18 AI context windows, “context rot,” and structure24:55 Circle of competence in the AI era27:18 Should juniors use AI? The real risks30:06 Shipping fast vs. learning deep: when to limit AI31:55 Interviews are changing: system design vs LeetCode33:42 Confidence traps: getting gaslit by your prompts36:00 Too many abstractions → leaky abstractions38:40 Blind code reviews & cross-team learning41:20 Google-style anonymous reviews (tradeoffs)44:00 Feature flags vs. staging (the spicy debate)46:52 Chaos engineering & safe rollouts in prod49:10 Pragmatism over dogma: what actually ships50:58 Kent’s Epic AI cohort & MCP primer54:20 Listener Q&A: local vs. remote, .NET vs. Node1:00:45 Ask Danny, Leon, And Kent!

  --------  

  1:08:58

  --------

  1:08:58
• The World's Most Popular Teacher Reveals The Secret to Learning ANYTHING.

  Are you studying for hours but still not retaining anything? 🧠 It's probably not your fault, you've likely been taught to learn all wrong.In this landmark episode, we sit down with the legendary Dr. Barbara Oakley, a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University, a globally recognized expert on the science of learning, and the creator of the world's most popular online course, "Learning How to Learn," which has reached millions worldwide. Dr. Oakley shares her incredible journey from flunking math and hating school to becoming a world-renowned expert on the neuroscience of learning.Get ready to have your mind blown as Dr. Oakley debunks the biggest myths about studying, reveals the simple, science-backed secrets to mastering any subject, and explains how to beat procrastination for good. You'll walk away with actionable techniques to unlock your brain's true potential.She is best known for making complex concepts from neuroscience and cognitive psychology accessible to a mass audience, empowering millions to learn more effectively. Her own life story is a testament to her core message: anyone can learn anything.Dr. Oakley is most famous as the co-creator of "Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects," one of the most popular massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the world. Hosted on Coursera, the course has enrolled millions of learners from every country, teaching them practical, science-backed strategies for learning.Her work has been featured in major publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She is also the author of several books, including the bestseller "A Mind for Numbers," which serves as a companion to her course.Places you can follow Dr. Barbara Oakley📚 Dr. Oakley's Book | A Mind for Numbers: https://barbaraoakley.com/books/a-mind-for-numbers/🎓 The "Learning How to Learn" Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learnStay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Chapters0:00 - A Teacher's Powerful Introduction to Dr. Barb Oakley4:05 - From "I Will Never Learn Mathematics" to Distinguished Professor5:42 - The Single Most Critical Skill in the Age of AI8:12 - How Learning a Language Unlocks Your Brain for Math & Science9:58 - The #1 Mistake We All Make When Learning a Difficult Subject14:30 - The Unconventional Path to Becoming a Professor23:11 - The 2 Brain Modes You MUST Understand (Focused vs. Diffuse) 🤯29:22 - A Modern, Scientific Twist on the Pomodoro Technique32:38 - WARNING: This Popular Study Method is a Waste of Your Time34:18 - The Surprising Problem with "Student-Centered" Classrooms40:12 - Proof That Your Phone is Destroying Your Ability to Focus45:35 - The Neuroscience of Dyslexia & Autism: Your Brain's Secret Superpower51:11 - The Emotional Side of Learning: Dealing with Fear, Shame & Procrastination56:33 - Why Impostor Syndrome is Actually a GOOD Thing1:07:28 - How to Use Sleep to Supercharge Your Memory 😴1:15:17 - The Future of Learning: How AI Will Change Everything1:23:36 - How to Use AI to Learn (Without Cheating Yourself)1:32:32 - Q&A: The Best Way to Create a Daily Structure for Learning1:44:52 - Dr. Oakley's Final Inspiring Message

  --------  

  1:45:20

  --------

  1:45:20
• AI That ACTUALLY Ships: JSON, Voice Agents, MCP, and Software Developer Real-World Pitfalls

  What do JSON and conversational AI have in common? They are the glue behind ordering coffee, booking flights, and talking to support. In our tests, about 1 out of 3 replies missed the intent until we enforced structured JSON outputs. In this episode, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel break down how to move from “cool demo” to production systems that route, escalate, and self-audit reliably.SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial PlanningChanging careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!What you’ll learn- Why freeform paragraphs fail backends and how JSON fields fix routing- A simple schema pattern: department, sentiment, confidence, reply- Confidence floors that trigger automatic retries before users ever see a response- Context windows: why rules are read every call while context gets dropped- MCP basics and how domain context avoids bad translations and metaphors- Where voice agents work today (predictable conversations) and where they do not- Practical tool choices for text, code, and voice workflows- Real labor impacts, retention insights, and reskill advice- Salary negotiation quick hits: the two lines that matterChapters0:00 JSON as the glue + the 1-in-3 miss0:30 Intro & episode promise1:10 Quick defs — JSON / NLG / NLU / MCP3:00 Why structured JSON beats paragraphs7:36 Confidence scores & auto-retries9:02 Sponsor11:34 Prompts for image/video models that actually work15:01 Context windows & durable rules16:32 Repo trees, PRDs & dev logs to reduce spin20:02 MCP in practice, local dialects & domain knowledge26:03 Voice agents, predictable vs unpredictable conversations32:43 Voice mode as a research partner & model picks33:01 Jobs impact, retention stories & reskilling37:10 Conversational AI 101, coffee shop flow to backend40:05 Connectors & phone/drive-thru stacks (Agora, 11 Labs)46:04 Real-world rollouts, employee retention boost48:13 Call centers & debt collection case study51:27 Predictable vs messy conversations — where AI fails53:24 Career CTA, learn JSON, MCP, voice stacks57:01 Ask Danny And Leon A Question1:07:10 The Developer's Guide To AI

  --------  

  1:11:56

  --------

  1:11:56
• The Tech Conference Survival Guide For Software Developers!

