Refactored: Recent Episodes
Chris Tonkinson, Frank Koehl
A casual, ongoing conversation between two technology leaders trying to suck less every day, with Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
Refactored #148: “DevOps: The Third Silo”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys discuss the evolution of DevOps
- Still a philosophy.
- Still not a job title.
- But also, now definitely a job title.
- Danger zone: Did we just create a new silo? That would be… not great.
- Why do people elect .NET for web dev? The guys are baffled.
- Comment: “Serverless sounds cool in theory, but now we’ve got a thousand different functions running everywhere, and I have no clue how to monitor or debug half of them. Did we just trade one set of problems for another?”
- Comment: “I’ve been managing a dev team for a while, but now everyone wants to use AI tools to ‘help code faster.’ How do I keep productivity up without turning my team into a bunch of over-reliant AI button-pushers?”
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #147: “Pro Consoles: Nothing to See Here”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris becomes a camera snob while Frank warns against combination appliances.
- Nothing CEO Carl Pei issues Return-To-Office mandate; publishes on LinkedIn.
- It’s impassioned
- It sounds logical
- It’s unsubstantiated
- TLDR: GTFO
- Are smartphones commoditized? Are “Pro” consoles worth it? The guys debate.
- The guys wonder what “innovation” will come next to steal the limelight from LLMs.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #146: “Procedural Justice”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris has a new GPT power use case. It’s not new, and it’s not his, but he pretends like it is.
- The guys avoid a longer-form discussion about popular game dev algos, like Perlin Noise and Voronoi Diagrams.
- Frank brings up Pandora (yeah, it’s still a thing) and the guys talk ML “filter bubbles” and job security.
- The guys debate inconsistent messages coming out after a recent Columbus, Ohio data breach [1] [2].
- TLDR: City officials lied. Then they retaliated against the whistleblower. Then they sued him. Then they lied some more.
- …….. jerks
- Maybe sometime the guys will share what they really think. ;)
- Streaming may revive a new wave of interactive fiction - Frank unpacks an example while Chris gets eaten by a giant spider.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #145: “Skibidi Rollbacks”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris grouses about his Logitech BRIO. Decent camera, until the autofocus goes haywire.
- The guys talk M&A: Elgato, Corsiar, and Origin PC.
- AI hype: Chris brings a stupid story about “AI” being shoved into toothbrushes.
- “Move fast and break things”: A debate.
- Also: do you actually build down-migrations?
- Frank talks streaming, WoW, and Roblox.
- The guys debate how different “generations” (levels of experience) approach software development.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #144: “Ethics in 4K”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank just can’t seem to win with his new streaming setup. It’s 2024, should 4K really be this hard?
- The guys admire VoiceMeeter, the kitchen sink of audio (for windows). Robin Williams approved!
- Chris explains how fickle users are with new systems - even when they are Provably better™ than the alternative.
- The guys discuss a possible Ritual Calling of the Engineer for software developers. There’s uh… there’s something to this, y’all.
- The pick of the week is the Elgato Marketplace audio store.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #143: “21 Parameter Salute”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys kick off with (probably the final) update on the CrowdStrike debacle.
- Spoiler: the proximal issue is code coverage, but the real villain is the lack of staged rollouts.
- External Technical Root Cause Analysis - PDF warning
- Is this a story of swiss cheese failure, or systemic risk?
- ADT “silently” files with the SEC about a breach. Frank is not having it.
- Do you even conspiracy, bro?
- Frank makes a call for greater transparency and sharing within infosec.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #142: “Certified Paranoia Engineer”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Surveillance capitalism: Is your phone listening to you? No. It’s not. But it doesn’t need to. Chris goes ona mini-rant about misdirected paranoia.
- The guys debate possible legal culpability for ClownStrike following their epic foible. Frank takes a more measured stance (see their Post Incident Review) while Chris thinks maybe they should burn.
- Software “Engineer” certification and licensure. The guys debate.
- Is it theoretically advisable?
- Is it practically feasible?
- Is it financially viable?
- is it politically possible?
- More research required. This conversation will return. Major cliffhangr vibes!
- Yusuf Dikec enters the chat in the most badass way possible… though maybe the story is a bit too epic to be true.
- The pick of the week is Biscoff Cookie Butter Spread. This stuff is like, legit, dude.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #141: “Gone Fishin' for BSODs”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Azure goes down, but no one seems to care after CrowdStrike breaks the world.
