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Issue 288: Cowboys and heroes of developments

Which will you be? The good news is we've got ways for you to be both. We don't mind being like Smokey Bear this week by saying, "Only you can stop climate change...through more efficient code." Ryan Panchadsaram, co-author of Speed and Scale, is on the pod to share ways developers can help save the world by lowering emissions. If you're feeling more like a cowboy, though, Confluent's AI Entrepreneur in Residence Sean Falconer dove into the wild west of AI standards with us. Or if you're looking to be a hero on your platform team, we've also got a story on continuous discovery, the superpower of platform engineering.

But if you're not feeling like hopping on a horse or saving the universe, we still have plenty for you to dive into, from big numbers to type systems to touch screens. We've got stories on why Legos are better for kids than iPads, and why humans are better for writing than LLMs. Plus, you can read about how thinking too big was a big waste of time for one developer.

And as always, we're sharing answers to the questions you didn't even think to ask. Like, is my favorite pizza place running an illegal business by giving me 50% off for a review? What is the name of that beautiful chunk of carbs from the World Book Encyclopedia? How is the word skulduggery even real? Check them all out in the links below.

From the blog

Saving the world with speed and at scale

Ryan Panchadsaram, co-author of Speed and Scale, sits down on the podcast to explore the role of developers in combating climate change, how efficient coding practices help lower emissions, and how developers can contribute to open-source projects through GitHub’s Climate Action Plan that help drive forward sustainable technologies.

Building better platforms with continuous discovery

When discovery is missing, platform work starts to drift from its real purpose, which is empowering engineers to deploy working software faster and with confidence.

“AI has been the wild west”: Creating standards for agents with Sean Falconer

Ryan is joined on the podcast by Confluent’s AI Entrepreneur in Residence, Sean Falconer, to discuss the growing need for standards for AI agents, the emerging Model Context Protocol and agent-to-agent communication, and what we can learn from early web standards while AI continues to evolve.

Community Products roadmap update, July 2025

An update on recent launches and the upcoming roadmap.

Interesting questions

Is it legal for businesses to give financial incentives for leaving positive reviews on review sites (e.g., Google Maps, Yelp, Facebook, Amazon)?

The answer to this question will make you rethink that free beer you got at trivia night.

Etymology of the word skulduggery?

Finding the origin to the word Skulduggery in the most Pleasant way.

As the only backend developer, how should I handle repeated challenges from my manager about core technical decisions?

Nothing worse than a manager who has no idea what you're doing, even when you're right.

What are these pastries pictured in the "Austria" article in the World Book Encyclopedia?

A scrumptious plethora of stone fruit from Austria is all you need.

Links from around the web

That time I wasted weeks hand optimizing assembly because I benchmarked on random data

"As it turns out, mathematically speaking, most numbers are huge."

When swiping supplants scissors: the hidden cost of touchscreens — and how designers can help

It's official, running with scissors is better for your kids than their iPad.

Writing is thinking

It's what sets us apart from the animals, so let's not let the bots take it over.

Use your type system

'int' is not as much of your friend as you think it is.

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