Coding Blocks

40 Episodes
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By: Allen Underwood, Michael Outlaw, Joe Zack

Pragmatic talk about software design best practices: design patterns, software architecture, coding for performance, object oriented programming, database design and implementation, tips, tricks and a whole lot more. You'll be exposed to broad areas of information as well as deep dives into the guts of a programming language. Most topics discussed are relevant in any number of Object Oriented programming languages such as C#, Java, Ruby, PHP, etc.. All three of us are full stack web and database / software engineers so we discuss Javascript, HTML, SQL and a full spectrum of technologies and are open to any suggestions anyone might...

When to Log Out
10/07/2024

Well, this is awkward.

Coding Blocks is signing out for now, in this episode we’ll talk about what’s happening and why. We have had an amazing run, far better than we ever expected. Also, Joe recommends 50 games, Allen goes for the gold, and Outlaw is totally normal. (And we’re not crying you’re crying!)

Thank you for the support over the last 11 (!!!) years. It’s been a wild ride, and the last thing we ever expected when starting a tech podcast was getting to meet so many fantastic people.

View the full s...


Things to Know when Considering Multi-Tenant or Multi-Threaded Applications
09/02/2024

It’s time to talk about the types of things you should consider when diving into multi-tenant applications and things to be especially aware of if you attempt to make things faster by going multi-threaded at the same time. Join us as Allen continues is non-winning / non-losing streak, JZ is taken out by a storm, and Outlaw continues to ignore the notes for the intro to the show…

News

Reviews

Spotify – Colum Ferry

Upcoming Events

Atlanta Dev Con
September 7th, 2024
https://www.atldevcon.com/ DevFest Central Florida on September 28th, 2024
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Two Water Coolers Walk Into a Bar…
08/18/2024

Grab your headphones because it’s water cooler time! This episode we’re catching up on feedback, putting our skills to the test, and wondering what we’re missing. Plus, Allen’s telling it how it is, Outlaw is putting it all together and Joe is minding the gaps!

View the full show notes here:
https://www.codingblocks.net/episode240

Reviews

Thank you again for taking the time to share your review with us!

iTunes: Yesso95 Spotify: Auxk0rd, artonus

News

Atlanta Dev Con
September 7th, 2024
https...


How did We Even Arrive Here?
08/04/2024

We were asked in one of our recent reviews in Apple Podcasts if we would share our career paths and how we got started and how we arrived where we are today. We took some of that info, threw it at Microsoft’s CoPilot / DALL E 3 and that’s the artwork for this episode – you may be a little surprised at how the 3 of us got started as software developers. We also have some fun things to share about recent purchases, tweaks, mistakes made and some information about the CrowdStrike outage that recently occurred.

Reviews

Thank...


AI, Blank Pages, and Client Libraries…oh my!
07/07/2024

It’s Water Cooler Time! We’ve got a variety of topics today, and also Outlaw’s lawyering up, Allen can read QR codes now, and Joe is looking at second careers.

View the full show notes here:
https://www.codingblocks.net/episode238

News

As always, thank you for leaving us a review – we really appreciate them! Almazkun, vassilbakalov, DzikijSver

Atlanta Dev Con
September 7th, 2024
https://www.atldevcon.com/

DevFest Central Florida on September 28th, 2024
Interested? Submit your talk proposal here:
https://sessionize.com/devfest...


Alternatives to Administering and Running Apache Kafka
06/23/2024

In the past couple of episodes, we’d gone over what Apache Kafka is and along the way we mentioned some of the pains of managing and running Kafka clusters on your own. In this episode, we discuss some of the ways you can offload those responsibilities and focus on writing streaming applications. Along the way, Joe does a mighty fine fill-in for proper noun pronunciation and Allen does a southern auctioneer-style speed talk.

View the full show notes here:
https://www.codingblocks.net/episode237

Reviews

As always, thank you for leaving us...


Nuts and Bolts of Apache Kafka
06/09/2024

Topics, Partitions, and APIs oh my! This episode we’re getting further into how Apache Kafka works and its use cases. Also, Allen is staying dry, Joe goes for broke, and Michael (eventually) gets on the right page.

