949: Web Dev HORROR Stories + Spooky Trivia! (Spooky Stories Pt. 1)

It’s that time of year again, Scott (as Dracula) and Wes (as a big bad shark) return for their annual Spooky Stories special! They’re joined by a mysterious guest for a round of creepy coding trivia and chilling true tales of web dev gone wrong; dropped databases, haunted passwords, and more. Beware: these are real developer horror stories. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:05 Scott’s vampire costume. 00:38 New to live-streaming. 00:54 AWS Outage. 01:50 What is Spooky Stories? 02:01 (Wes is wearing a shark costume) 02:34 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:30 PHP MyHeadache. 06:23 A Browser Hack. 08:30 Browser Hack Gameshow & Special Guest! 17:01 Ghost Password. 21:32 Just A Patch. 24:12 Don’t drink and Deploy. 34:47 Discount. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Wes and Scott talk about what makes Zed—the hot new editor built in Rust—fast, beautiful, and finally ready for primetime. From Git UI to extensions and AI tools, they break down what Zed gets right, what it still lacks, and whether it’s time to finally ditch VS Code. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! Syntax San Francisco Meetup We need your Spooky Stories 02:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:07 What is Zed? 06:46 Zed UI: fast and clean 10:17 General editor experience 11:44 Extensions marketplace 17:53 Git UI 22:03 Problems UI 26:01 Real-time collaboration Remote Development 27:39 Command prompt tricks and built-in tools 31:03 Zed’s AI features AI Coding Sucks 37:08 What kept Scott away—and why he’s back 40:33 What’s still missing Text Manipulation Kung Fu for the Aspiring Black Belt 46:43 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Scott: Zojirushi 5.0 Liter Water Boiler Wes: Syntax Keycaps Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Scott and Wes break down the top-tier MCP servers developers are using right now. From browser automation to debugging superpowers, they explore how these servers are changing what’s possible in modern dev workflows. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:46 Submit your Spooky Stories! 03:37 Syntax San Francisco Meetup. 04:11 S-Tier MCP Servers. 04:17 Sentry MCP Server (not sponsored). 05:01 Pause, what the heck is an MCP server. 05:45 Back to the Sentry MCP. 07:07 Spotlight JS. 09:08 ElevenLabs MCP hack. 11:19 Docs Tools. 11:29 Context7. 15:55 GitHub MCP Registry. 16:10 Nuxt MCP Server. 16:25 Svelte MCP Server. 20:35 Cloudflare MCP Servers. 22:34 Chrome Dev Tools (Playwright) MCP Server. 25:17 Stripe MCP Server. 27:55 Mastra. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about why devs neglect their own websites, hosting shady projects (hypothetically), AI rules in version control, balancing side projects and family life, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:43 Why devs neglect their own websites (and how to convince your parents coding is a real job) 07:04 AirPods, Nothing Ear, and the ANC struggle 10:22 Shipping Syntax merch from Canada 12:43 Scott’s update on Omarchy and Linux laptop life 18:05 What to do when a user account gets hacked (and how to prevent it) 21:33 Should you commit LLM context files and AI-generated docs to Git? 25:27 How to balance career, side projects, and family life 29:25 Building and hosting a “legally dubious” website 33:27 Best practices for dealing with images 42:46 Where to find Wes’ awesome wallpapers 44:19 Can you trust services with a generous free tier? ServerlessHorrors 50:32 Do we still use GIFs? 52:23 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs 55:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io Sick Picks Scott: Mkv-Quicklook Wes: Momofuku Sweet & Savory Korean BBQ Sauce Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Scott and Wes dive into Chrome’s new MCP server; a dev tools API powered by Puppeteer that gives your scripts, editors, and AI agents full access to Chrome. They break down how it works, what it can (and can’t) do, and how it might change debugging and automation for developers Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:15 Syntax San Francisco Meetup. 01:55 We need your Spooky Stories! 02:42 What is an MCP Server? 04:28 MCP servers are not only for code editors. 06:43 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 07:49 Dev Tools MCP is similar to Puppeteer. 09:20 Setting up an MCP Server. 11:36 Example of MCP with Dominos Pizza. 13:23 Accessing Dev tools from your editor. 14:23 In VS Code, you can “Open Link”. 15:22 Using the MCP server. 16:26 Chrome has Debug insights inside of chrome’s dev tools. 18:38 Real world things the Chrome MCP server can do. 18:43 Analyzing performance. 19:55 Taking screenshots. 21:17 Performance fix feedback loop. 22:33 Remote connecting browsers. 24:54 Browser-use. 25:18 What are the limitations? Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Wes and Scott talk with Kyle Cesmat about how Coinbase is writing nearly half its code with AI—while keeping quality and security front and center. They dig into tools like Cursor and Claude Code, agent-driven workflows, code review challenges, and how AI is reshaping developer productivity without replacing developers. