Off Script

Supported by...

#44: Future of software engineering leadership - Part 2

Part 2 has landed! For this outting of Off Script, Josh and James explore the ‘Future of engineering leadership’. This is an episode born from Q&A discussions and ideas at the recent Off Script Live event in Leeds. Dive into the modern challenges and the future direction of leadership in software engineering.

Listen to episode #44

#43: Future of software engineering leadership - Part 1

Dive into the modern challenges and the future direction of leadership in software engineering in this episode of Off Script!

Listen to episode #43

#42: Imperfect innovation

The historically popular development process of “move fast and break things” has got the biggest companies in the world far. In the age of AI, can we still take these risks in the name of progress or are the potential repercussions too great? Josh and James are joined by guest Jack Sails to discuss.

Listen to episode #42

#41: WWDC 2024 round-up

Jack Sails (IMA) is back with James & Josh to discuss the recent WWDC24 Apple Developer conference. Was AI the word of the conference? Find out as they work through everything revealed this year and how it will affect their products going forward.

Listen to episode #41

#40: Shifting security left

Inspired by reading ‘Investments Unlimited’ and other books built around the principles of storytelling, James and Josh dive into DevSecOps and the bigger picture of shifting security left in this new episode of Off Script!

Listen to episode #40

#39: The beauty of side projects

What do fish donuts, a passion for cooking and elaborate recipes have to do with productivity? Are you getting enough of a creative outlet around your busy schedule? Josh and James discuss the importance of side projects and how the variety they add to your week benefits your work-life balance and output!

Listen to episode #39

#38: AI risks

What are AI risks? What do we need to consider when looking at our projects? Josh and James are are back for another episode of Off Script to dig deeper into this important topic!

Listen to episode #38

#37: 2023 developer round-up

t’s time for our annual review of the year! In this episode, James and Josh discuss the many twists and turns that the last 12 months brought in this 2023 developer round-up. Thank you for listening this year. We’ll be back with more episodes in the New Year!

Listen to episode #37

#36: Tech leadership misconceptions

Are all leaders extroverts? Does agile development mean there is no plan or documentation? Do leaders have to be the best developer? Following on from a recent in-person talk, James and Josh discuss more common tech misconceptions in the area of leadership.

Listen to episode #36

#35: Understanding emotional states

Any team will have a variety of emotional states when responding to problems. How do you analyse, understand and make meaningful decisions based on these differences? In this episode, James and Josh discuss different methods of understanding a team’s characteristics and how taking these into account can lead you to getting the best out of everyone.

Listen to episode #35

#34: Building communities

What are the steps to building a thriving community? What challenges might you face along the way? In this episode, James and Josh draw on their experience of creating and building communities online and offline, sharing their insights on how to make it a success.

Listen to episode #34

#33: AI ethics

AI ethics - a hot, divisive topic and rightly so. James and Josh are back with a brand new episode of Off Script to dig in and explore a space that is impacting our lives more and more.

Listen to episode #33

#32: Static site generators

James and Josh explore the world of SSGs (static site generators)! The differences between SSGs and full stack frameworks, the associated technologies out there and what to consider with your project when deciding what is best for it.

Listen to episode #32

#31: Blockchain

What is the blockchain? How has it changed over time? Is it still killing the planet? James and Josh discuss various types of blockchain systems and how they might have some real world applications for social good.

Listen to episode #31

#30: WWDC 2023 round-up

James & Josh discuss the recent WWDC 2023 conference and break down some of the announcements. Dive in to the episode to hear all their thoughts on the latest developments coming out of Apple HQ and the impact it may have on us.

Listen to episode #30

#29: The future of large language models

Returning podcast guest Jack Sails joins James and Josh to discuss developments in large language models! Over this episode they discuss how LLMs are being used, Open AI and its current offerings, tips on how to use them and any concerns they may have around this new technology.

Listen to episode #29

#28: Tech misconceptions

There are a lot of misconceptions in the tech world. In this episode James and Josh shine some light and dispel some common myths!

Listen to episode #28

#27: Engineering culture

Off Script is back! This episode, James and Josh discuss engineering culture and some of the best practices and processes they’ve implemented for reliable development cycles. What’s the release process? How do you monitor the application and ensure robust code quality? How do Infrastructure and security considerations affect the development? All covered in this episode!

Listen to episode #27

#26: 2022 developer round-up

The state of the world, green engineering, James' wedding, Elon's meltdowns. To round off the year, James and Josh look back at the many ups and downs from the world of tech and beyond.

Listen to episode #26

#25: AWS re:Invent 2022 round-up

James is back from his Vegas trip for AWS re:Invent! In this episode, they discuss James’ impression of the city, the hot topics of the talks and James’ exploration of the variety of American fast food joints.

Listen to episode #25

#24: The evolution of GPT and ChatGPT

Following on from the previous conversation about GPT-3, James & Josh discuss the explosion of ChatGPT's popularity. In this episode they explore how it's different from previous iterations, the way its features are impressing the tech community and also where its limitations may lie.

Listen to episode #24

#23: GPT-3 and the future of AI

What is GPT-3 and how does the future look? How will AI affect work? What ethical dilemmas must we consider? James & Josh talk about all things GPT-3 and the recent surge in the use of AI from business applications to experimental art.