The full show notes are available on the website at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode236

News

Thanks for the reviews! angingjellies and Nick Brooker Please leave us a review! (/review) Atlanta Dev Con is coming up, on September 7th, 2024 (www.atldevcon.com)

Kafka Topics

They are partitioned – this means they are distributed (or can be) a...


Intro to Apache Kafka
05/26/2024

We finally start talking about Apache Kafka! Also, Allen is getting acquainted with Aesop, Outlaw is killing clusters, and Joe was paying attention in drama class.

The full show notes are available on the website at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode235

News

Atlanta Dev Con is coming up, on September 7th, 2024 (www.atldevcon.com)

Intro to Apache Kafka

What is it?

Apache Kafka is an open-source distributed event streaming platform used by thousands of companies for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, data integration, and mission-critical applications.

Core...


StackOverflow AI Disagreements, Kotlin Coroutines and More
05/13/2024

Joe Zack was on a brief holiday so Allen and Michael took over the helm for an episode. What would a new episode be without a little something regarding AI, some more love for Kotlin, and a number of excellent tips throughout (as well as at the end of) the episode.

Reviews

iTunes: ivan.kuchin

News

Atlanta Dev Con
September 7th, 2024
https://www.atldevcon.com/

Topics

People trying to remove their answers from StackOverflow to not allow OpenAI to use their answers without permission/recognition?
https://www...


Llama 3 is Here, Spending Time on Environmental Setup and More
04/28/2024

In this episode Joe introduces us to more security items you should be aware of in the world of CWE’s, Michael bends to the will of Joe and Allen in his favorite portion of the show, and Allen pontificates on the time spent setting up IDE’s and environments.

Reviews – Thank You!

iTunes: Vlad Bezden, Mom in VA, Make1977 Spotify: chutney3000, Xuraith

Upcoming Events

Atlanta Dev Con
September 7th, 2024
https://www.atldevcon.com/

Topics

Open Telemetry

The backend matters
https://opentelemetry.io/ecosystem/integrations/ Some backends are mo...


Ktor, Logging Ideas, and Plugin Safety
04/14/2024

Picture, if you will, a nondescript office space, where time seems to stand still as programmers gather around a water cooler. Here, in the twilight of the workday, they exchange eerie tales of programming glitches, security breaches, and asynchronous calls. Welcome to the Programming Zone, where reality blurs and (silent) keystrokes echo in the depths […]


Importance of Data Structures, Bad Documentation and Comments and More
04/01/2024

In this episode, Allen, Joe and Michael finally make it back to record together! Allen revisits the basics, Michael kicks off boomer hour nicely, and JZ let’s us know that the dream of an 8-bit looking keyboard is not dead. News Topics Tips


Decorating your Home Office
03/18/2024

This time we are missing the “ocks”, but we hope you enjoy this off…ice topic chat about personalizing our workspaces. Also, Joe had to put a quarter in the jar, and Outlaw needs a cookie. The full show notes are available on the website at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode230 News Thank you for the review Szymon! Want to leave […]


Multi-Value, Spatial, and Event Store Databases
03/04/2024

We are mixing it up on you again, no Outlaw this week, but we can offer you some talk of exotic databases. Also, Joe pronounces everything correctly and Allen leaves you with a riddle. The full show notes are available on the website at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode229 News Multivalue DBMS Spatial DBMS Event Stores Resources we like […]


Overview of Object Oriented, Wide Column, and Vector Databases
02/19/2024

We have a different combination of the hosts for this episode where we continue the series on the types of database systems available and why you might choose one over another. Michael continues impressing by recalling everything we’ve ever said on our 500+ hours of podcasts, Allen enjoys learning about a database system he’d never […]


Picking the Right Database Type – Tougher than You Think
02/05/2024

You asked, we listened! A request from one of our Slack channels was to go over the various types of databases and why you might choose one over another. Join us in another information filled episode where Joe won’t be attending the event he’s been promoting and Allen tries to keep his voice together for […]


