maragu’s podcast

Like the title says: I’m all-in on AI and LLM-based applications. But what does that mean exactly, for a traditional software engineer like myself? Actually, not that much. LLMs are another (very) useful tool for building applications, with their own set of opportunities and challenges.

You know what’s both intriguing and challenging about the developer consulting world? It’s not just about writing code, it’s about building a whole persona, finding the right clients, while somehow simultaneously also making sense of the rapidly evolving tech landscape. I just had a nice and interesting chat yesterday with another indie consultant from the prompt engineering and LLM space, John Berryman, that got me thinking about this whole journey.

I really like boring technology. Software that has been tested for decades, does what it is supposed to robustly and fast, and is known by every person and machine on the planet. Technology like relational databases and SQL, HTTP, HTML, a well-known programming language. Throw LLMs into that mix, and you've got a potent cocktail!

Like the rest of the world, I’ve embraced chatting to large language models (LLMs) as part of my professional and personal life. I rarely use their output directly, but they help me think and brainstorm, give me ideas, and force me to write out my own thoughts, clarifying and refining them in the process (much like writing articles like this one does, by the way). These thoughts-in-writing are important to me, and that’s why I keep a history of them on my own machine. A conversational diary, so to speak. And so should you.

As software developers, we are uniquely positioned to create something and give it a life of its own, and then barely having to support it anymore. We can sit in our living rooms in our fancy fluffy pink loungewear (what, you don’t have that?!) and create products that touch and empower thousands of people. So why are so many of us content to clock in and sell our time, 19th century factory style?

It’s time for the first product! I want to build a web app to help you remember your friends’ birthdays and their kids’ names. Basically, a simple CRM for your personal life. I call it MyFavPeople.

I’m going to let you in on a secret, if you promise to not tell anyone. It’s about making money and involves spaghetti. Are you ready?

Always choose the right tool for the job? Nah. I use Go basically everywhere, which either makes me insightful or stupid. Decide for yourself! :D