  Stop leaving tech conferences with just a free t-shirt and some stickers. It's time to leave with a job offer. 🚀The difference between a successful conference and a waste of money isn't luck, it's strategy. In this episode, we break down the ultimate conference survival guide for software developers and tech professionals. Learn how to shift from a passive "Tourist Mindset" to a proactive "Architect Mindset" to build real opportunities.SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial PlanningChanging careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!We cover everything you need to know to turn your next conference badge into a massive career investment, including:✅ The pre-conference blueprint: How to research, set measurable goals, and connect with speakers before you even arrive.✅ On-site execution: Master the art of the three-minute conversation, ask questions that make you memorable, and build genuine connections.✅ The follow-up formula that actually gets you a response and leads to interviews.✅ Actionable advice for both extroverts and introverts to network with confidence.Whether you're looking for your first tech job or your tenth, this is the playbook you'll want to reference time and time again.YouTube Chapters00:00 - Job Offer vs. Free T-Shirt: The Real Difference01:41 - Turning Online Connections into Real Relationships03:22 - What is Your "Why"? Defining Your Conference Goal04:25 - The #1 Mistake: Don't Get Lost in the Hallway Track05:52 - A Simple Trick to Connect With Any Speaker07:32 - It's Not Luck, It's Strategy08:15 - The "Tourist" vs. "Architect" Mindset09:13 - Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning10:18 - The True Cost of Attending a Conference ($2,200?!)12:27 - The Pre-Conference Blueprint for Job Seekers13:40 - The Genius "Coffee Chat" Calendar Invite Strategy15:25 - Champions Are Made in the Pre-Season17:13 - How to Research Attendees (Not Just Speakers)18:20 - Mastering the 3-Minute Conversation20:04 - The Secret Magic of Tech Conferences22:34 - Setting Measurable Goals for Your Conference25:22 - How (and When) to Bravely Ask for a Referral28:26 - The Psychology of Asking for a Favor30:38 - How to Talk About Yourself Without Being Salesy33:27 - The Long-Tail Game of Networking34:26 - A Counterintuitive Tip: Don't Introduce Yourself First35:22 - Questions That Make You Unforgettable40:48 - Networking Tips for Introverts43:51 - Pro Tip: Never Eat Alone46:36 - The Most Valuable Part of a Conference: The Follow-Up49:03 - Ask Us Anything: Following Up With a VIP You Met

  --------  

  59:10

  --------

  59:10
• How One Email Nearly Broke the Internet!

  One phishy email to an npm maintainer set off a supply-chain scare that could’ve torched the web—yet the real on-chain damage was… cents. In this episode, we break down how a fake npm 2FA reset (from npmjs.help) led to malicious releases of popular packages like chalk and debug, how the payload hijacked browser crypto flows (monkey-patching window.ethereum, fetch, and XHR), why the blast radius stayed small, and what teams did right (shoutout to Aikido & Vercel).We finish with a rapid “Career Corner” on how to follow up after an interview—with copy-ready lines you can use.SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!You’ll learn:- Spotting modern phishing (look-alike TLDs, urgency cues)- What the malware did and why front-end focus limited impact- The minute-by-minute timeline from phish → publish → takedown- Practical defenses: pin versions, lockfiles, audits, password managers, least-privilege tokens- How to write a follow-up email that closesIf this helps, hit 👍 and share with a teammate.Chapters0:00 – The phish that “almost destroyed the internet” (cold open)0:24 – Who clicked: maintainer behind big OSS (chalk, debug)0:44 – Payload in plain English (browser wallet-drainer)1:04 – Actual impact vs. potential blast radius1:20 – Intro + what we’ll cover2:23 – Why this story is everywhere & our plan3:43 – What you’ll know by the end (safety + lessons)4:20 – Act 1: The Email — npmjs.help and urgency tactics6:08 – Phishing 101: quick checks before you click8:25 – Psychology of scams (filtering + anecdotes)12:17 – Act 2: The Payload — monkey-patching fetch/XHR/window.ethereum14:44 – Why front-end focus limited the damage16:41 – How it was caught (Node fetch ReferenceErrors)17:52 – Six–eight hours to fix: containment recap20:04 – Magic links & password managers (practical wins)22:15 – Act 3: The Timeline — 18 packages, what happened when23:39 – Minutes matter: publish → detection → takedown25:12 – Community/GitHub issues light up; npm intervenes26:48 – Root-cause analysis & related accounts28:32 – “System worked” takeaways (+ why that’s good)31:18 – Dev hygiene: pin versions, audits, reduce deps33:10 – Myths debunked (no, every machine wasn’t “fully owned”)35:04 – Shout-outs: Aikido, Vercel, others that responded fast38:22 – Career Corner: following up after interviews (templates)53:22 – Wrap-up & next stepsHelpful links (add your URLs)Aikido write-up / detection notesVercel incident summary + cache purge notesnpm/GitHub advisories for affected packagesPassword manager recommendations / setup guide

  --------  

  53:29

  --------

  53:29

More Technology podcasts

Trending Technology podcasts

About The Programming Podcast