- The guys talk at length about the dangers of monoculture.
- Frank reminisces about the Winchester Mystery House, drawing a parallel to Google’s cobbled-together cloud services.
- Frank’s fishing analogy steals the show: when you get a hit, reel in the other lines to avoid tangles. Focus, people!
- The guys debate the delicate balance of focus vs innovation in startups.
- The pick of the week is DigitalOcean: cheap and simple cloud hosting.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #140: “Streaming Interviews”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank has a new streaming setup in anticipation of the upcoming WoW expansion.
- The guys talk about the accessibility of streaming and how kids are responding/adapting.
- Ghost Jobs: the next scourge we have to combat? Seriously? Like we don’t have enough nonsense in the market already?
- Chris is skeptical that pay transparency laws but the guys are both willing to try anything that reduces the salary negotiation dance.
- Job boards: just social media sites, with all the same cycles. Agree?
- … and much more!
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Refactored #139: “Independently Procrastinating”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank built a patio and now his back hurts. The American Dream! Happy Independence Day!
- The guys banter about the often-overlooked intelligence and skill required in blue-collar work. Frank channels his inner Mike Rowe, but both champion the trades.
- Frank rants about Dell’s Kingergarten “flag system.” It’s some weapons-grade BS. The guys lament the lack of trust in the workplace. Oh, and if you’re remote, it’s a dead-end job.
- Frank predicts a collapse within higher education in the next decade or two.
- Chris goes on a whole thing about VC’s… again.
- The picks of the week are:
- ChatGPT’s voice mode: at least on the iOS app, you can have a spoken dialogue with the LLM. It’s neat when you’re driving.
- mikeroweWORKS: Mike Rowe’s foundation that champions the trades.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #138: “Perplexfully Agile”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Bitcoin. Why in the fundamentals is it hovering right around $69,420? (nice)
- Agile is dead! Everything is a lie! Agiles projects fail almost 3x more!
- The guys demolish this BS article.
- Frank emphasizes that Agile principles are often misinterpreted, leading to unnecessary complication.
- Chris suggests that while it may have an Agile mask on, the final boss is really Scrum.
- Y’all hear about the massive Google leak, exposing all sorts of bias and shenanigans. Frank doubts is matters much in the long term.
- The guys debate the ins and outs of context switching.
- The pick of the week is Perplexity, a kind of LLM-sprinkled meta search engine.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #137: “Job Search: The Next Generation”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys dive into the hilarity that is r/LinkedInLunatics. For example: someone complaining about applicatns using AI to complete mindless tasks.
- Frank suggests a quick sanity check on potential employers, but Chris says anything over five minutes is (likely) excessive.
- Chris warns against companies that are too self-centered in their job posts.
- In a new segment we might call “stupid hills to die on,” Chris goes full on gatekeeper (like, hard) for the term “podcasting.” It’s like he doesn’t actually have a real life to live, that this is something he’s choosing to fight over.
- The pick of the week is r/LinkedInLunatics. Bring your flame-retardant pants.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #136: “Ball-Curious Coffee Badging”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris reveals his long-standing “ball curiosity” and finally takes the plunge into the world of trackballs. Frank, however, maintains his dignity and sticks with a traditional mouse.
- Frank introduces the latest buzzwords in the remote work lexicon: “quiet quitting,” “coffee badging,” and “shadow policy.” Chris’s eyes roll so hard they almost get stuck.
- Frank suggests a new business idea: workplace achievement badges. Unlocked!
- Uber’s CEO blames remote work for the company’s losses. Chris isn’t buying it and thinks it’s a convenient scapegoat for deeper issues.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #135: “Fiber Fiasco”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris gets entangled in a suburban standoff where HOAs and ISPs play hot potato with his Internet dreams.
- Logitech, once a name synonymous with quality peripherals, now hocking an “AI” mouse. For real.
- Ansible and Pulumi pick up steam. No one loves Chef anymore. Terraform is still a thing.
- The pick of the week is Pulumi - IaC that sucks a lot less.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #134: “Standard Issue Hostility”
On this episode of Refactored…
- American Kennel Club makes a mockery of their trademark. Frank explains.
- Chris explains why he’s ruined his life. Again.
- Yet Another Email Migration. Gonna hashtag #YAEM for next time.