There is still cool stuff on the internet
01/21/2024

This episode we are talking about keeping the internet interesting and making cool things by looking at PagedOut and Itch.io. Also, Allen won’t ever mark you down, Outlaw won’t ever give you up, and Joe took a note to say something about Barbie here but he can’t remember what it was. The full show notes […]


Reflecting on 2023 and Looking Forward to 2024
01/08/2024

It’s that time of year…the time we (reluctantly) look back at what we said we were going to do this past year and see if we actually did it. Then, we repeat history and set some goals we’ll likely look back and wish we’d accomplished this time next year. In addition, we continue with the […]


Gartner Top Strategic Technology Trends 2024
12/18/2023

This episode we are talking about the future of tech with the Gartner Top Strategic Technology Trends 2024. Also, Allen is looking into the crystal ball, Joe is getting lo, and Outlaw is getting into curling. The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode224. News Gartner Top Strategic Technology Trends 2024 No surprise, […]


2023 Holiday Season Developer Shopping List
11/25/2023

It’s that time of year again when the three of us reflect on the things we’ve bought and loved, or the things we want to get…and want to love…So, come join us in this episode for our usual amount of fun while seeing if there’s anything that might make your shopping list! A small note […]


Gartner and your Life Partners
11/13/2023

Ever looked at a Gartner report? We talk about the Technology Adoption Roadmap for Midsize Enterprises 2022, and the cloud services you’re married to in this episode. Also, Joe’s drumming up business ideas, Allen’s laying down the law and Outlaw never forgets. See the full show notes a https://www.codingblocks.net/episode222 News Technology Adoption Roadmap for Midsize […]


Open Telemetry – Instrumentation and Metrics
10/30/2023

Join us as we get back into the world of Open Telemetry. Piggy-backing on previous conversations from the Google SRE series as well as DevOps, metrics and instrumentation is a key component of understanding what’s happening with your systems. Follow along as Michael, Allen and Joe dive into Open Telemetry’s Metric offerings. Reviews Huge thanks […]


Keyboards, Cloud Costs, Static Analysis, and Philosophy
10/15/2023

We’ve got a smorgasbord of delights for you this week, ranging from mechanical switches to the cloud and beyond. Also, Michael’s cosplaying as Megaman, Joe learns the difference between Clicks and Clacks, and Allen takes no prisoners. See the full show notes a https://www.codingblocks.net/episode220 News The Show Resources We Like Tip of the Week


Code Confidence using NASA’s Ten Simple Rules
10/02/2023

We’ve mentioned in the past that the code we write isn’t maintaining heartbeats or being used in life-critical settings, but what if your code is? NASA happens to be a company who has code that is life and mission critical and it’s very possible it won’t even be accessible once it leaves earth. In this […]


GitHub Actions
09/17/2023

In this episode, we are talking all about GitHub Actions. What are they, and why should you consider learning more about them? Also, Allen terminates the terminators, Outlaw remembers the good ol’ days, and Joe tries his hand at sales. See the full show notes at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode218 News What are GitHub Actions? Workflows Jobs Steps Actions […]


Tracing Specifics – Know your System with OpenTelmetry
09/05/2023

Get a behind the scenes intro to some of the interesting conversations we have before we even get into the content. We’ll be jumping into the meat of this episode and looking at the specifics of tracing using OpenTelemetry. Before we do that though, we should probably find out what special 2-liter containers Outlaw uses […]


What is OpenTelemetry?
08/21/2023

In this episode, we’re talking all about OpenTelemetry. Also, Allen lays down some knowledge, Joe plays director and Outlaw stumps the chumps. See the full show notes at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode216 News What is OpenTelemetry? It’s all about Observability Reliability and Metrics Distributed Tracing To truly understand what distributed tracing is, there’s a few parts we have to […]


Software in Audio and How to Lead
08/07/2023

In this episode, Allen, Michael and Joe discuss the latest update with the Reddit saga, software for designing audio and reproducing analog sounds, an open-ended interview question and tips on how to be a great leader. Reviews Huge thank you for that! News Episode If you were going to create a web service / api […]


