#49: Navigating the AI discourse — Why can't we talk properly about AI?
In this weeks episode, Josh and James delve into the complexities of the discourse surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), exploring the polarising perspectives that dominate discussions. In a balanced debate, they emphasise the importance of understanding AI as a tool rather than a stand-alone entity, highlighting the need for responsible usage and ethical considerations in its development and implementation. They cover the reality of AI's impact on engineering and the necessity of maintaining a human element in the design process. This episode is a call to action for technologists to navigate the AI hype responsibly and to create strong governance around its use.
#48: AI interoperability and MCP
In this conversation, Josh and James discuss AI interoperability and the concept of MCP (Model Context Protocol). They explore the initial skepticism surrounding MCP, the process of building custom MCP servers, and the importance of permissions and security in AI integrations. The discussion also touches on the future of AI integration in various applications, particularly in shopping experiences, and the potential for these technologies to revolutionise how we interact with digital tools.
#47: Behind the scenes of running a tech conference
How do you structure and run the perfect tech conference? What things are involved behind the scenes that attendees don’t see? What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own event? We’re glad you asked! This episode is an All Day Hey! Special where hosts, Josh and James spill the beans on what goes on behind the All Day Hey! conference curtain, how we can collectively safeguard the future of events and what makes running a tech conference like this so special. Join us in Leeds on Thursday, 1st May for this year’s All Day Hey! Tickets and schedule at https://heypresents.com/conferences/2025
#46: How to plan and run a discovery workshop
What is a discovery workshop and how can they be used to work through problems in your business? In this episode, James and Josh discuss how they've run them in the past and offer some tips and tricks to getting the most out of these sessions. Listen now for a brand new instalment of Off Script!
#45: 2024 developer round-up
It’s time to reflect and plan ahead! James and Josh look back at a tumultuous 2024 in tech and ask the big questions about where things are heading. What were the highlights? What lessons can we learn? How do we prepare for 2025? Listen now as we kick-off the year with a brand new instalment of Off Script!
#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.
#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!
#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.
#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.
#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!
#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!
#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!
#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!
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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!
#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!
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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?
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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’.
#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.
#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.
#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.
#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?
#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.
#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.