Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots
A podcast about the design, development, and business of great software. Each week thoughtbot is joined by the people who build and nurture the products we love.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 38 minutes
- Episodes
- 602
- Years Active
- 2012 - 2025
162: Literal Giant Robots (Brinkley Warren)
Ben is joined by Brinkley Warren of MegaBots Inc. to discuss the history, build, and strategy behind the MegaBot Mk II, USA's entrant in next years giant robot duel!
160: Unfollowing the Leader (Drew Neil)
Ben and Drew Neil discuss freeing up Vim's leader key, the value of visual learning, and using GitHub to crowd source closed captions.
This episode of Giant Robots is sponsored by:
159: Falling Out of Love With Haskell (Mike Burns)
Ben and fellow thoughtbotter Mike Burns take time out of their Summer Summit schedule to chat about launching offices, the art of classical code, and why Mike no longer loves Haskell.
This episode o…
158: Producing...Stuff (Thom Obarski)
Ben is joined by trepidatious producer, Thom Obarski, to talk all things media at thoughtbot, compare working in tech to entertainment environments, and bestow some beginner advice on starting one's …
157: Between Frustration and Enlightenment (Tom Stuart)
Ben is joined by Tom Stuart to talk about incorporating computer science topics into Ruby, his process of preparing talks, enriching your development career with a bit of computer science knowledge, …
156: It Has to be Valuable (Steve Tooke)
Ben is joined by Steve Tooke to discuss the importance of communication, testing, and building Cucumber 2.
This episode of Giant Robots is sponsored by:
- Digital Ocean: Simple and fast cloud hostin…
155: CTO Duties (Joe Ferris)
Ben welcomes Joe Ferris, thoughtbot's CTO, to discuss design parity within the company, inversion of control, and solving all the world's problems with monads.
This episode of Giant Robots is sponso…
154: Do it Right the First Time (Samir Talwar)
Ben and Samir Talwar of Codurance discuss the appeal of functional programming, mob programming, and a different take on conferences.
This episode of Giant Robots is sponsored by:
- Digital Ocean: S…
153: Auld Lang Syne (Chad Pytel)
As Giant Robots nears its 3 year anniversary, Ben welcomes back Chad Pytel to reflect on the highs and lows of the previous year at thoughtbot.
This episode of Giant Robots is sponsored by:
152: Providing Positive Change (Denise Yu & Rosa Fox)
Ben welcomes Denise Yu and Rosa Fox of Codebar to discuss the importance of fostering community, mentoring tips, and more.
151: Open By Default (Aidan Feldman)
Ben discusses consulting and open source from within the government, as well as choosing the right clients, and the value of mentorship, with Aidan Feldman of 18F.
150: Don't Screw it Up (Derek Prior)
Ben talks with fellow thoughtbotter Derek Prior on conference speaking, code review, and podcasting.
- Implementing a Strong Code-Review Culture- Derek's RailsConf 2015 Talk
- How to Talk to Developers …
149: Try to Stand Out (Chris Toomey)
Ben talks with fellow thoughtbotter Chris Toomey on networking, mentorship, React.js, and sustainable pace.
148: We All Want to be Heard (Rebecca Miller-Webster)
Ben talks with Rebecca Miller-Webster, Managing Director of thoughtbot Chicago, on beginners contributing to open-source, organizing conferences, and cultivating a more inclusive culture.
This episo…
147: Cry Through it, and Keep Typing (Saron Yitbarek)
Ben welcomes on Saron Yitbarek to talk about creating communities that foster learning and niceness; as well as getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, and how confronting that discomfort can u…
146: Ready For the Real World (Shelby Kelly)
Ben and Shelby Kelly discuss teaching at a coding bootcamp and the future of junior-developer programs. Stick around till the end to catch a sample of her Rocky Mountain Ruby rap!
This episode of Gi…
145: YOLO! _push to master_ (Sam Phippen)
Ben talks to Sam Phippen on working on the RSpec core team, new features in 3.3, tips for contributing to open-source, and his favorite parts of Rails.
This episode of Giant Robots is sponsored by:
…
144: Finding a New Way (Pam Selle)
Ben talks to Pam Selle on the importance of self-impossed structure, voice coding, and living with RSI.
143: Keep an Open Mind (Carin Meier)
Ben talks with Carin Meier on the writer's process, how programming relates to the arts, and the importance of a graduated and immersive approach to learning.