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:29 Defining and measuring “quality” at a large company 05:05 How AI-generated code is reviewed and shipped at Coinbase 07:35 A developer’s workflow using AI—from ticket to production 10:30 Standard vs. team-specific tools for AI development 12:55 Using MCP servers to power internal AI workflows 14:42 MCP vs. custom agent integrations 17:16 What kinds of code AI is writing at Coinbase 19:48 Which languages and tasks does AI handle best? 21:21 Getting AI to follow existing code conventions greptile 24:36 Brought to you by Sentry.io 25:01 How AI affects hiring, velocity, and developer focus 28:16 AI’s role in speeding up code reviews 31:28 The most valuable AI tool in Coinbase’s stack 33:48 Managing AI costs and model choices 35:10 Security considerations for using external AI models 37:04 How often Coinbase tunes and adjusts its AI systems 39:26 Using AI to write code vs. embedding AI in customer-facing features 42:29 Kyle’s big-picture take on AI as a tool—not a magic bullet Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity 44:33 The future of hiring engineers with their own “backpack” of agents 45:53 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Kyle: UltraShelf Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Scott and Wes sit down with Ricky Hanlon from the React core team at Facebook to dive into the latest features and APIs shaping modern React development. From transitions and Suspense to fetching strategies and future directions, this episode breaks down what’s next for React and how developers can take advantage of it. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:20 Who is Ricky Hanlon. 02:10 Setting the Stage: Modern React APIs 02:48 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:12 Defining Transitions in React 05:08 Practical Examples of Scheduling. 08:23 useDeferredValue. 09:30 Suspense. 11:13 Fallbacks and animations. 12:35 How do you get psychological performance data? 13:39 Are these considerations reasonable for the average dev? 15:37 useOptimistic. 17:35 Removing delayMs (referred to as maxDuration in later iterations). 19:49 How to fetch data in React. 21:58 Is React now just Nextjs? 23:23 Will React give us a Signals-based state management? 24:44 The challenges of building in public. 30:12 Making LLMs cooperate with React. 32:05 The lifting will happen at framework level. 32:59 This is not time slicing. 35:47 Sick Pick + Shameless Plug. Sick Picks Ricky: iPhone 17 Pro Shameless Plugs Ricky: https://conf.react.dev/ Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Wes and Scott talk with Dr. Courtney Tolinski about supporting neurodivergent teammates, navigating workplace dynamics, and recognizing strengths beyond labels. They explore ADHD diagnosis and treatment, productivity mindsets, burnout, AI in mental health, and practical routines for focus and balance. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:09 Meet Dr. Courtney Tolinski 01:46 Supporting neurodivergent team members 12:26 Should I disclose my ADHD diagnosis at work? 17:21 Characteristics of autism and ADHD 22:37 Seeking diagnosis as an adult developer 28:04 Brought to you by Sentry.io 32:18 Uncoupling identity from productivity 38:06 Is overtime ever “worth it”? 42:34 AI as a mental health tool: hope or hype? 46:32 Will therapists be replaced by AI? 49:29 Burnout warning signs in high-performers 55:15 Sick picks + shameless plugs Sick Picks Courtney: Bentgo Glass Containers Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Scott heads to Microsoft’s campus for the VS Code Insider Summit to sit down with Dr. Sarah Bird and explore what “Responsible AI” really means for developers. From protecting user privacy to keeping humans in the loop, they dig into how everyday coders can play a role in shaping AI’s future. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:13 The path the machine learning. 04:44 How do you get to ‘Responsible AI’? 06:43 Is there such a thing as ‘Responsible AI’? 07:34 Does the average developer have a part to play? 09:12 How can AI tools protect inexperienced users? 11:55 Let’s talk about user and company privacy. 13:57 Are local tools and services becoming more viable? 15:06 Are people right to be skeptical? 16:58 The software developer role is fundamentally changing. 17:43 Human in the loop. 19:37 The career path to Responsible AI. 21:21 Sick Picks. Sick Picks Sarah: Japanese pottery Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

In this potluck episode, Wes and Scott answer your questions about modern full-stack stacks, Node.js backend options, managing database indexes, developer burnout, handling toxic bosses, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:36 What’s your go-to Node.js backend in 2025? Polka 06:18 Do you proactively manage database indexes—or fix them only when they become a problem? 09:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io 12:14 After planning a new project, what’s your real-world dev workflow? 931: Project Init - How to Make Good Choices When Starting a New Coding Project 18:19 What to do when you’re feeling burned out as a developer 23:34 Picking the right tech stack for your partner’s website 28:18 How do you deal with a toxic boss? 33:10 The ideal tech stack for launching a SaaS MVP 39:46 Is GraphQL still worth it vs REST or RPC? 44:26 Is Vercel steering modern web dev in the wrong direction? 51:20 What’s up with TanStack Forms? TanStack Form Latest 59:35 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Scott: Flesh and Code Wes: WAGO connectors Shameless Plugs Syntax YouTube Channel Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads