Modern Web

• I’m Sorry, But Your CSS Is Terrible

  Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson sit down with Andy Bell to treat CSS as a craft, not a chore. Andy explains why he mentors the browser instead of micromanaging it, how progressive enhancement keeps products resilient, and which modern features deserve attention right now, including has, anchor positioning, and clamp. The conversation gets practical on grid versus flexbox, why grid is often simpler than people think, and how ecosystems and tooling skew usage. They unpack the real reasons Tailwind spread across teams, where it helps with speed and onboarding, and why core CSS skills plus a clear methodology prevent long-term debt. Expect candid consultancy stories, smarter debugging with today’s devtools, and a reminder that play, standards knowledge, and strong communication habits lead to cleaner, more maintainable front ends.Key Takeaways:- Andy Bell stresses mentoring the browser instead of micromanaging it, leaning on progressive enhancement and letting it adapt to context.- Features like :has(), anchor positioning, and clamp are changing how developers approach layouts, interactions, and responsive design.- Despite its power, Grid hasn’t caught on like flexbox, partly due to ecosystem and tooling choices. Andy suggests learning grid first for a clearer foundation.- Tailwind solves organizational and onboarding challenges, but without solid CSS fundamentals and consistent methodologies, teams risk piling up technical debt.Andy Bell on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bell-347971255/Rob Ocel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robocel/Danny Thompson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dthompsondev/This Dot Labs Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotLabsThis Dot Media Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotMediaThis Dot Labs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisdotlabs/This Dot Labs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisdot/This Dot Labs Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisdotlabs.bsky.socialSponsored by This Dot Labs: https://ai.thisdot.co/

  --------  

  50:10

  --------

  50:10
• Software Developers Spill the Beans on Conversational AI

  In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson are joined by Rishab Kumar, Staff Developer Evangelist at Twilio, to explore the evolving landscape of voice and AI interactions. They discuss the rise of conversational AI, how voice interfaces are becoming the natural medium for human-computer interaction, and the tools and best practices for integrating AI into real-world applications. Rishab shares insights from Twilio on building voice-enabled AI experiences, tackling challenges like latency and prompt design, and how AI is shaping the future of productivity and problem-solving. The conversation also highlights community-focused events, like the upcoming Commit Your Code Conference in Dallas, where networking, learning, and giving back to charity take center stage.Key Takeaways:- Voice interfaces are becoming more natural and conversational, moving beyond simple commands to context-aware, agentic interactions that can assist with tasks in real time.- AI is being integrated into real-world use cases, from coding assistants and productivity tools to hands-on guidance for tasks like furniture assembly, car troubleshooting, and lab work.- Platforms like Twilio provide APIs, Conversation Relay, and integrations with voice models to streamline AI voice interactions, handling challenges like latency, speech-to-text, and interruption management.- There’s a growing need for specialized, reliable AI tools tailored to specific industries and tasks, as well as careful consideration of ethical implications, user trust, and contextual accuracy.Rishab Kumar on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabkumar7/Rob Ocel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robocel/Danny Thompson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dthompsondev/This Dot Labs Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotLabsThis Dot Media Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotMediaThis Dot Labs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisdotlabs/This Dot Labs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisdot/This Dot Labs Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisdotlabs.bsky.socialSponsored by This Dot: https://ai.thisdot.co/