- Moves back to QWERTY because he loves the pain.
- The guys have a good debate over standards vs technological innovation.
- Does every product pitch need AI? Yes, and no.
- The pick of the week is UserVoice, because God gave you two ears and one mouth.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #133: “Helldevins 2: The Electric Intelligoo”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Devin was a lie. Can’t make this stuff up. The guys eat humble pie, admitting their miscall on AI’s immediate threat to software engineering jobs.
- Helldivers 2 storms gaming, leaving Chris ever FOMOd.
- The pick of the week is the Makalu Max from Mountain.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #132: “SCANdelous calculus”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris' newest billion dollar idea: empowering despots with AI. Frank doesn’t even like GPS-monitoring.
- Frank’s WoW team achieves a milestone! He and his raiding group are among the top 0.19% on the new content.
- The guys virtually drool over Helldivers 2 while Chris admits he’s too lazy for Minecraft.
- Chris adds color to last week’s Palumi talk.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #131: “Supply Chain Shenanigans”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The XZ Utils library was compromised. Guys, this could have been very bad.
- The guys talk supply chain security — the weak[est?] point in your infrastructure?
- Frank makes a bold cliam; apparently “too many” is more than “some.” Breaking mathematical discoveries like this, you’ll only find on Refactored.
- The guys debate open source funding models.
- Chris stumbles his way into one possible idea: the Open Source Endowment Fund. Crypto scheme or the future?
- … and much more!
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Refactored #130: “Jesus 2.0”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank introduces a concept he is calling “Jesus 2.0 Projects”
- Projects that will solve everything™… once (if?) they ship.
- Projects that take real testicular fortitude to launch.
- Projects that also take real courage to terminate if they languish.
- Are executive sponsors to blame?
- Chris rumages around in his Pokeballs and chooses…. Palumi!
- The guys discuss how to choose between legacy and novel tooling.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #129: “World of WarCAP”
On this episode of Refactored…
- MongoDB. The wrong choice for your website, but thankfully at least it’s “Web Scale”.
- Chris rants. Hard.
- Postgres has “inexact” numerics. Today Chris learned.
- NewSQL lets you pretend to break the CAP Theorem for your ACID RDBMS.
- Frank has a bone to pick with Blizzards implementation of Private Auras.
- Good intentions with poor implementations, still suck.
- The guys fight about balancing Waterfall and Agile. (I know, the W-word, ick, amirite?)
- … and much more!
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Refactored #128: “Jobs Destroyed or Prevented”
On this episode of Refactored…
- It was Pi Day! The guys… well, the guys basically just complain.
- Devin exists now. The guys debate whether “he” (is that misgendering?) will replace you.
- Chris claims peak mania, and Primeagen has some great commentary.
- Frank points towards the… uh… bold? stupid? boring? prediction that There will be no programmers in 5 years.
- Chris reveals that he invented The Jetsons. Please send cash, check, or money order for your royalties.
- Frank and Chris fight a little on the value of the infamous Backlog.
- Should you declare backlog bankruptcy?
- If not, is it a shield or a sword?
- … and much more!
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Refactored #127: “Gandalf on a T-Rex”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys debate compenastion transparency, but not the way you think.
- Should managers hold comp info? Um, duh. What are we even doing here?
- Should companies be fully comp-transparent? That’s more complex.
- “At will” employment is the only will, per the guys.
- Chris has an exposed nerve about the word “resources.”
- The guys debate COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment) strategy.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #126: “Self-Promoting Class Suits”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris struggles with self-promotion. Frank says “just have confidence.” They fight.
- “Get me somebody! And get me somebody while I’m waiting!”
- Interesting analogy - how often do you turn into the Hulk?
- Wyze breach. People… don’t put cameras in your bedroom.
- Chris doesn’t buy the stated root cause analysis.
- Frank anticipates a baseless class suit.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #125: “If It Ain’t AI, We Don’t Want None”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris has a gripe with the Apple Magic Mouse - the USB-C charging port is still on the bottom?
- The guys talk about removable batteries and the Right to Repair.
- Ubiquiti is… ubiquitous.
- Frank wonders to what degree “AI” will terk ‘em jerbs in the gaming industry.
