The [REFACTORED] Podcast

Refactored 054: "puts Debugging in Prod"

Wherein Frank is a shill for hotwired.dev but Chris is more highly decorated than a North Korean general.

Show Notes

• Chris describes a (totally hypothetical - asking for a friend) failure mode of using EFCore and JsonApiDotNetCore.
• You ever had user complaints of “general slowness?” The guys commiserate, then discuss different paradigms for trying to identify issues in production.
• The guys debate the pitfalls of contracts. Do you want to crash a Mars Rover? Because that’s how you crash a Mars Rover.
• Frank… my gosh for the eleventh time this month?… lays bare his passionate adoration for Hotwired.dev. Do you remember having to manually manipulate XMLHttpRequest objects? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
• There are 2 Hard Problems(tm) in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.
• Chris equates Jeeps and Node.js - great tools for the specific problem they solve well. Bad experience everywhere else, all the time.
• Jets suck, Yankees suck, Nicks suck.
• Krypton sucks.
• … and much more!

database javascript-sucks metrics microsoft-sucks performance tooling

Refactored 053: "Work Harder, Not Smarter"

Wherein Frank's brother gets rich while Chris turns into an old man.

Show Notes

• Case Study: NYC-based firm burns lease agreement in 2020, then doubles their renevue in 2022. “BuT rEmOtE dOeSn’T wOrK!!!1”
• Chris cautions companies to think through a remote transition carefully (spoiler: that doesn’t mean don’t do it). The guys agree that remote work represents a fundamentally different paradigm of interaction compared to a central office.
• The guys talk about the tech talent shortage dragging on for years.
• Frank can’t stand it when leaders reject new ideas. Chris argues it basically boils down to poor communication skills and/or ego.
• The guys discuss how to sell your finance / accounting team on doing new things that “cost” money.
• … and much more!

communication culture job-market prediction remote-work

Refactored 052: "How to Rage Quit (the Right Way)"

Wherein Chris plays Pokémon and Frank plays Legos.

Show Notes

• The guys both unplugged, and you should too. They played Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and Legos. They discuss the Lego Star Destroyer, Titanic, and Red Barn Woodshop — hope you’ve got deep pockets!
• W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne enter the chat as Frank mentions Blue Ocean Strategy.
• Frank hypothesizes on why the PS5 is still Unobtainium… Chris doesn’t think he’ll get one before he dies.
• Chris clears up a common confusion regarding semiconductors and breast implants.
• DoorDash in the spotlight - is their WeDash program unreasonable? No. Spoiler: Still no. Quite the opposite. Some whiner gets appropriately lambasted by… everyone.
• Chris drops two PSAs: First, nothing on the Internet that says “anonymous” is. Second, if you’re annoyed, do something, get over it, or leave.
• Should you storm out? Your boss hates this advice on how to rage quit! Number five will shock you! <other Buzzfeed-y titles here>.
• … and much more!

book-recommendation career etiquette games hr self-care work-life-balance