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Issue 294: Class is back in session with Prof. Stack

You must have hit 88mph in your DeLorean, because this week we're taking you back. And by "back" we mean back to school. Whether you or someone in your life is learning to code, we've got everything you'll need for back to school ready for you on the blog. We aren't sending you back alone though. Our very own Stack Overflow developers are joining you, and they have plenty of tips and tricks to share for student developers. Plus, we asked Jeffrey van Gogh from the Kotlin Foundation to go back in time on the pod to tell us all about the evolution of the Kotlin language and how it goes beyond just Android. XX

Great Scott! Those aren't the only blasts from the past we have for you this issue. From the web, we have a look back on original home computers and ye olde robots from history. Claude Code is getting in on the nostalgia too—we have a story on resurrecting old QIC-80 tapes using AI. But don't get too trusting of AI, now. We've got a question from the gaming site on double-crossing quest givers. Learn from them and you might keep yourself from getting Ex Machina'd. Speaking of fighting AI overlords, we've also got a story from the web on how one tech writer is "poisoning the well" of his article data. XX

Alright, get into the DeLorean, it's time to go back to the future...or at least the present. Once you get those 1.21 gigawatts of lightning on yourself, be sure to check out our pod episode with Kylan Gibbs from Inworld on implementing AI for consumer goods like gaming. Plus, there's no time like the present to ponder the existence of free will, if cats would be our natural predators if we were five-inches tall, and if a working clock that is occasionally wrong is really the opposite of a broken clock, metaphorically speaking. We've got the answers for you, here and now, down in the links below.

From the blog

Kotlin is more than just the Android house language

Ryan welcomes Jeffrey van Gogh, Director of Engineering, Android Developer Experience, at Google and board member of the Kotlin Foundation. They discuss the evolution of the Kotlin language from JVM to multiplatform, how their governance board works with the community to stop breaking changes, and the intricacies of Kotlin’s multiplatform capabilities beyond just Android.

Stack Overflow is helping you learn to code with new resources

See what we’ve been doing to make Stack Overflow even more helpful for students this year.

Back to school? Developers at Stack Overflow have some advice for you

Whether it's battling imposter syndrome, getting over coding roadblocks, or trying to build a community at school, the Stack Overflow developers have been there and done that.

Building AI for consumer applications isn’t all fun and games

Kylan Gibbs, CEO of Inworld, joins the show to discuss the technical challenges of creating interactive AI for virtual worlds and games, the significance of user experience, and the importance of accessibility and cost-efficiency in deploying AI models.

Interesting questions

What was the first game where your guide/quest giver turned out to be a key antagonist/villain?

We must learn from Solid Snake's mistakes.

What natural predators would prove the most dangerous for a village of tiny 5 inch people?

The most terrifying sound for a five-inch tall person: pspspspsps.

If we have no free will, wherein lies the illusion?

You were always meant to click this link and find out.

What's the opposite saying to "A broken clock is right twice a day"?

Gen Z looking at the spiderweb cracks on their iPhones and wondering why it sometimes gets it right.

Links from around the web

Using Claude Code to modernize a 25-year-old kernel driver

Perhaps it will revive one of its ancestors, Ask Jeeves, next.

Computers are for girls

Diamonds are forever, Trix are for kids, and computers have always been for everyone.

The old robots web site

Christmases have belonged to robots for around 80 years.

Poisoning well

Respect the robots.txt file or eat garbage, AI.

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