Is This the End of Tech Conferences? w/ Dax Raad

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Dax Raad about his evolving career from software engineer to open-source advocate and content creator. They dive into his work on SST, explore the bizarre economics of tech conferences, and get into Dax’s next big move—manufacturing drone parts in the U.S. for the military.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:57) - Whiskey intro and rating: Glenmorangie "A Tale of Tokyo" Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• (12:12) - Rails vs Laravel
• (13:49) - New York vs Miami
• (15:54) - Meat vs Veggies
• (19:55) - What is Dax bad at?
• (24:05) - The real value of conferences
• (35:14) - APIs and frameworks
• (38:06) - React Miami
• (41:59) - Eero routers
• (44:27) - What would you do if software development went away?
• (46:41) - Using ChatGPT to create an NPM library
• (48:00) - Claude vs ChatGPT
• (50:56) - What should people be learning for job safety?
• (53:41) - Plugs

Links

• Glenmorangie "A Tale of Tokyo" Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky: https://www.glenmorangie.com/en-us/products/a-tale-of-tokyo
• Tomorrow.fm: https://tomorrow.fm
• Adam Argyle: https://x.com/argyleink/
• SST: https://sst.dev/
• Norlan: https://norlanglass.com/
• Ken Wheeler: https://x.com/ken_wheeler/
• Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/
• Laravel: https://laravel.com/
• Don't Die: https://dontdie.bryanjohnson.com/
• Oura: https://ouraring.com/
• Kent C. Dodds: https://kentcdodds.com/
• React Miami: https://www.reactmiami.com/
• EmberConf: https://www.emberconf.com/
• Orbit.js: https://orbitjs.com/
• Primeagen: https://x.com/ThePrimeagen
• Eero: https://www.eero.com/
• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/
• Claude: https://claude.ai/

Connect with Dax

• Website: https://thdxr.com/
• X / Twitter: https://x.com/thdxr
• Podcast: https://tomorrow.fm/
• Coffee: https://www.terminal.shop/

Connect with Chuck and Robbie

• Robbie Wagner: https://x.com/RobbieTheWagner
• Chuck Carpenter: https://x.com/CharlesWthe3rd

Subscribe and stay in touch

• Website: https://whiskey.fm
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whiskey-web-and-whatnot/id1552776603
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19jiuHAqzeKnkleQUpZxDf
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1552776603
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskeyWebAndWhatnot

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Veteran web developers RobbieTheWagner, Charles William Carpenter III, and Adam Argyle host this informal, whiskey-fueled fireside chat with your favorite web devs. They discuss all things web development including JavaScript, TypeScript, EmberJS, React, Astro, SolidJS, CSS, HTML, Web3, and more. They take a unique approach and focus on getting to know the human side of developers and their hobbies outside of work, all while sampling a new whiskey that they rate on their unique tentacle scale.