Our favourite Productivity Hacks 🔥

It’s Hackweek at Syntax! Scott, Wes, and CJ break down what Hackweek is all about - how they picked their projects, what came out of them, and why it’s the best excuse to experiment, build, and have fun before the deep-dive episodes roll in. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:04 What is Hackweek? 01:05 Hackweek projects spark motivation. 04:05 Choosing our projects. 04:34 What we chose. 05:11 CJ’s Hackweek Project. 05:51 Using SGDK C language toolkit. 07:02 Writing to an Everdrive. 08:09 What game engine did you use? Platformer Engine. LDtk. 12:11 What was the end result? 14:09 Wes’ Hackweek Project. 16:15 Why hardware projects? Watch the Video Here. 19:09 Scott’s Hackweek Project. Watch the Video Here. 21:42 Early considerations. 25:42 AI usage. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

1 Sep 32min

Wes and Scott talk about the dangers of vibe coding when it comes to authentication and access control. They share real-world examples of security fails, discuss how to avoid client-side-only checks, and offer practical tips for protecting sensitive user data in your apps. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! We build the world’s most painful CAPTCHAs (Kitboga scammers) 02:08 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:33 Wes’ vibe coding experience Wes’ app 04:38 The Tea app disaster Tea app 07:45 Don’t vibe code access control Better Auth with Better Auth 09:38 Let in, don’t lock down 11:23 Server vs. client-side code 13:46 Visualize access control 15:30 Automate tests 17:00 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Scott: A City on Mars Wes: Hotel Collection Essential Oils Shameless Plugs Syntax YouTube Channel Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

27 Aug 22min

Scott and Wes dive into the fundamentals of project initialization and planning, from outlining ideas and choosing the right tools to making smart technology decisions. They also chat about leveraging AI and collaboration to shape better projects before rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:12 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 04:03 Make a plan. 04:06 Start with an outline and let it evolve. 05:59 Mind-Mapping software vs plain text. 08:49 Utilizing LLMs for alternative perspectives. 09:58 Utilizing humans for alternative perspectives. 11:17 Making technology choices. 13:24 Assessing the project’s actual needs. 13:30 Is this a long-term project? 15:43 Is this project Open Source? 16:09 Are you working in a team? 18:12 Are you prioritizing learning? 19:48 Pick technologies with proven compatibility. 20:17 Implementing AI. 20:44 Steering docs. 26:24 Get to work and break stuff. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

25 Aug 30min

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about VS Code vs Cursor, navigating promotions and job titles, database fundamentals, avoiding decision paralysis, how AI is shaping frameworks, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:56 Brought to you by Sentry.io 06:24 Moving from VS Code to Cursor without losing your shortcuts 12:13 Should you bring up a senior promotion at a new job? 16:32 Relying on LLMs vs. learning database fundamentals 20:42 Overcoming decision paralysis in programming 25:00 What to do when your code gets too messy 27:39 Could Wasm replace Docker and Kubernetes? 32:14 Organizing mini-apps in Express: monorepo, micro frontends, or something else? 38:49 Will AI lock us into React and make new frameworks irrelevant? 46:57 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Wes and Scott: Niimbot Shameless Plugs Subscribe to Syntax on YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

20 Aug 55min

Scott and Wes tackle listener questions on everything from local-first databases and AI-built CRMs to protecting APIs and raising kids with healthy digital habits. They also weigh in on Cloudflare’s AI crawler ban, portfolio critiques, and more hot takes from the dev world. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:49 Dreaming about web components. 02:55 Local-First Apps for Customer Support. Brought to you by Sentry.io 08:17 AI-Built CRM: Portfolio or Problem? Ben Vinegar’s Engineering Interview Strategy. 18:55 InstantDB vs. Other Local-First Databases. 21:46 Raising Kids with Healthy Digital Habits. Porta Potty Prince on TikTok. 32:55 Cloudflare Blocks AI Crawlers. Good for Creators? Cloudflare Pay Per Crawl. Cloudflare No AI Crawl Without Compensation. Chris Coyier’s Blog Response. 41:46 Protecting APIs and Obfuscating Source Code. 44:49 Will Portfolio Critiques Return? 46:45 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Wifi 7 Eero. Wes: Plastic Welder Shameless Plugs Scott: Syntax on YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

18 Aug 53min

Wes and Scott talk about the 2025 State of Devs survey, diving into trends in salaries, job titles, remote work, health, hobbies, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:44 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:08 Years of experience vs yearly income 11:48 Layoffs 18:07 Job title 19:55 Remote work 24:40 Job happiness 25:40 Work hours 26:24 Workplace perks 26:53 What phones devs use 27:46 Desktop OS 28:44 Programming languages 29:29 Productivity apps 30:54 Social media 32:13 Median age of RSS feed users 33:41 Community contributions 35:37 Health and fitness 37:01 Health issues 39:11 Scott’s health update 42:28 Hobbies 45:54 Favorite music 47:10 Favorite video games 47:37 Favorite movies 49:35 Metadata Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

13 Aug 51min

Scott and Wes break down the latest in web dev news, from Amazon’s AI-powered VS Code fork and Node’s native TypeScript support, to Vite overtaking Webpack and Svelte’s newest async and remote features. They also cover big moves in developer tools, fresh browser experiments, and what these shifts mean for the future of coding. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 04:08 Kiro. Kiro Video. 09:05 Node 22.18 allows TypeScript without compiler. 11:42 React Router RSC, Parcel + Vite Support. 12:56 Windsurf Bought for real this time. 14:25 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 14:49 Copyparty, the FOSS file server Codeparty Video Codeparty on GitHub. 23:22 Vite Overtakes Webpack. Evan You X Post. 25:16 Rolldown Vite. void0 Rolldown-Vite. 27:06 Claude Code pricing clamp down. Wes’ X Post. 30:07 Async svelte released. Async Svelte Discussion. 31:41 Remote Svelte Released. Remote Functions. 34:59 Trae Solo. 37:58 Perplexity Comet Browser. 43:07 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Black Stuff. Wes: MEKOH Short Pressure Washer Gun with Swivel. Shameless Plugs Scott: Syntax on YouTube. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

11 Aug 51min

Scott and CJ explore why RSS still matters and how it’s more underused than outdated. They discuss how to self-host RSS readers, escape the noise of the modern web, and reclaim a cleaner, ad-free reading experience across devices. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:41 What is RSS and how does it work? RSS Atom (web standard) JSON Feed 06:14 Hosting your own RSS server: Miniflux, FreshRSS, and more Miniflux FreshRSS 11:00 Decluttering the web with article scraping 12:38 Best RSS clients for desktop and mobile Capy Reader Google Reader ReadKit Pocket is shutting down wallabag mymind 18:51 Where to find RSS feeds The Brutalist Report Programming Subreddit Hacker News BlueSky Shameless Plugs Syntax YouTube Channel: Cursor User Tries Claude Code Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

6 Aug 29min