- The guys debate whether Value4Value can/will kill certain kinds of media advertising.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #124: “Friction Ain’t Free”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris discovers another Biz Dev Dark Pattern: service cancellation requiring a conversation with a human rep, only to be greeted by a chatbot. Thanks, Sirius XM.
- Who wants to pay to create and maintain proper Personas, anyway? The guys debate.
- Features vs benefits - what are you selling? Frank has thoughts.
- Nerdular nerdance: is Vue.js better than React.js? Fight!
- The pick of the week is, use Google private drives by default. Hot tip!
- … and much more!
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Refactored #123: “You’re a Mercenary”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank demonstrates Harvard Business Review ~~has their heads so far up their~~ isn’t unequivically perspicacious.
- The guys clown on their article, Research: The Growing Inequality of Who Gets to Work from Home.
- Dum da-da-dum dum DUH! TLDR; the whole article is insipid pablum.
- Chris took a break between gigs. 10/10 he recommends.
- “That’s not my job” - a rant, by Chris.
- The guys debate (then agree) on whether “leaving a dent” is a worthwhile first-order goal.
- The pick of the week is the Hans Gruber Advent Calendar. Christmas can now be offical!
- … and much more!
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Refactored #122: “Russ Hashimoto Gained a B”
On this episode of Refactored…
- StarTech.com isn’t so bad after all, turns out. Chris really likes their 12U Open Rack.
- Mitchell Hashimoto leaves Hashicorp. The guys agree - this is not a coincidence.
- HCL. ~~Love it or hate it.~~ Hate it but gotta use it, says Github’s state of open source report.
- Russ Hanneman lost his B, Richard.
- Chris wants you to take a beat and self-reflect. Are you really satisfied with your job?
- … and much more!
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Refactored #121: “Mungers Three Rules”
On this episode of Refactored…
- StarTech.com exists (little did Chris know). Also, don’t buy their USB-C KVMs.
- Charlie Munger asserted three rules for career satisfaction:
- Don’t sell anything you wouldn’t buy yourself.
- Don’t work for anyone you don’t respect and admire.
- Work only with people you enjoy.
- Crypto is fake. Doesn’t exist. Figment of your imagination. Or is it?
- According to Chris, Electron sucks and Teams sucks. (obligatory).
- The guys muse, are we on the threshold of another browser wars? Chrome’s gettin awfully popular out there…
- Google has yet MOAR AI-related egg on their face.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #120: “Business Development Dark Patterns”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris buys too many new servers. His advice: avoid eBay.
- Everyone rants. Frank about YouTube, Chris about cable. Enshittification is real, friends.
- Chris mints “Biz Dev Dark Patterns” and rampant capitalism ensues.
- Odyssey of the Mind - pretty cool. Destination Imagination thought so, too.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #119: “Avoid Cyber Bikeshedding”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys talk about variable naming. Great content!
- Frank recounts his recent talk: Avoiding Cyber Bikeshedding (see below)
- Chris has a spicy take on “shift left” everywhere.
- Frank thinks testing - get this - is actually helpful. You believe this guy?
- “Yes and [go f*** yourself]” is the right attitude to have!
- … and much more!
| for the software developer | for the security practiioner | | --- | --- | | 1 thing to study | OWASP Top 10 | Git | | 1 thing to use | SAST/DAST | ChatGPT | | 1 thing to do | Google “hardening X” | Pair programming |
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Refactored #118: “Self-Hosting: It Sucks”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys serve up a fresh and timely takedown of… EA? And Comcast? From like, a decade+ ago? Lit.
- What’s in your home network? Plex is… not The Way anymore. (check out Jellyfin)
- Chris explains (poorly, I might add) about yak shaving - seemingly useless prerequisite tasks.
- Obligatory
- The guys agree: buy your own modem and AP - stop renting gear from your ISP!
- “Life is hard and then you die.” Cheery way to end a show, huh?
- … and much more!
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Refactored #117: “Security Is A Group Exercise”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris won’t stop talking about garlic-stuffed olives? wtf is that about anyway?
- Michael Gerber enters the chat as the The E-Myth: Revisited is brought up yet again.
- RFC for “SHOULD,” “MAY,” “MUST,” etc. discussed.
- You’re a grown-ass adult. Act like it!
- Great advice to live by. Thanks, Frank!
- The guys fight about entrepreneurs vs hard workers vs clock punchers vs NPCs.