Team Leadership, TUIs, and AI Lawsuits
07/23/2023

In this episode, we’re talking about the history of “man” pages, console apps, team leadership, and Artificial Intelligence liability. Also, Allen’s downloading the internet, Outlaw has fallen in love with the sound of a morrvair, and Joe says TUI like two hundred times as if it were a real word. See all the show notes […]


Better Application Management with Custom Apps
#213
07/10/2023

Last episode, it might have been said that you can become a senior engineer in just one short year. Our amazing slack community spoke up and had some thoughts on that as well…we revisit that, and what does senior even mean?! Join us for that and much more as Allen plays more with ChatGPT, Michael […]


Errors vs Exceptions, Reddit Rebels, and the 2023 StackOverflow Survey
06/25/2023

In this episode, we’re talking about lessons learned and the lessons we still need to learn. Also, Michael shares some anti-monetization strategies, Allen wins by default, and Joe keeps it real 59/60 days a year! The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode212. News Exceptions vs Errors in Java Question from Twitter: (thanks […]


Easy and Cheap AI for Developers, Reddit API Changes and Sherlocking
06/11/2023

We’re back after a brief break for a busy month of May, and we’re here to talk about some pretty cool stuff happening in the developer world. Outlaw took vacation and can remember nothing, Joe introduces us to Sherlocking, and Allen discovered what all the fuss was about with Chat GPT as a software developer. […]


Gitlab vs Github, AI vs Microservices
05/15/2023

In this sequence of sound, we compute Joe’s unexpected pleasure in commercial-viewing algorithms, Michael’s intricate process of slicing up the pizza, and Allen’s persistent request for more cheese data augmentation. Will you engage in this data streaming session? The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode210. Resources we like Tip of the week


Supporting Your Code, README vs Wiki and Test Coverage
05/01/2023

In this episode we talk about several things that have been on our mind. We find that Joe has been taken over by AI’s, Michael now understands our love of Kotlin, and Allen wants to know how to escape supporting code you wrote forever. News Visited with Jamie Taylor from the .NET Core Podcast, Tabs […]


Water Cooler GPT
04/16/2023

We’re doing a water cooler talk today. Also, Allen can tell you how not to leak secrets, Michael knows how to work a spreadsheet, and Joe has been replaced by an AGI. The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode208. Topics Resources we like


Understanding Serial Transactions for Databases like Redis
04/03/2023

We’ve got a new / old opening…Allen goes off / on script? Michael denies Joe the “swing” vote, and Joe is all in on AI assistance Testing for concurrency issues is hard because it’s non-deterministic – basically you get unlucky due to the timing of things Serializability Common Implementations Actual Serial Execution Encapsulating transactions in […]


Designing Data-Intensive Applications – Lost Updates and Write Skew
03/20/2023

What are lost updates, and what can we do about them? Maybe we don’t do anything and accept the write skew? Also, Allen has sharp ears, Outlaw’s gort blah spotterfiles, and Joe is just thinking about breakfast. The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode206. News Preventing Lost Updates Detecting Lost Updates […]


ChatGPT and the Future of Everything
03/06/2023

There’s this thing called ChatGPT you may have heard of. Is it the end for all software developers? Have we reached the epitome of mankind? Also, should you write your own or find a FOSS solution? That and much more as Allen gets redemption, Joe has a beautiful monologue, and Outlaw debates a monitor that […]


Designing Data-Intensive Applications – Weak Isolation and Snapshotting
02/20/2023

Ever wonder how database backups work if new data is coming in while the backup is running? Hang with us while we talk about that, while Allen doesn’t stand a chance, Outlaw is in love, and Joe forgets his radio voice. The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.codingblocks.net/episode204. News Thanks for […]


Designing Data-Intensive Applications – Multi-Object Transactions
#203
02/06/2023

It's time we learn about multi-object transactions as we continue our journey into Designing Data-Intensive Applications, while Allen didn't specifically have that thought, Joe took a marketing class, and Michael promised he wouldn't cry.