Today we bring Sam Aaron, the creator of Sonic Pi, a free code-based music creation and performance tool that lets you use simple code to turn your computer into a fully networked live coding music studio! It is also used to engage students in computer science and programming through music creation!

In this episode, we explore the origins of Sonic Pi, its deep connection with Raspberry Pi, and how it enables live coding for music creation, starting from it's Ruby-based language features, we discuss how Sonic Pi has evolved, the challenges of maintaining it as a sustainable open-source project and if you’re curious about coding, music, or both—this one’s for you!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Sonic Pi - https://sonic-pi.net/

Sam's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/samaaron

Sam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samaaron/

Sam's X/Twitter: https://x.com/samaaron

DJ Dave: https://www.youtube.com/@dj_dave____

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:11 - Sonic Pi Origin Story

03:03 - Connection To Raspberry Pi

04:23 - But What Is Sonic Pi?

06:25 - Is Ruby The Primary Language Used In Sonic Pi?

10:25 - A Small Sonic Pi Showcase

17:53 - Collaboration through Git

23:12 - How Did Sam Get Involved In All Of This?

25:14 - The Feedback Loop of Sonic Pi

26:56 - How Does The Live Coding Experience Work In Sonic Pi?

32:01 - The Two Different Working Modes Of Sonic Pi

33:42 - How Does Debugging Work In Sonic Pi

38:55 - How Do The Different Components Fit Into The Architecture Of The Project

51:33 - Has Sam Been Full-Time On Sonic Pi Since Its Inception?

53:25 - Does Sam Want To Try Something Different?

56:25 - How Is Sam Finding More Sustainable Revenue?

Today, we bring a very special guest, one whose face you might recognise, one that appears on your homepages with a sporadic video and seemingly disappears. His name is Benjamin Burke, or simply Ben, he’s the co-creator of KRAZAM, a channel that consists of sketches that combine grotesque and absurdist humor with technological anxiety, satirizing the tech industry and the modern alienation of the corporate life in general.

In this episode, which admittedly is a bit different from the usual, we’ll focus on KRAZAM and its origins, creative process, and what future plans and ambitions the duo has. Both Ben and Shiva started in software engineering, met in college and started doing sketches just for fun, not expecting this project to explode in popularity in the way it did. Ben will also share their unique approach to content and why KRAZAM prioritizes loyal viewers over virality, comedic inspirations. Stay tuned!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

KRAZAM'S Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KRAZAM/videos

KRAZAM's X/Twitter: https://x.com/krazamtv

KRAZAM'S Website: https://www.krazam.tv/

Krazam's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KRAZAM

Ben's X/Twitter: https://x.com/bb_fresh

Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnjmnbrk/

Shiva's X/Twitter: https://x.com/shivakilaru

Shiva's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivakilaru/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:58 - KRAZAM Origin Story

03:59 - How Much More Footage Is Left After the Recordings?

05:12 - Are Both Ben and Shiva Programmers?

06:46 - Inspiration Behind "The Hustle"

08:47 - Has Ben Read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations"?

09:25 - The Actual Introduction to KRAZAM

10:49 - Microservices

14:04 - Sending Birthday Messages Is HARD

19:06 - On Shiva Not Being in the Microservices Video

20:48 - Favorite KRAZAM Videos

22:22 - Most Underrated KRAZAM Video

32:00 - KRAZAM's Viewers Are Very Loyal

36:03 - Ambitions for the KRAZAM Channel

39:04 - How Did You Know KRAZAM Had Product-Market Fit?

40:59 - Ben's Comedic Inspirations

43:08 - KRAZAM Does Not Aim for Virality

46:47 - Was It Stressful to Do a Live Talk?

49:40 - KRAZAM's Video Release Frequency

51:46 - Competitive Excel

55:34 - Site Reliability Engineer Video

57:50 - AI Bots on Spotify

01:00:27 - Self-Hosting and The Good Old Days

01:02:31 - What's the Churn in the Industry?

01:05:21 - Where to Find Ben and KRAZAM

Lane chats with Chris Ferdinandi—creator of Go Make Things and ADHD for the Win—a frontend dev, educator, and all-around expert in making JavaScript (and learning) simpler. Chris has built a career helping devs cut through the noise, level up their skills, and embrace ADHD-friendly ways to stay focused and productive.

We dive into his journey from discovering his own ADHD to reshaping how people learn to code. We talk about why so many devs have ADHD, how gamification can actually help (when done right), and how today’s tech is messing with our attention spans. Plus, we get into the psychology of learning and what actually works when it comes to staying engaged and motivated.

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

ADHD ftw! : https://adhdftw.com/backend-banter/

Go Make Things: https://gomakethings.com/

https://bsky.app/profile/cferdinandi.bsky.social

https://mastodon.social/@cferdinandi

00:00 - Intro

01:58 - Why so many devs have ADHD

03:21 - Quick explanation of ADHD

07:10 - Is ADHD actually more common now?

17:41 - ADHD, dopamine, and why we can’t put our phones down

20:50 - Trying meds for ADHD – what’s it like?

22:34 - How ADHDftw got started

24:21 - Why finishing big projects is so damn hard

25:54 - Best content styles for ADHD brains

28:40 - Gamification: What works and what’s just hype?

34:16 - Which gamer type fits ADHD folks best?

39:27 - Is TikTok basically junk food for your brain?

41:45 - Must-read books on focus and getting stuff done

43:43 - Where to find Chris and his content

46:26 - Is ADHD a gift or a curse?

59:30 - Brutally honest feedback for Boot.dev

01:18:58 - Outro

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