- New term, coined BY CHRIS AND CHRIS ONLY: “data care.” Got a good ring to it, huh? It’s a great idea, Chris is glad he had it. /s
- … and much more!
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Refactored #116: “You Aren’t The Customer”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Slack dies the “UI Refresh” death. A rant by Frank while Chris goes off an Apple Music.
- Scope Creep Abstinence 101: “Just Say No”
- Chris doesn’t like Big™ things. They become self-centered.
- Old men yell at clouds!
- Chris fails the Password Game realtime.
- The pick of the week is The Changelog 558 - a great (and more intelligent) follow up about licensure in the wake of Hashicorp’s rugpull.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #115: “Deployment Schmeployment”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Have you heard of our Lord and Savior, Titanium? (I’m not even going to link to the clowns in Cupertino.)
- Cisco buys Splunk. For Billions. With a B. Twenty-eight of them, in fa8ct. Twenty-eight billion dollars. That’s 28,000,000,000 United States greenback monies.
- The guys debate ignorance vs negligence.
- Frank is gaga for Strada.
- Chris argues that internalizing the idioms of new platforms is harder than learning the tech itself.
- The pick of the week is Kamal - it’s like Capistrano, but without the knobby knees and pimples.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #114: “Inmates Running the Asylum”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Can/should everyone learn from how GitLab handles their handbook]?
- Chris admires “project bootstrap” moments (GitLab hosting GitLab, GCC compiling GCC, etc.)
- IDEs… are they all they’re cracked up to be? Chris and Frank debate.
- Cursor looks pretty cool. It’s VS Code, but now with 100% more LLM!
- Could ChatGPT build an entire Facebook app? The guys debate.
- Who even knows what the hell the term “cyber” means, anyway…
- A very special Refactored shout-out to NIST SP 800-63B §5.1.1.2 courtesy of Chris' unending spite:
- “Verifiers SHOULD NOT require memorized secrets to be changed arbitrarily (e.g., periodically).”
- Frank posits that all of infosec just comes down to logs. Plain old logs.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #113: “Fork It”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Hashicorp rugpulls the MPL for BSL Pikachu shocked face
- Same script as Elastic Co.
- Stay away from AGPL
- WTFPL is pretty cool
- OpenTF is a new fork, predictably.
- The guys wrestle with the age-old topic… is software fundamentally difficult to monetize?
- Chris wants hot tubs full of naked people wearing 24K gold glitter. I mean it’s not awful but don’t kink shame.
- The pick of the week is an Open Source IaC tool called Pulumi. (see what we did there?)
- … and much more!
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Refactored #112: “She Goes to Another Office”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank points out that Amazon relies on “serendipity” for office return. Yeah… it’s that dumb. And then they doubled down!
- Chris slices his tin foil pretty thick, thinks Private Equity is the evil mustache behind the RTO push.
- The argument against remote work has collapsed. Why? Frank & Chris argue it’s because you can’t disprove a negative, but then lockdowns forced the issue.
- The guys banter about Factorio and Zelda. My god the Internet is an amazing place!
- … and much more!
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Refactored #111: “Curiosity Over Time”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys absolutely fawn over the GitLab Handbook. Have you seen this?
- Pull/Merge Requests (Perg Mullquests?) are discussed.
- Ryan used me as an object.
- “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
- … and much more!
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Refactored #110: “Hair Mods”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris is still addicted to Factorio, and Frank to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
- Are room temperature superconductors (LK-99) now a reality? No. No they’re not. But a girl can dream.
- What is your, or your Ken’s, job? Chris and Frank’s jobs are computer.
- The pick of the week is bar shampoo (yes, really) which is less wierd than it sounds at first.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #109: “The Fair Use Show”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank brings a new kind of return-to-office discussion: “bring in the nuance”
- different people think differntly gasp
- not everyone has the same preferences audible confusion
- inexperienced employees have unique needs. Well… ok… maybe that’s actually a good point.
- This just in: Chris is a tyrannical jerk.
- Teams sucks, Microsoft sucks, Javascript sucks, Yankees suck.
- The guys explore new hire ortientation programs — the good,the bad, and the off-the-top-of-their-head.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #108: “Generative AI”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Nerds are very excited about the recently announced detection of background gravitational waves, showing evidence for much lower frequency waves than are possible with LIGO. Frank doesn’t care because his car still doesn’t fly.
