The Bike Shed

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469: How are we using AI? with Jimmy Thigpen Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

Joël and fellow thoughtbotter Jimmy Thigpen assess their AI workflows and question whether LLM partners really are as helpful as they claim to be.

Joël points out the blindspots AI can have when processing certain requests, they each share the ways they utilise AI into their workflow and pros and cons of doing so, as well as looking at some of the areas of improvement they would each like to see made to various AI agents in the future.

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Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring.

Your host for this episode has been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville, and you can connect with this week’s guest Jimmy Thigpen over on LinkedIn.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
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468: RailsConf Recap with Tess Griffin Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

Joël sits down with Tess Griffin as they take a moment to recap the very last RailsConf together.

The pair discuss their favourite moments from final conference, how their love of D&D has crossed over to shape their experiences attending RailsConf, and the future of the show as a whole.

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Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring.

Your guest this week was Tess Griffin and your host for this episode has been thoughtbot’s Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

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467: How to get the most out of attending a conference with Matheus Richard Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Joël continues his preparations for the last RailsConf as he talks with Matheus about how to make the most of your time at the conference.

Hear their tips to connect and communicate with other attendees, the different ways to take notes at the various talks you can attend, what to do when your discussions have a lull, as well as how to draw inspiration from others talks and using it to your advantage.

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Don’t miss out on the final RailsConf which takes place July 8th - July 10th in Philadelphia, PA!

Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring.

You can connect with Matheus via LinkedIn, or check out some of the topics he’s written about over on his thoughtbot blog.

Your host for this episode has been Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

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466: All about keynotes with Aji Slater Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

As the final RailsConf draws near Joël and Aji Slater sit down to discuss its varied and interesting history of keynote presentations.

The pair reminisce on their previous trips and talks at RailsConf, share some tips on creating the perfect keynote, as well as discussing the strong community that’s rallied behind RailsConf for so many years and how to best connect with others at similar cons as an audience member.

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Don’t miss out on the final RailsConf which takes place July 8th - July 10th in Philadelphia, PA! Get ready for by checking out Aji’s recommenced keynotes from previous years 2022 - 2017

Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring.

You can connect with Aji via LinkedIn and GitHub, or check out some of the topics they've written about over on their thoughtbot blog.

Your host for this episode has been Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

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465: What is quality software with Elaina Natario May 27, 2025

Show notes

Elaina Natario returns to talk with Joël about what makes good quality product design and the priorities that shape development.

The pair discuss the importance of certain elements such as security and accessibility, maintaining certain standards throughout development, as well as judging the practical applications of prototypes within a project and the broad role they play.

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The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way. Check out the link for your free gift!

You can read more about about inaccessable prototypes here, or listen to the episode Joël mentioned with Aji about different typescripts here!

Your guest for this week has been Elaina Natario and you host has been Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

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Credit: Ad-read music by joystock.org

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464: Modelling the stars with Rémy Hannequin May 20, 2025

Show notes

Joël and Rémy draw inspiration from the stars as they discuss Rémy’s new open source Ruby gem, Astonoby.

Rémy reveals the challenges he faced in taking on this project, the scientific translation work that went into making it accessible for everyone, as well as the key lessons he learnt from modelling the cosmos.

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The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way. Check out the link for your free gift!

If you’re enthusiastic about space and want to try out Rémy’s new gem tool, you can find it here. Alternatively you can read more about astronomical computing here.

Your host for this episode has been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville and was accompanied by Rémy, who can be found over on LinkedIn, or through social media under the handle @rhannequin

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

—

Credit: Ad-read music by joystock.org

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463: All about modals with Elaina Natario May 13, 2025

Show notes

Joël strikes up a dialogue with fellow thoughtboter Elaina Natario about the various use cases of modals.

Together they discuss their pros and cons, the dos and don’ts, their functionality and accessibility to the end user as well as the subtle differences you'll notice when compared to dialogs.

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The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way. Check out the link for your free gift!

Your guest for this week has been Elaina Natario and you host has been Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

—

Credit: Ad-read music by joystock.org

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462: Decomposition as a key developer skill with Steve Polito May 06, 2025

Show notes

Joël and Steve sit down to discuss the ins and outs of decomposition within their respective workflows and how they use it to their advantage when working on certain projects.

Together they look at working with vertical slices over other decomposition methods, when and how to break down code as efficiently as possible, and Joël lays out his three key principles that help him write code dubbed “The Triangle of Separation”.

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The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way. Check out the link for your free gift!

Learn more about Joël’s triangle of separation and working with vertical slices!

Your guest this week has been Steve Polito, and your host for this episode has been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville.

You can find Steve’s work over on GitHub, or dive into more of his thought processes over on his thoughtbot’s blogs.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

—

Credit: Ad-read music by joystock.org

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461: Writing new vs existing code with Sara Jackson Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

Joël talks with fellow thoughtboter Sara about the different ways developers can help one another across the various stages of an app’s lifecycle.

They highlight the importance of utilising notes early on to clarify your work for others who may need it later down the line, how tooling can aid with this at all stages of development, and what lessons can be learnt from coding decisions made by someone else.

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The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way. Check out the link for your free gift!

Check out Steve Polito’s Hotwire essentials project, featured in Episode 452.

Your host for this episode has been Joël Quenneville and was accompanied by Sara Jackson.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

—

Credit: Ad-read music by joystock.org

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460: Programer Productivity with Valerie Burzynski Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Start taking notes in this episode as Joël and Valerie discuss the different ways in which they structure their note taking systems to improve their workflows.

Together they cover the best ways to get started with serious note taking, how to best map out your thoughts so they make the most sense when you come back round to them, as well as examining the different use cases they have for them both over the course of a working day.

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The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way. Check out the link for your free gift!

Take notes like a pro with Obsidian and then read what Joël has to say on his own note taking.

Your guest this week has been Valerie Burzynski, and your host for this episode has been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville.

If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website.

Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm

This has been a thoughtbot podcast.
Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky

—

Credit: Ad-read music by joystock.org

Support The Bike Shed

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