Listen to episode #23

#22: ffconf 2022 round-up

In this episode, Josh and James explore Josh’s recent trip to ffconf 2022 in Brighton. They discuss the talks, all the highlights and takeaways raised during the conference.

Listen to episode #22

#21: Modern API design

What is and isn’t an API? How has the technology changed over time? What are new considerations that have arisen? Hosts James & Josh discuss a variety of API’s and the benefits and faults that help refine the APIs of today.

Listen to episode #21

#20: Beyond Tellerrand Berlin 2022 round up

This episode of Off Script, Josh and James explore Josh’s recent trip to Berlin to the single-track conference, Beyond Tellerrand 2022.

Listen to episode #20

#19: Why you should use React Native

What are the benefits of using React Native? Where did it come from and how might it be a useful choice for your app solution? Hosts James & Josh discuss their use of React Native and how it's helped streamline app development.

Listen to episode #19

#18: Internet of Things

How has the Internet of Things changed how we build internet connected devices, and does this approach sometimes overly complicated things? Hosts James & Josh discuss the world of IoT, its real world applications and some of the pitfalls projects fall into.

Listen to episode #18

#17: All Day Hey! 2022 round-up

Off Script is back with a special episode as hosts Josh and James reflect on another successful All Day Hey! conference in Leeds and via live stream. Running through the talks and the dynamics of the day, listen in for a breakdown of how it all went and their thoughts on the talks of the day.

Listen to episode #17

#16: SXSW recap

On this episode of Off Script, James runs us through his recent trip to South By South West (SXSW) and analyses what it all means with Josh.

Listen to episode #16

#15: Over-engineering

What can we learn from the success and simplicity of Wordle? How can we be more aware of when we’re likely to over-engineer a solution?

Listen to episode #15

#14: What is the metaverse?

What is the metaverse and what has it got to do with Facebook? How do NFTs fit into it? Is it all 3D and gaming or is there more to it with business applications? Hosts James & Josh speak with our guest, Jack Sails and discuss where to begin with it and how to make sense of it all.

Listen to episode #14

#13: 2021 developer round-up

2021 has been an eventful year! From January's coming together to launch the AVIF image format, April's Basecamp employee speech controversy and the web hitting 30 years old plus much more. Hosts James & Josh take us on a journey through the highs and lows of the year.

Listen to episode #13

#12: Productivity & mental health

How do you avoid burnout and keep productivity high? What methods can you use to help produce an efficient flow state? How have companies addressed these issues around hybrid working? Productivity and mental health go hand in hand but how do you manage it? Hosts James & Josh explore these issues around creating a positive motivated team.

Listen to episode #12

#11: Leadership

What leadership style do you have? How do you foster a productive culture? When do you give people autonomy and when do you put your foot down? The decisions around how to lead a team can affect how successful a project delivery is.

Listen to episode #11

#10: Software estimation

How long will a project take to complete? How can you get this as close to reality as possible? Software estimation is an essential part of the development process and one that many people don’t know how to approach correctly. Is your team equipped with the right tools? Is there a shared understanding of the process within your team? Hosts James and Josh explore these questions and look at practical solutions to get it right.

Listen to episode #10

#09: Application performance

What would your first steps be when working on application performance? What tools can you use to help you through this process? What are the challenges when you overly optimise your application? Our hosts James and Josh dive into these questions and outline their thoughts on this and much more.

Listen to episode #09

#08: Web application security

Off Script hosts Josh and James discuss all things web application security. It’s something that is getting more and more important to get right. More cyber attacks. More ransomware attacks. They address good application hygiene and the common pitfalls they are seeing people fall for.

Listen to episode #08

#07: Career progression

We’re happy to welcome James Hall to Off Script as a new co-host alongside Josh Nesbitt in our new podcast format! The topic today is ‘Career progression’.

Listen to episode #07

#06: Why the cyber security industry needs to hire more anthropologists

Why does the cyber security industry need to hire more anthropologists? Because the criminals already are.

Listen to episode #06

#05: Empathy at work

Transformational culture starts with empathy. But how do you make that happen? How do you create a culture that everyone feels heard in? Respected? Where each individual knows them and their ideas are valuable to not only their coworkers, but the company at large? We discuss these topics and more with Sharon Steed.

Listen to episode #05

#04: It's never too late to get into technology

What's it like to get into tech from scratch? Can you do it at any stage of your career? What are the main lessons people who have made this transition have taken from their journey? Find out in this episode of Off Script.

Listen to episode #04

#03: Using the web for social good

How can we use the web for social good? What tools and techniques already exist, and how can we retain our rights while we use them?

Listen to episode #03

#02: Running a conference

In this episode of Off Script, All Day Hey! co-founders Josh Nesbitt and Harry Roberts break down what it takes to run a conference and how it came to be.

Listen to episode #02

#01: Wasn't the web better 10 years ago?

In the pilot episode of Off Script, we sit down with James Hall to discuss "wasn't the web better 10 years ago?". We'll cover topics such as the JavaScript ecosystem becoming more complicated, the evolution of web technologies, and why it's probably a good idea to write tests.

Listen to episode #01

#00: Trailer

A introduction to Off Script. A podcast for the tech community.

Listen to episode #00