- Reddit does stupid things, claim users, moderators, and app developers. Drama results. Google winds up with egg-face.
- Chris has a bone to pick with PE/VC money and how it (further) perverts business incentives, and this is why we can’t have nice things.
- Check out The Federation, which is a great compilation of open source and decentralized technology platforms.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #107: “Industrial Dysfunction”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank is giving a con talk (Cyber Bikeshedding: The industry has lost the ball, how you can get it back) in Maryland on October 19th!
- The guys talk about interviews - as a candidate, what are “good” (for some definition of the term) questions to ask?
- compensation
- turnover
- culture
- how similar the company is to Entertainment 720
- … and much more!
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Refactored #103: “Scared? Lazy? Stupid?"
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris really is reporting live from the brink of sanity this week. Should we order a wellness call or just take away his vim?
- Frank makes some good points about BS-o-meter calibration.
- The guys complain about finding the delicate balance of under- vs over-reacting as a leader.
- Is your org chart upside down? The guys debate the usefulness of inverting the graphic.
- Layoffs.fyi is great. Also, it’s not the whole story. (some extra context)
- Is Apple actually a bank now? Not really - but Silicon Valley has been financialized possibly beyond the point of salvation, according to Chris.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #102: “Focus: Sponsored by Big Seltzer”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Correction: Copilot uses Codex, not GPT.
- Did you know Chris uses vim?
- Focus & simplicity go hand in hand. The guys break it down.
- It’s about understanding the assignment.
- Chris really contrives an analogy of team dynamics in OOP terms. It’s… a bit painful.
- Hey - Chris still uses vim.
- Frank explains his concept of “flailing” - failing fast, early, often, and loud: “flagrantly failing”
- Dude. Chris seems to really want you to hear that he uses vim. Did you know Chris uses vim?
- Frank drops a bomb about some ridiculous Splunk/Datadog spending. It’s mind boggling.
- Ok, we get it Chris. Shut tf up about vim already. Gosh.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #101: “Microservices Suck”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank argues that Microsoft is the best… because they’re consistenly poor. The logic kinda hurts Chris' brain, but also works, oddly. It’s a strange world we live in.
- The guys talk about microservices. Do you want to build them? Probably not. But! They are web scale (NSFW)… so… ya got that going for you.
- For a lot of businesses, the guys argue it’s an antipattern. Distracts from getting the jerb done.
- Microservices may just be worse than NoSQL. Maybe.
- The guys debate innovation - how much “new” you should bite off with each project.
- SIMPLICITY is a first class feature. Don’t forget it, schlub!
- The pick of the week is ChatGPT Plus, Chris' new junior developer. Now you too can become a prompt engineer!
- … and much more!
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Refactored #100: “Birthday Security”
On this episode of Refactored…
- The guys celebrate 100 episodes!
- Chris learned that saying something out loud over and over again really can trick your brain into doing it. Aren’t humans dumb?
- Frank gained confidence providing advice and feedback in different situations.
- The guys are both filthy with verbal tics.
- The guys marvel at the power of silence. You know how they say it’s golden? It really can make you money!
- Be a more attentive listener and active conversation partner - for fun and profit!
- The guys announce that Refactored is going viral! Well… at least going video. We will be hip young kids, dammit.
- Are you focused on the wrong details? Probably… but it happens. But you should stay frosty.
- The guys discuss the security of “security” cameras.
- Frank invokes The Queen’s Duck. Read the story if you’re unfamiliar (it’s #5 on the list).
- Wanna hate life, yourself, and everything by knowing how all your medical data is handled? Chris has the solution: FHIR.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #099: “Perfection is for the Dogs”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris teases episode 100 news - what could it be? Why would he upgrade to an M2 Max?
- Chris has a puppy now. He’s elated. /s
- “Excel is one of the most successful development platforms ever created” is almost inarguably a true statement.
- Frank makes a good point about defining Good Enough™.
- The guys talk about scope creep and requirements.
- Ask The Internet: “How much emphasis is placed on code quality?” from r/AskProgramming.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #098: “Are your Tweets good enough?"
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris starts off with a PSA: self-care is no joke.
- Perfect: Enemy of Good (AlwaysHasBeen.jpg)
- What really is Good Enough™ though? The guys explore.
- Chris starts talking about the Interstate Highway System for some reason? And then repeats an urban myth about some emergency airstrip bullspit which is summarily false.
