Adventures with Puny Code and Other Programming Puzzles

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew discuss a range of topics including an exciting announcement on Jason’s Job Boardly project that got acquired, a technical deep dive into implementing real-time emoji reactions using Turbo and Rails, an explanation on using Rules CLI, and a viral story about a developer. They also touch on intricate programming challenges, such as maintaining state in real-time applications and navigating AI-driven coding tools. Later, the conversation turns to humorous cybersecurity stories, the rising use of AIs in coding, the ethical challenges posed by multi-job professionals, and the impact of streaming services. The episode concludes with discussions about 4th of July plans, theater experiences, a shared love for popcorn, and eating cheesesteaks in Philly. Hit download now! LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftRules CLITippy.jsSoham Parekh meme Soham Parekh memeSoham Parekh memeSoham Parekh memeSoham Parekh memeSoham Parekh memeCleetus McFarland (YouTube)Shay’s SteaksHoneybadgerHoneybadger is an application health monitoring tool built by developers for developers.JudoscaleMake your deployments bulletproof with autoscaling that just works.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Andrew and Chris dive into a range of Rails-related updates, development workflows, and tech frustrations, all while preparing for RailsConf and Rails World. Chris dives into the evolution of Ruby Gems toward Python-style wheels and secure precompiled binaries, while Andrew breaks down the value of namespacing and modularization in Rails apps. They also reflect on accessibility, QA, component architecture, and how LLMs are changing the game for solo devs, Plus, a surprise visit from J**** C******adds some comic relief and candid takes on sabbaticals, Rails World, and a podcast competition. Hit download now! LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftOn Rails PodcastAndrew’s referral link for SnipdRails World 2025Ruby Gems and bundler ReleasesPython WheelsFluxAdam Wathan (YouTube) Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew chat through everything from extreme summer heat, tornadoes, and driving habits, to browser quirks, Unicode bugs, Punycode, and the intricacies of building and maintaining rich text editors. Their conversation drifts into developer tools like Tiptap and Lexical, accessibility issues, browser rendering oddities, and even some personal stories involving cooking fails and skateboarding injuries. Hit download now to hear more! LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftThe Sad Story Of The Unicode Snowman (Hacker News, Dec 23, 2010)TiptapLexicalPunycodeHoneybadgerHoneybadger is an application health monitoring tool built by developers for developers.JudoscaleMake your deployments bulletproof with autoscaling that just works.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew discuss the recent Google Cloud Platform and Heroku outages, sharing personal experiences of system impacts and recovery strategies. The conversation shifts to technical insights, including a deep dive into Rails ‘direct’ routes and their routing helper capabilities. They also touch on the latest performance enhancements in Ruby 3.3, such as Embedded TypedData Objects and their impacts. Also, they explore parsing Ruby code with Prism and chat about  productivity hacks, upcoming RailsConf plans, parenting chaos, and dreams of launching their own MTV show. Hit the download button now! LinksJudoscale - Remote Ruby listener giftImplementing Embedded TypedData Objects (Rails at Scale)Supercharging Ruby with Embedded TypedData Objects (Ruby Stack News)Prism Ruby parserRailsConf 2025, Philadelphia, PA, July 8-10HoneybadgerHoneybadger is an application health monitoring tool built by developers for developers.JudoscaleMake your deployments bulletproof with autoscaling that just works.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this fun episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew dive into a wide-ranging chat that kicks off with Nintendo’s new Switch 2, dentist nightmares, and the chaos of Mario Party. From there, it transitions into some highly practical Rails development discussions, including a slick new implementation for MetaTags in Jumpstart, the headaches and benefits of JSON-LD for SEO, and an overdue breaking change to the Pay gem. There’s also a smart e-ink countdown widget built with Ruby called TRMNL and updates on RailsConf and Rocky Mountain Ruby. Hit download now to hear more!LinksSchema.org CourseMetaTagsJSON-LDRailsConf 2025-Philadelphia, PA, July 8-10Rocky Mountain Ruby 2025-Boulder, CO, October 6-7RailsWorld 2025-Amsterdam, NL, September 4-5TRMNLTRMNL-GitHubPay GemRails AssetsHow to use the new action_ text-trix gem (GoRails YouTube)HoneybadgerNintendo Switch 2HoneybadgerHoneybadger is an application health monitoring tool built by developers for developers.JudoscaleMake your deployments bulletproof with autoscaling that just works.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew catch up on recent travels and food experiences, including the best Philly cheesesteaks they’ve ever had. The conversation shifts towards development topics, particularly testing challenges and solutions in Ruby on Rails, featuring discussions about emoji pickers, asset pipelines, and the prawn library. Chris shares updates on acquiring an old Rails app, One Month, and future plans for this project. They also explore various development hiccups and solutions, including using libraries for faster system tests and streamlining asset pipelines. The episode wraps up with insights into new tools like an official Postgres extension for VS Code and plans for future video content on their platform.LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftOne MonthRunning Rails System Tests With Playwright Instead of Selenium by Justin SearlsAnnouncing a new IDE for PostgreSQL in VS Code from MicrosoftLou Malnati’s Pizzeria Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Andrew and Chris discuss the frustrations of working with React and the advantages of using Hotwire. They also talk about upcoming plans, including Andrew's retreat to Philadelphia and Lancaster, and the new features they've been working on, like an inbox for notifications. The conversation touches on the complexity of maintaining large Ruby on Rails applications and the new features in the latest Ruby release. Chris shares his experience at a Post Malone concert, and some tips on maintaining productivity by rearranging workspaces. Hit download now to hear more! LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftRails World 2025, September 4 & 5, Amsterdam, NL‘Learn Hotwire’ Coursebunny.netNamespaces 101Ruby Releases-GitHub Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