  --------  

  42:04

  --------

  42:04
• The Biggest Mistakes Devs Make in Accessibility & SEO

  In this episode, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson enjoy a conversation with Kilian Valkhof, founder of Polypane, a browser built for developers who care deeply about their craft. The discussion explores the shifting landscape of online developer communities as conversations migrate from Twitter to Blue Sky, Mastodon, Discord, and local meetups. Kilian shares how this decentralization has shaped advocacy around accessibility, performance, and front-end principles, while Rob and Danny reflect on what developers lose and gain when there’s no longer a single central hub. They also dig into guiding principles for building quality front-end experiences, from usability and accessibility to balancing trade-offs between performance, readability, and SEO.Key points from this episode- Developers are finding their communities scattered across Blue Sky, Mastodon, Discord, and meetups, changing how ideas about accessibility and performance spread.- Practical frameworks like “rule of three” and “make it run, make it right, make it fast” give developers clearer guidance than vague advice such as “don’t repeat yourself.”- Building with craft means going beyond visual accuracy to include accessibility, usability, and small details that improve the overall user experience.- Teams need to agree on priorities so they can navigate trade-offs between things like accessibility, performance, SEO, and readability.Kilian Valkhof on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kilianvalkhof/Rob Ocel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robocel/Danny Thompson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dthompsondev/This Dot Labs Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotLabsThis Dot Media Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotMediaThis Dot Labs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisdotlabs/This Dot Labs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisdot/This Dot Labs Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisdotlabs.bsky.socialSponsored by This Dot Labs: https://ai.thisdot.co/

  --------  

  41:48

  --------

  41:48
• Sentry Has New AI Tools for Monitoring and Developer Workflows

  This episode of the Modern Web Podcast features Cody De Arkland, Head of Developer Experience at Sentry, in conversation with hosts Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson. They explore how Sentry has embraced a culture of experimentation with AI, from grassroots innovation in Slack channels to leadership setting the tone for rapid adoption. Cody shares insights into Sentry’s new AI monitoring tools, including MCP support and agent tracing, which give developers visibility into token usage, tool calls, and debugging flows. The discussion also touches on how AI is reshaping developer workflows, the balance between writing code and prompting, and why structured thinking is key to getting useful results.Keypoints from this episode:- Sentry fosters a playful, experimental environment where both grassroots initiatives and leadership drive AI adoption.- Sentry has rolled out AI monitoring with MCP support and agent tracing to give visibility into token usage, tool calls, and debugging.- AI is changing how developers approach coding, blending prompting with traditional programming.- Success with AI depends on framing problems clearly, not just relying on raw prompts.Cody De Arkland on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codydearkland/ Rob Ocel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robocel/Danny Thompson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dthompsondev/This Dot Labs Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotLabsThis Dot Media Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotMediaThis Dot Labs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisdotlabs/This Dot Labs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisdot/This Dot Labs Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisdotlabs.bsky.socialSponsored by This Dot Labs: https://ai.thisdot.co

  --------  

  42:18

  --------

  42:18
• How Elasticsearch Improves Search Relevance, Log Parsing, Production Systems, + More!

  In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson talk with Philipp Krenn, Head of Developer Advocacy at Elastic, about how Elasticsearch has evolved from a search engine into a foundation for observability, security, and AI-powered systems. Philipp explains how Elastic approaches information retrieval beyond just vector search, using tools like LLMs for smarter querying, log parsing, and context-aware data access.They also discuss how Elastic balances innovation with stability through regular releases and a focus on long-term reliability. For teams building with AI, Elastic offers a way to handle search, monitoring, and logging in one platform, making it easier to ship faster without adding complexity.Key points from this episode: Elasticsearch has expanded beyond search to support observability and security by treating all of them as information retrieval problems.Elastic integrates with AI tools like LLMs to improve search relevance, automate log parsing, and enable features like query rewriting and retrieval-augmented generation.Vector search is just one feature in a larger toolkit for finding relevant data, and Elastic supports hybrid and traditional search approaches.Elastic maintains a steady release cadence with a focus on stability, making it a reliable choice for both fast-moving AI projects and long-term production systems.Philipp Krenn on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippkrenn/Rob Ocel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robocel/Danny Thompson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dthompsondev/This Dot Labs Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotLabsThis Dot Media Twitter: https://x.com/ThisDotMediaThis Dot LabsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisdotlabs/This Dot Labs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisdot/This Dot Labs Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisdotlabs.bsky.socialSponsored by This Dot Labs: ai.thisdot.co

  --------  

  35:34

  --------

  35:34

Fler podcasts i Teknologi

Trendiga poddar i Teknologi

Om Modern Web