Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat

The Primeagen is known for embracing controversy. He returns to the podcast for a conversation on a range of topics like masculinity, social media, and pornography. He also opens up about his father’s passing and his journey growing up with a single mother.

Michael Paulson aka The Primeagen, Software Engineer at Netflix, is an influential figure in the tech community. He shares his thoughts on React's evolution and the impa...

In this special International Whiskey Day episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner, and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by special guest Rich Harris. 

They share a toast with Lagavulin Offerman Edition whiskey and dive into a discussion covering a range of topics from Rich's journey in software development, his work on the Svelte framework, to his thoughts on cheese, fermented foods, and brewi...

This week, Robbie and special guest co-host Adam Argyle talk about life after layoffs, the myth of job security at big tech companies, and what it really means to build meaningful things on the web.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:23) - Whiskey: Chicken Cock Rye
• (02:45) - From FAANG to fired: the illusion of stability in Big Tech
• (14:49) - How HTML and CSS are replacing JavaScript, one feature at a time
• (23:13) - Robbie...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kendall Miller and Rishi Malik about their startup Friday Deployment Spirits, and creating whiskey for developers. They discuss the art of making good whiskey, bourbon vs rye, coding in the age of AI, and much more.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (00:53) - Meet Rishi and Kendall
• (03:01) - Whiskey rating and review: Friday Deployment Generative A Rye
• (21:27) - Hot take: Is HTML a progr...

This week, Robbie talks with Typecraft about the chaotic joys of fatherhood, the realities of raising twins, and various dad-related hot takes. They also discuss their tech carries and conference talks, including Typecraft's Vim nerdery and Robbie’s sarcastic ode to underappreciated HTML features.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:05) - Beer selections
• (03:11) - Newborns and parenting
• (07:34) - Robbie's transition to Has...

This week, Robbie and Chuck review Barrell Craft Spirits' Cranky Kong, and talk about the AI boom, how senior devs are (or aren’t) using it, and what the future of software jobs might look like. They also discuss the rise of "celebrity developers", job market shifts, real estate economics, and parenting twins.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:20) - Whiskey rating & review: Barrell Craft Spirits Private Release "Cr...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about the unintended chaos of “move fast and break things” in both software and startups. From Riverside glitches to Tesla’s overengineered wipers, they explore how updates can derail otherwise stable experiences. They unpack the economics of getting laid off, the pressure to build a personal brand in tech, and the strange fate of dev tools. Plus, Robbie shares his latest app ideas.

In this ...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Marc Backes about Vue vs. React, work-life balance, and the realities of messy codebases. They also sip an Evan Williams Single Barrel, debate inbox zero, and discuss Marc’s adventures in coffee roasting and pilot training.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:45) - Whiskey review and rating: Evan Williams Single Barrel
• (09:03) - Hot Take: Inferred types vs explicit types
• (10:04) - Hot ...

This week, live from React Miami, Chuck, and special guest co-host Aaron Francis, talk with Bree Hall about React styling strategies, Tailwind CSS, and whether you should learn fundamentals before frameworks (spoiler: it depends). They explore the evolution of Next.js, the importance of developer momentum, and how to break into tech in today’s landscape.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:11) - Rum rating and review: Ro...

This week, Chuck and special guest co-host Aaron Francis talk with Guillermo Rauch live from React Miami. From early days at Zeit to founding Vercel and launching Next.js, Guillermo shares stories of scaling infrastructure, creating developer-centric products, and navigating startup challenges. They dive into how AI is transforming the web, why thoughtful product expansion matters, and the frameworks guiding Vercel’s futur...

This week, Chuck and special guest co-host Aaron Francis talk with Henri Helvetica live from React Miami. They explore the evolving challenges of web performance, why genuine research skills still matter in an AI-driven world, and how developers can stay curious and resilient in a fast-moving industry. Henri shares insights from his React Miami talk, his passion for performance advocacy, and why literacy—both digital and p...

This week, Chuck talks with Adam Rackis live from React Miami. Along with special guest-host Aaron Francis, they dig into React Server Components, the quirks of modern JavaScript frameworks, and why TanStack might be the future. Sipping an Appleton Estate Rum, they swap hot takes, get candid about developer trends, tech philosophies, and share some unexpected guilty pleasures.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:37) - Ru...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with David Cramer about MCP—microservices for language models—and why it might be the future of AI tooling. They dig into the state of AI agents, developer efficiency, and why Codegen isn’t killing jobs anytime soon.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:47) - Whiskey review and rating
• (17:12) - Hot Take: Syntax.fm vs Whiskey Web and Whatnot?
• (18:06) - Hot Take: Rails vs Laravel
• (20:27) - Hot ...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about American whiskey, buttered PB&Js, and the quirks of AI coding assistants. They swap TV recommendations, debate developer priorities like security and rewrites, and more.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:43) - Whiskey review and rating: Union Horse Distilling Co Rolling Standard Four Grain Whiskey
• (13:59) - Hot Take: butter on a PB&J?
• (18:12) - Do we care about security in o...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Ben Holmes—Astro core team alum and now at Warp—about the rapid evolution of developer tools, the promise and quirks of AI-powered coding, and why he’s betting big on terminal UX.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:09) - Warp and dev tools
• (04:20) - Whiskey intro and rating: Heaven Hill Grain To Glass Kentucky Straight Rye
• (15:47) - Hot Take: inferred types vs explicit types
• (17:11) - ...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Clint Spotleson of Sagamore Spirit about the craft behind their unique Manhattan Finish Rye, the history of Maryland-style whiskey, and why great whiskey is meant to be shared. Clint shares stories from his journey through the spirits industry, his passion for whiskey, and what makes Sagamore stand out in a crowded market.

In this episode:

• (00:00) – Intro
• (02:07) – Whiskey intro and r...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about career moves and tech transitions. They discuss Robbie’s new role at HashiCorp and Chuck’s dive into cybersecurity. They also debate legacy tech quirks, open-source updates, and the ever-evolving world of AI.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:21) - Whiskey rating and review: Cyrus Noble Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
• (10:26) - Robbie's job transition
• (12:29) - Tech nostalgia: old O...

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Aaron Francis about developer education, Laravel vs. Rails, and the evolution of full-stack development. They explore the trade-offs of opinionated frameworks, the practicality of PHP, and why simplicity often wins. Plus, Aaron shares his hot takes on modern web dev trends, and the joys of working from a home-office-that’s-not-home.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:19) - Meet Aa...

This week, Robbie and Chuck cover a wide range of topics, including AI and its impact on web development. They discuss DeepSeek, Tailwind’s latest updates, and whether Stack Overflow is still relevant. Plus, a detour into skiing, college sports, and Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:12) - Whiskey intro and rating: Wigle Pennsylvania Rye
• (11:41) - Data sharing and AI
• (14:34) - AI tools an...