Andrew and Chris dive into issues with SMTP configuration on new Digital Ocean droplets, their experiences with various email delivery gems like Postmark and Mailtrap and go over some best practices for handling account creation and user associations in Rails applications. The conversation also touches on deployment automation, developing new features like the inbox on Podia, and the importance of having visual tools and browser extensions for effective debugging. They share some lighter moments discussing fun side projects, including Andrew's insult generator app and their humorous take on turning everyday developer annoyances into creative gem ideas. The episode wraps up with some Stripe announcements and TV show recommendations.LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftMailtrapHotwire Dev ToolsActualDbSchemaRailsCasts- Episode 288: Billing with StripeActiveSupport: Allow quick cast Boolean to integer #18552Our top product updates from Sessions 2025 (Stripe Blog)Developer Insult Generator by AndrewShoresyStar Wars: AndorStar Wars: Skeleton Crew Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew discuss various technical challenges and developments. Chris provides insights into recent updates and debugging issues with Stripe integration, including transitioning from usage records to billing meters. Andrew shares a complicated debugging session involving a mysterious test suite freezing problem on a friend’s computer. They dive into the intricacies of using tools like LLDB and GDB for troubleshooting and explore potential solutions. Chris also leaves us with a cliffhanger that includes an exciting new project!LinksChris Oliver XAndrew Mason BlueskyJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftLearn Hotwire courseHotwire Native LLDB DebuggerGDBOne MonthRailsConf- July 8-10, 2025, Philadelphia, PAHoneybadgerHoneybadger is an application health monitoring tool built by developers for developers.JudoscaleMake your deployments bulletproof with autoscaling that just works.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

In this episode of Remote Ruby, Chris and Andrew catch up on recent events and dive into their experiences with various conferences. They discuss their travels to Brazil, Philly, Chicago, and Vegas, sharing the highlights and challenges of each trip. The conversation then shifts to technical topics, including insights from the Tropical on Rails conference, live translations, the impressive quality of Hotwire's functionality, and the fun time they had reuniting and hanging out with Jason in Vegas. They also tackle complexities and changes in Stripe's API integration, debating the pros and cons of self-hosting versus using hosted services. Hit the download button now to hear more! LinksChris Oliver XAndrew Mason BlueskyJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftRailsConf-July 8-10, 2025-Philadelphia, PAGosuSimplicity- sustainable, humane, and effective software development by Dave ThomasHoneybadgerHoneybadger is an application health monitoring tool built by developers for developers.JudoscaleMake your deployments bulletproof with autoscaling that just works.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter