Backstage

Your backstage pass to the people behind Changelog and the things that interest them
This podcast is not currently in production.Head here for more awesome podcasts.
This podcast is not in production. Please browse and enjoy the archive below.
Should we get down with OP3?
TheOpen Podcast Prefix Project is a free and open source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. This hits close to home for us in a couple ways, so we invited the project’s creator, John Spurlock, Backstage to learn more about it.
Reflecting on 500 episodes
This is Adam and Jerod’s pre-show call before hooking up with Chris Coyier to recordepisode 500 of The Changelog. We’ve been doing these off and on for awhile now. We hang out for 30ish minutes before the show begins and ship that conversation as a bonus for ourChangelog++ members.
We’re doing this one different. You don’t hit a round number like this very often. So, here it is. A standalone Backstage episode. Thanks for listening and here’s to the next 500! 🥂
The Oban Pro
We’ve been using Parker Selbert’sOban library for years and he evenhelped us hold it right by improving our open source implementation!
So, Jerod invited him Backstage to discuss the library, how we’re using it, Parker’s plan to make it financially sustainable, his “freedom number” of Oban Pro subscribers, and a bunch of other random stuff along the way. Let’s go!
Helping Grafana set up their Big Tent
For the first time ever, we’re producing somebody else’s podcast! Our friends at Grafana asked us to help them launch a show for the observability community. It’s calledBig Tent and on this episode we are backstage with Tom Wilkie, Mat Ryer, & Matt Toback talking through what they’re up to and why we’re helping out.
Long-time listener, first-time code contributor
Simey de Klerk recenty dove head-first into our transcripts repo and coded up a super-cool feature that’s been on Jerod’s wishlist for awhile now. So, of course, we invited him Backstage to tell the tale!
New Mac day!
We upgraded to the new MacBook Pro M1 Max and decided to share our first impressions of the new hardware, how we migrate data and settings from our old machines (or don’t), which apps were “instant installs” for each of us, which apps we’re trying to live without, and how we get our new machines set up for work and play. Nerd out with us!
Honoring Veterans Day and #VetsWhoCode
We’re “doing it live” with Jerome Hardaway, a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft and the Executive Director of Vets Who Code — a veteran-led and operated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on training veterans, active duty military, and military spouses in software development and open source with the goal of starting careers in the technology industry.
This is a lengthly conversation in and around Jerome’s story, the Vets Who Code mission and impact, the experience of being in the United States Military, and the opportunity and potential of 1.5x’ing one of the most elite group of people on the planet.
Tenet with heavy spoilers
After months of talking about and planning this episode, we decided near the very end to invite Paul fromHeavy Spoilers to join us for a deep, spoiler filled, discussion on the movie Tenet, which was directed by Christopher Nolan and released September 2020. If you’re a fan of Tenet, you’ll love this episode.
Warning: This episode literally includes heavy spoilers. So come back after you’ve watched the film, or proceed if that doesn’t bother you.
Consuming podcasts like PB&J
Adam and Jerod sit down to answer a listener question (Hi, Alex! 👋) about how we podcast. Not how wecreate podcasts, but how weconsume podcasts. Along the way we share an update on our comments feature, discuss the Apple Podcasts rollout debacle (and how it affected us launching Ship It!), and give a few personal recommendations of podcasts we’re listening to.
Let us know in the comments
Jerod and Adam share their thoughts on Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, et al, then discuss the value and weight of hosting commentary onsite vs on Twitter, Slack, etc. Let us know what you think in the comments.
Podcasting platform Q&A
Marc Beinder is building a podcast hosting web application as a part of his senior project while at Lindenwood University. In this brief Backstage episode, Marc picks Jerod’s brain about how we builtour platform and challenges we ran into along the way.
Experimenting with Elixir Radar
We’re joined by co-founder of Plataformatec and curator of theexcellentElixir Radar newsletter, Hugo Baraúna. We talk Elixir podcasts, the start of a new chapter for Hugo, his experimentations with Elixir Radar, curating content, how to make money, stuff like that.
