Disappointing Whiskey, Pizza Debates, and Tech Conference Adventures

Disappointing Whiskey, Pizza Debates, and Tech Conference Adventures

Author: Skill Issue Studios August 1, 2024 Duration: 57:47

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III review a disappointing whiskey that leaves them questioning their life choices, discuss their lackluster food experiences in Italy, and chat about various tech conferences and events, including Emberfest, All Things Open, Microsoft Build, React Miami, and Big Sky Dev Con.

In this episode:

  • (00:00) - Intro
  • (01:26) - Podcast ideas
  • (03:03) - Whiskey - Van Brunt Stillhouse tasting and review
  • (14:24) - Travel stories and food experiences
  • (24:08) - Upcoming conferences and events
  • (30:55) - Ancient structures and modern towns
  • (31:41) - The evolution of pizza
  • (32:25) - Travel plans and personal updates
  • (33:50) - Challenges of content creation
  • (36:00) - Microsoft Build Conference highlights
  • (40:55) - Food adventures and office culture
  • (46:45) - Fashion and nostalgia
  • (50:57) - Language learning and travel
  • (52:30) - Final plugs and show recommendations

Quotes

On Microsoft Build: “There is a lot of AI-centric, like, with every company, right? Everybody's just trying to throw a bunch of shit against the wall to see what's going to work out.” ~ Charles William Carpenter III

On Van Brunt Stillhouse Whiskey: “It's like if you were trying to make a whiskey candle that actually smelled like shit.” ~ RobbieTheWagner

Links

Connect with our hosts

Subscribe and stay in touch

Whiskey Web and Whatnot Merch Enjoying the podcast and want us to make more? Help support us by picking up some of our fresh merch at https://whiskey.fund.


There's a certain alchemy that happens when you combine deep technical expertise with the warmth of a good conversation, and that's exactly what you'll find in Whiskey Web and Whatnot. Hosts Robbie Wagner, Charles William Carpenter III, and Adam Argyle bring decades of collective experience to the table, but they leave the lecture format at the door. Instead, each episode feels like pulling up a chair with colleagues who are just as passionate about the craft of building for the web as they are about the nuanced flavors in a glass of whiskey. The discussion naturally flows between the concrete details of modern development-like navigating JavaScript frameworks, CSS architecture, or the practical realities of agentic AI and new coding tools-and the broader, human aspects of a software engineering career. This podcast from Skill Issue Studios is built on the idea that the tools and the people who use them are equally important. You'll come for insightful, grounded advice on developer productivity and emerging technologies, but you'll stay for the genuine camaraderie and the occasional spirited debate about which whiskey bottle truly earns a spot on the shelf. It’s a refreshing blend of substance and personality, making complex topics accessible and reminding everyone that there's always a story behind the code.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Whiskey Web and Whatnot
Podcast Episodes
The One Rye to Rule Them All w/ Kendall Miller & Rishi Malik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:54
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kendall Miller and Rishi Malik about their startup Friday Deployment Spirits, and creating whiskey for developers. They discuss the art of making good whiskey, bourbon vs rye, coding…
Father's Day Drinking w/ Typecraft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:26
This week, Robbie talks with Typecraft about the chaotic joys of fatherhood, the realities of raising twins, and various dad-related hot takes. They also discuss their tech carries and conference talks, including Typecra…
Will AI Kill the Joy of Coding? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:54
This week, Robbie and Chuck review Barrell Craft Spirits' Cranky Kong, and talk about the AI boom, how senior devs are (or aren’t) using it, and what the future of software jobs might look like. They also discuss the ris…
Stop Fixing Things That Aren't Broken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:54
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about the unintended chaos of “move fast and break things” in both software and startups. From Riverside glitches to Tesla’s overengineered wipers, they explore how updates can derail oth…
The Myth of Perfect Code w/ Marc Backes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:41
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Marc Backes about Vue vs. React, work-life balance, and the realities of messy codebases. They also sip an Evan Williams Single Barrel, debate inbox zero, and discuss Marc’s adventur…
Should You Learn Tailwind Before CSS? w/ Bree Hall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:48
This week, live from React Miami, Chuck, and special guest co-host Aaron Francis, talk with Bree Hall about React styling strategies, Tailwind CSS, and whether you should learn fundamentals before frameworks (spoiler: it…
Why You Can’t Skip the Fundamentals w/ Henri Helvetica [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:05
This week, Chuck and special guest co-host Aaron Francis talk with Henri Helvetica live from React Miami. They explore the evolving challenges of web performance, why genuine research skills still matter in an AI-driven…
Are Frameworks Still Worth the Tradeoffs? w/ Adam Rackis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:22
This week, Chuck talks with Adam Rackis live from React Miami. Along with special guest-host Aaron Francis, they dig into React Server Components, the quirks of modern JavaScript frameworks, and why TanStack might be the…
WTF is MCP? w/ David Cramer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:49
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with David Cramer about MCP—microservices for language models—and why it might be the future of AI tooling. They dig into the state of AI agents, developer efficiency, and why Codegen isn…