- Frank predicts that Twitter will totes Gloria Gaynor (that means it will survive, for you younger jerks).
- … and much more!
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Refactored #097: “Nick Burns: Project Manager”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Frank wants you to TONE IT THE HELL DOWN when someone comes at you with a problem, jeeze.
- The guys agree: It’s not you vs me, it’s us vs the problem.
- The guys debate the “three” most important skills for a developer:
- Writing documentation
- Organizing projects
- Talking to humans
- Using git
- Chris reps for the C4 Model of software architecture visualization again. It really is superior. Trust me, bro.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #096: “Subjectively Returning to the Office”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Return to the Office: FIGHT!!
- What is the motivation, philosophy, economics, ergonomics, and effects?
- What should it look like? What is the spectrum of “reasonableness?”
- Is it all bulls***? (spoiler: probably yes, yes it is)
- Ask The Internet: “Do formal engineering practices have any application in the companies you’ve worked at?” from r/AskProgrammers.
- Chris argues that no one actually needs a Bachelor’s degree. Most of the time.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #095: “Just Call It Security”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris lubed up his Cherry MX Browns and likes the result. What are the primary benefits? In order:
- Bragging rights
- Feel
- Sound
- Frank asks, why can’t developers seem to say “no?”
- Are programmers and biz/dev prone to forming an abusive codependency?
- Technical communication — and this is a novel revelation you’ll only find on Refactored — is hard.
- Frank thinks “cars are great.” We’re vying hard for ad money from GM.
- Business is finally starting to ~~understand~~ at least invest in, infosec. Is there something to learn apropos to other “hidden complexities?”
- Ask the Internet: “What books should every programmer read?” from r/AskProgramming.
- Rob Fitzpatrick, Kent Beck, Leo Babauta, and Jim Collins all enter the chat at the same time, kinda awkwardly crowding the doorway as the guys recommend The Mom Test, Extreme Programming Explained, The Power of Less (which Chris erranly called “Less is More”), and Good to Great, respectively.
- The picks of the week are the G-Lube and Brush by Glorious, to give your mechanical keeb switches that smooth and silky thock.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #094: “Don’t Touch My Kindle”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris really doesn’t like when people touch displays. Jeff Atwood agrees.
- Chris — a mere decade and a half late to the trend — is a fan of the Amazon Kindle.
- Libraries… are actually pretty cool. Go check one out.
- Frank gives a LastPass update. Turns out… probably time to leave, as expected.
- Ask The Internet: “Need opinions from people with experience in the industry” from r/AskProgramming.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #093: “Passwords and Kidphones”
On this episode of Refactored…
- LastPass - Danger Will Robinson! Even WIRED agrees.
- Frank is most aggravated that they didn’t full roll creds after their first incident.
- Chris is most aggravated at the amount of unenctrypted data stored in the vault.
- Neither of the guys are using it anymore, to be clear.
- Chris wants to know if anyone is still using zxcvbn anymore, or something simliar.
- Frank bought his kid a phone — the Bark Phone.
- The guys agree, “socials” are no bueno.
- Frank calls it a “less-toxic use for AI”
- The pick of the week is Bitwarden.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #092: “What Problem Are You Trying To Solve?"
On this episode of Refactored…
- No end of year programming here, no sir. Maybe publication troubles… but not content production lazinss :)
- The guys close the conversation on Line Goes Up.
- What’s the point of an NFT? [Tom Haverford voice] “To have one, which he does.”
- Most ~~crypto~~ Grifto™ is nothing more than a ponzi.
- Regarding FTX & SBF - crypto didn’t fail, tradfi did. Fight us.
- Frank goes up out there and gets ‘imself a new jerb. Congrats, Frank!
- Reporting engines suck… but do you know what sucks more? Custom reporting engines.
- Frank makes it clear: define your use case and acceptance criteria completely independently of your tech & infra.
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #091: “AI at a Holiday Party”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris doesn’t know how cereal works, apparently.
- Chris also doesn’t know how TV works, apparently.
- Chris doesn’t even know how his own job works (apparently) so he’s been outsourcing everything to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
- Frank introduces the story of a French guy who politely declined hookers and blow at company parties. Gets fired. Sues. Wins. The guys discuss at some length.
- Are extracurriculars valuable?
- Do you have to go?
- should you go?
- It all depends.
