Social media snark and rightfully criticizing industry trends? This episode of Screaming featuring Daniel Feldman must be a match made in heaven for Corey. Daniel’s wit is only matched by his engineering expertise, and his insights help us examine the current state of GenAI. This conversation breaks down how you can have fun with today’s AI tools, why product excitement can often hinder advancement, and even carries a tune with a bit of karaoke. As a bonus, Daniel indulges Corey about his signature conference attire. If you ever wanted to learn more about Mr. Quinn’s suit game, then this is the episode for you!

Show Highlights:

• (0:00) Intro to episode
• (0:48) Who is Daniel Feldman
• (1:25) Backblaze sponsor read
• (1:51) Sounding off on social media
• (3:13) Having fun with AI
• (5:27) The origins of quackernews.com
• (6:36) Practical uses of AI
• (8:40) Enthusiasm vs. progress
• (12:30) AI’s online backlash
• (15:45) AI, slideshows, and karaoke
• (18:14) Firefly sponsor read
• (18:50) Tricks to prompting DALL-E
• (21:32) Markdown and software update naming
• (25:13) Exclusionary humor in tech
• (26:19) reInvent and Corey’s sense of fashion
• (28:32) Getting publicly recognized for Twitter posts
• (30:43) Where to find Daniel

About Daniel Feldman:

Daniel Feldman is working on new projects in the service identity space. He previously was an early engineer at Scytale and deployed SPIFFE service identity at over a dozen companies. Before that, he was a principal software engineer at Veritas.

Links Referenced:

• quakernews.com
• Twitter: https://x.com/d_feldman
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dfeldman.bsky.social
• Mastodon: https://hachyderm.io/@dfeldman
• SPIFFE: https://spiffe.io/
• Solving the Bottom Turtle: https://spiffe.io/book/

Sponsors

• Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/
• Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

While we can’t repeat the title of his blog post here, Nikhil Suresh recently gained notoriety for his scathing takedown of the hype surrounding GenAI. On the surface, it appears his anger lies with the tech, but that’s not the case. In this episode, Nikhil explains to Corey why his frustrations are targeted at a predatory bubble swindling young professionals and investors. You’ll hear their thoughts on the correlation between AI and crypto grifts, why most tech keynotes are just fluff and buzzwords, and when industry catch-all terms start to lose meaning. While GenAI may still show some promise, this week’s episode breaks down why you shouldn’t believe the hype.

Show Highlights:

• (0:00) Intro to episode
• (0:41) Backblaze sponsor read
• (1:08) The origins of Nikhil’s viral article
• (4:20) The disconnect between buzzwords and work
• (5:26) Throwing money at AI
• (7:17) AI vs. craftsmanship
• (13:36) The rush to get AI tools out the door
• (16:12) The telltale signs of bad AI content
• (18:50) AI, crypto, and GPU grifts
• (20:33) The fallout of Nikhil’s blog post
• (22:34) Firefly sponsor read
• (23:10) The practicality of GenAI
• (26:24) GenAI presentations vs. reality
• (29:07) Predatory hiring practices and tech’s current barrier for entry
• (32:03) Sturgeon’s Law in the industry
• (35:22) Consequences of the hype cycle
• (38:48) The fantasy land of “conferenceware”
• (42:01) Where you can find Nikhil

About Nikhil Suresh:

Nikhil is one of the directors at an Australian data consultancy named Hermit Tech, though he’s probably most well-known for writing a blog titled Ludicity. Nikhil has a background in psychology and data science.

Links Referenced:

• https://ludic.mataroa.blog/
• https://www.hermit-tech.com/

Sponsors

• Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/
• Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

Is there true value in using cloud optimization tools when they may be phased out in the near future? You may be surprised. In this Summer Replay of Screaming of the Cloud, Corey is joined by former VMware Senior Staff Engineer Bryan Liles. Since this episode was originally released, Bryan wasn’t just promoted to the Vice President of Principal Engineering at VMware, he’s also transitioned to a new role as a Senior Principal Engineer with AWS! Listen as the pair talk about the long-term viability of Kubernetes, what’s in a tech company’s name, flipping the script surrounding the discussion of diversity in the field, and why the words you use matter the most in criticism. If anything, this throwback will show the value of intention, whether in the tech industry or your everyday life.

Show Highlights:

• (0:00) Intro to episode
• (0:30) Backblaze sponsor read
• (0:56) The struggles of setting up interview times
• (2:22) What Bryan does at VMware
• (4:14) What Kubernetes has accomplished
• (5:39) Corey’s qualms with Kubernetes
• (8:16) The shelf life of Kubernetes
• (10:36) Optimizing Kubernetes in the cloud
• (13:25) What is Project Pacific?
• (15:28) Firefly sponsor read
• (16:04) Woes of the multicloud
• (19:09) VMware’s branding and Tanzu
• (21:00) Mispronouncing company names
• (22:07) Punching down and diversity discourse in tech
• (25:18) Intentional language in company critiques
• (28:50) Learning lessons from getting fired
• (30:36) Where you can find Bryan

About Bryan Liles

Bryan Liles is a Senior Principal Engineer with AWS where his team oversees all of S3. When not working, Bryan builds and races cars and drones.

Over the past 20 years, Bryan has worked around cloud technology and distributed systems. His approaches to technology are: simplify with fidelity and technology should give access to all.

Links Referenced:

• https://vmware.com

Sponsors

• Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/
• Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

Just because the AWS Cloud hangs above our heads, doesn’t mean your bill needs to be just as sky-high. In this Screaming in the Cloud Summer Replay, Corey is joined by Airbnb Staff Software Engineer Melanie Cebula. Her job is to ensure they keep their monthly cloud bill low, and that the cost isn’t just there for a temporary stay. Hear Melanie and Corey chat about the vital role engineers play in helping balance the company books, tricks to optimizing your organization’s cloud spending, how inexperience can have a dangerous effect on cost-cutting, and the growing pains facing today’s world of data infrastructure. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane (just be sure you checkout on time to avoid any fees).

