Compiling! With Rob Z. and Friends

Rob Zazueta

Heya! I'm Rob Zazueta, better known by most as Rob Z. I recently reflected on my more than 25 years in the tech industry and realized the cliche is actually true - it's not about the work, or the tech, or the travel, or any of that; it really is about the friends I made along the way. In each episode of the Compiling Podcast, I reconnect with one of the many friends I have made in this career, probe them for advice in their areas of expertise, then dive into a topic about which they are personally passionate in order to both learn a bit more about them and demonstrate that there's more to techies than just the tech. I hope you'll invite us to spend an hour or so between your ears.

Episodes

  1. 06/12/2023

    Introducing the Compiling! Podcast with Rob Z. and Friends

    A quick introduction and explaination of the podcast from Rob Z. Thanks for listening!

    2 min

  2. 05/17/2023

    Lorinda Brandon - Managing Remote Software Teams & Human History

    Lorinda Brandon's mix of pragmatism and optimism inspires me to keep finding solutions to technical challenges that don't neglect the humans facing them. In this episode, we talk about her experiences and thoughts managing remote software engineering teams and the importance of maintaining organizational culture even when our teams are distributed across the globe. This segues nicely into her current pursuit of a second bachelor's degree in archaeology. Why would someone so focused on the future spend so much time peering into the past? Because, as it turns out, we're not so different from the people who came before us.

    1h 5m

  3. 05/08/2023

    Tony Blank - DevRel Strategy & Supporting Live Performers

    Tony Blank walked into a Colorado hackathon as a street musician, but he walked out hell-bent on becoming a developer advocate. His infectious passion for helping startups and developers has led him to create a set of strategies from which we can all learn. In this episode, Tony takes us through his thoughts on developer relations - where it's been, where it's going, and how to find success - then we launch into his latest cool project, where he applies his DevRel skills toward musicians, comedians, and other live performers.

    1h 29m

  4. 04/28/2023

    Sarah Jane 'SJ' Morris - Developer Community & Travel

    Sarah Jane 'SJ' Morris is a master of developer community. The empathy she shows developers and the way she advocates passionately for their needs is merely a small reflection of the general compassion she shows toward everyone. Today, we dive into her experiences and thoughts around building and maintaining developer-targeted communities as she shares real-world successes from her current role at HubSpot. We then discuss the joys of solo travel and learn some tips that can help you prioritize planning your next trip.

    1h 14m

  5. 04/26/2023

    Adam DuVander - Developer Marketing & Home Automation

    Adam is a developer whisperer. He has leveraged his technical background to build a career around helping non-technical people better interact with and understand the developer audiences they target to the benefit of everyone involved. In that sense, we are fellow travelers, and that's probably why I have such a deep admiration for him, his work and his generosity in sharing it. He's also just fun to chat with, which is why I seek him out every time I know we're in the same place at the same time. In this episode, Adam shares his wisdom as we discuss his latest book "Technical Content Strategy Decoded", then describes his very pragmatic adventures in home automation.

    1h 2m

  6. 04/21/2023

    Shelby Switzer - Civic IT & Creative Writing

    Every time I get a chance to chat with Shelby, I know the conversation is going to go into a fascinating place. Their tech career has focused almost entirely on supporting the needs of local government and the citizens they represent. In this episode, we discuss the unique technical requirements found in local government - and see a lot of commonality with the needs of enterprise IT - then launch into Shelby's adventures in creative writing.

    50 min

  7. 03/22/2023

    Mike Amundsen - Hypermedia & Professional Music

    Mike has earned a reputation for sharing a depth and breadth of knowledge and insight into API and hypermedia design that enables developers to more efficiently and effectively share data across heterogenous systems. In this episode, we dive into the history of hypermedia, what it is, and why its value is only just beginning to be understood. Then we take a tour of Mike's fascinating background as a professional musician and see how the two worlds collide.

    58 min

  8. 03/16/2023

    James Higginbotham - API Program Design & Back Health

    I have learned a great deal from James' keen insight into how to build API-first distributed applications and have found much success applying the methodology he calls "ADDR" that keeps all project stake holders involved and informed. In this episode, we dive into his philosophy behind designing these systems, then launch into a topic that should concern every tech professional - keeping your back healthy.

    1 hr
  • 8 Episodes

About

Heya! I'm Rob Zazueta, better known by most as Rob Z. I recently reflected on my more than 25 years in the tech industry and realized the cliche is actually true - it's not about the work, or the tech, or the travel, or any of that; it really is about the friends I made along the way. In each episode of the Compiling Podcast, I reconnect with one of the many friends I have made in this career, probe them for advice in their areas of expertise, then dive into a topic about which they are personally passionate in order to both learn a bit more about them and demonstrate that there's more to techies than just the tech. I hope you'll invite us to spend an hour or so between your ears.

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