Changelog++ launch thoughts
Adam and Jerod take a moment to review the soft launch of Changelog++ and feedback received from members and the community. We talk through some of the feedback we’ve received, how some folks still want the ads, updated thoughts on extended and bonus content, hiccups and lessons learned, the “Working in Public” winners, and where we go from here.
Why we're launching Changelog++
We first launched a membership back in 2013… before they were cool! 😆 Now we’re back with a brand new edition. It’s calledChangelog++ and we hope you love it. This episode of Backstage is a tell-all about the program. Why we think the timing is right, what we hope it can become, how we’re experimenting with ideas to make it great, and what you can do to get involved.
What's your backstory Adam?
We’re bringingBrain Science backstage — Mireille puts on her interviewer hat for a deep dive into Adam’s backstory. When and how did he get involved with podcasting? How did he get in to software development? When did he get his first shot at leadership? How did he learn about sales? Why is he so curious?
YouTube made me do it
Long-time listener (and YouTube aficionado) Owen Bickford joins Jerod backstage to discuss his recent contribution to Changelog’s Elixir/Phoenix-based open source platform.
Ten years of Changelog 🎉
On this special re-broadcast of the freeCodeCamp podcast, Quincy Larson (freeCodeCamp’s founder) interviewed Adam and Jerod in the ultimate Backstage episode tocelebrate a decade of conversations, news, and community here at Changelog. Yes, this month we turn 10 years old! We go deep into our origin stories, our history as a company, becoming and being a leader, the backstory of our branding, our music from Breakmaster Cylinder, and where we might be heading in the future.
To GraphQL or not to GraphQL?
Go Time panelist Mat Ryer joins Jerod to talk through the pros and cons of GraphQL vs REST for a future Changelog API. There’s also a fair bit of language chat around Go and JavaScript, a section on Machine Learning, and some inside baseball on where Go Time is heading.
The John Wick trilogy
In a world where an ex-hit-man named John Wick comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and stole his car — three die-hard fans (Adam, Jerod, and Brett) spend nearly 2 hours discussing the John Wick trilogy and then some.
Dwayne Johnson’s movies are actually really educational
Come hang with Adam and Jerod at OSCON’s expo hall. Normally here is where we list off the topics of the conversation, but we’ll shoot it straight with you. We didn’t have any topics. We talk about blockchain and serverless, but not insightfully. This is just us hanging out, being nerds, and making each other laugh. If you’re in to that, you’ll be in to this.
The Pro Stand costs more than my first car
Jerod, Adam, and Nick get together mere minutes after Apple’s 2019 WWDC keynote to talk about all the news and announcements. Will we be buying the new Mac Pro? What about that drool-worthy 6k retina display? Will iOS’s dark mode deliver where Mojave’s hasn’t? Expect all that and at least 2 bad puns in this episode of Backstage.
Developers want to develop things
Nick Janetakis joins Jerod backstage to talk shop. We discuss how Nick is using theChangelog.com source code as a guide to build his video course platform, coding practices we’ve developed over the years, how to balance between shipping features and creating content, newsletters as the new social network, how Nick makes his videos, and a whole lot more.
Hey, is that Burt Reynolds?
Our hottest of hot takes right after Apple’sMarch 25th special event. We discuss the tough questions: Do people care about privacy? Will we subscribe to Apple News+? How much will Apple Arcade cost? Is Visa cooler than MasterCard? Are there any takeaways for developers? Is that Burt Reynolds?!
Gettin' Plexy wit it
Adam, Jerod, and Tim get together to talk about Plex! Plex is a media server which allows you to store your movies, TV shows, music, photos, etc. Turns out, you can actually use it together with an antenna to watch live TV and DVR content. They chat about what has Adam so excited, the pros and cons (or as Adam said, “trade-offs”), and how to get started.
Live at OSCON 2018
Adam, Jerod, and Tim sit down to talk at OSCON 2018 about their favorite parts of the conference, meeting new people, seeing old friends, and telling people about all the new things happening at Changelog.