- The pick of the week is ChatGPT. Because of course it is, this thing is wild!
- … and much more!
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Visit https://refactored.work/ for the full archive, show notes, and more. Hosted by Chris Tonkinson and Frank Koehl.
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Refactored #090: “Fractional Reserve Crypto”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Chris really has a bee in his bonnett about FTX, so-called “exchanges,” and crypto custody.
- Frank doesn’t think the term “desktop software” is going anywhere, but the guys avoid a longer discussion about convergence devices like the PinePhone and Librem.
- Chris narrates while Frank takes control of his crypto fortune. NOT YOUR KEYS, NOT YOUR CRYPTO
- Line Goes Up is a tremendous assault on the financial motivations behind and current state of the NFT ecosystem. But is its grim perspective on possible future universes fair?
- Feedback: Repeat offender Scott — unoffical IT support for Refactored — points out yet another broken TLS certificate.
- … and much more!
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Refactored #089: “I Quit”
On this episode of Refactored…
- Your homework: watch Office Space. Your other homework: never be anyone from Office Space.
- Frank asks, when resigning, should you talk to your boss first, or send the email? Discussion ensues.
- Point is — unless your boss is r/AmITheAsshole — you probably want to talk to them before making a decision.
- Do you need narrative control? Do you need to CYA? Probably not. But the guys have some tips if so.
- The pick of the week is (any one of): Positive Personality Profiles, Personality Plus, The Four Temperaments.
- … and much more!
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Wherein Frank is basically a cheap Star Fox knockoff and Chris burns his foot cooking bacon.
Wherein Chris and Frank design scheme after plot to bilk unwitting consumers for millions. Oh wait, that was Amazon.
Wherein Chris goes full-on elitst while Frank tortures some analogy about lassoing people.
Wherein Frank has some great negative energy that Chris (blue-blooded corn-fed 'Murican he is) doesn't want to quash.
Wherein Chris is addicted to gadgets and Frank cops to tax evasion.
Wherein Frank has an aneurysm while Chris takes the low road.
Wherein Frank is a shill for hotwired.dev but Chris is more highly decorated than a North Korean general.
Wherein Chris plays Pokémon and Frank plays Legos.
Wherein - and this is quite possibly a Refactored first - no one fights during the whole show.
Wherein Chris is the assistant (to the) floor sweeper and this is not financial advice.
Wherein Frank lobbies for DigitalOcean executives to be jailed, and that's all that was discussed.
Wherein Chris won't let Frank finish a thought and both guys care more about anonymous strangers than their current team.
Wherein Chris gets a stomach bug 2 years before Frank becomes a NASCAR champion. Coincidence?
Wherein Chris likes hunting wabbits but can't actually prove Frank isn't a boulderologist.
Wherein Chris enables Franks' soundboard habit shortly after the two discuss boulderology.
Wherein Frank retcons a bunch of BS while Chris admits he loves "adding value" as a manager.
Wherein the guys are flush with Maseratis, bruh... got that mad advertising paper y'all.
Wherein Chris barges into a holy war while Frank says nice things behind his wife's back.
Wherein Frank C's his A, and Chris slices himself to ribbons.
Wherein Frank loves hurting your feelings but Chris is a straight up killer.
Wherein Frank finally learns CSS and he's super proud of himself while Chris is riddled with cognitive biases.
Wherein Frank - out of options and backed into a corner - is forced to admit that maybe Chris had a good idea.
Wherein Chris still doesn't know the feedback email address, and Frank really hates C#.
Wherein Chris has a nose candy problem, and Frank is still looking for a qualified professional. Endorsed by Bill Nigh.
Wherein Chris has a thing for spandex, and Frank's mouth writes a check his Amazon order history can't cash.
Wherein Frank can't remember the word for liking words, but is super eager to fire everyone.
Wherein Frank drops some server hardware knowledge while Chris mutters and stutters like Elmer Fudd.
Wherein Chris discovers Terraform and is instantly an expert, and Frank can't figure out which way avalanches go.
Wherein Chris got the warm and fuzzies, and Frank can't stop thinking about cars.
Wherein the guys get a lot of mileage out of the new fight bell, and they don't ACTUALLY hate lawyers.
Wherein things were Not Invented Here, and Frank is Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
Wherein all "screen time" is not created equal, and Chris hates Webmin.
Wherein developers are not salesman (surprise!)