Show Highlights:

• (0:00) Intro to episode
• (0:27) Backblaze sponsor read
• (0:54) The role of a Staff Engineer
• (2:09) Working for a large company reliant on the cloud
• (3:59) Melanie’s Area of Expertise
• (5:58) Efficiently Managing AWS Bills
• (11:33) Optimizing cloud spend
• (14:50) The harmful hesitancy to turn things off
• (18:17) Inexperience and cost-saving measures
• (21:17) Firefly sponsor read
• (21:53) How to avoid snowballing cloud bills
• (23:40) Kubernetes and cloud billing
• (27:12) The perks of compounding microservices
• (29:19) Misconceptions about Kubernetes
• (31:10) Growing pains of data infrastructure
• (34:44) Where you can find Melanie

About Melanie Cebula

Melanie Cebula is an expert in Cloud Infrastructure, where she is recognized worldwide for explaining radically new ways of thinking about cloud efficiency and usability. She is an international keynote speaker, presenting complex technical topics to a broad range of audiences, both international and domestic. Melanie is a staff engineer at Airbnb, where she has experience building a scalable modern architecture on top of cloud-native technologies.

Besides her expertise in the online world, Melanie spends her time offline on the “sharp end” of rock climbing. An adventure athlete setting new personal records in challenging conditions, she appreciates all aspects of the journey, including the triumph of reaching ever higher destinations.

On and off the wall, Melanie focuses on building reliability into critical systems, and making informed decisions in difficult situations. In her personal time, Melanie hand whisks matcha tea, enjoys costuming and dancing at EDM festivals, and she is a triplet.

Links Referenced:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/melaniecebula
• Melanie Cebula’s website: https://melaniecebula.com/

Sponsors

• Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/
• Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

If you need a point of contact for all things networking, then look no further than Ivan Pepelnjak. Ivan is the webinar author at ipSpace.net where he is working on making networking an approachable subject for everyone. From teaching to writing books, Ivan has been at it for a long and storied career, and as a de facto go-to for networking knowledge, you can’t beat him. In this Summer Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, Ivan and Corey discuss Ivan’s status as a CCIE Emeritus and the old days of Cisco. Ivan also levels his network engineering expertise and helps Corey answer some questions about BGP and its implementation. Ivan aptly narrows it down into “layers” that he kindly runs us through. So tune in for a Dante-esque descent into BGP, DNS and Facebook, seeing out the graybeards of tech, and more!

Show Highlights:

• (0:00) Intro to episode
• (1:23) Panoptica sponsor read
• (2:04) The world of VaxVMS
• (2:39) The significance of being a CCIE emeritus
• (5:02) The value of certification in the modern tech world
• (7:37) BGP and networking
• (12:41) Internal vs. external BGPs
• (15:23) “Unfair criticisms” of BGP
• (17:35) Differences between BGP and DNS
• (23:19) Cloud growth vs. loss of networking engineers
• (24:57) Panoptica sponsor read
• (25:20) Outsourcing admin work
• (27:45) Breaking down the Facebook DNS outage
• (31:37) Disconnect at the data center
• (37:06) Where you can find Ivan

About Guest:

Ivan Pepelnjak, CCIE#1354 Emeritus, is an independent network architect, blogger, and webinar author at ipSpace.net. He's been designing and implementing large-scale service provider and enterprise networks as well as teaching and writing books about advanced internetworking technologies since 1990.

Links Referenced:

• ipSpace.net: https://ipspace.net
• Original Episode: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/ironing-out-the-bgp-ruffles-with-ivan-pepelnjak/

Sponsor

• Panoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

Relishing in your company’s current successes is important, but planning for the future of your business (and the wider industry) is equally vital. In this Summer Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, we’re taking you back to the post-pandemic climate of tech with the Global Vice President of the AWS Professional Services and GenAI Innovation Center Francessca Vasquez. With 20+ years of experience under her belt and thousands of customers, she knows a thing or two about thriving in the cloud. You’ll get Francessca’s insights into why companies struggle to maintain a cutting-edge work environment, the rapid pivot to the cloud amid a global pandemic, the importance of courting different backgrounds in your organization, and why the next generation of tech workers could spur unprecedented innovation. Even though COVID is seemingly in our rearview mirror, this discussion still holds weight in today.

Show Highlights:

• (0:00) Intro to episode
• (0:49) Panoptica sponsor read
• (1:30) Francessca’s role as AWS Vice President of Technology
• (2:56) Challenges of shifting company culture
• (5:38) Customer service and cloud adoption
• (9:46) The importance of legacy companies as clients
• (11:55) The pandemic’s role in cloud migration
• (14:39) Finding “untapped talent” during the pandemic
• (16:45) Courting people breaking into the industry
• (20:19) Panoptica sponsor read
• (20:42) Toxic gatekeeping in tech
• (24:29) The “real world” versus the realities of tech
• (26:43) Excitement for the next generation in tech
• (29:15) Diversity, equity, and excellence
• (32:20) How to communicate with your customers
• (40:00) Where you can find Francessca

About Guest:

Francessca is the leader of the AWS Technology Worldwide Commercial Operations organization. She is recognized as a thought leader of business technology cloud transformations and digital innovation, advising thousands of startups, small-midsize businesses, and enterprises. She is also the co-founder of AWS workforce transformation initiatives that inspire inclusion, diversity, and equity to foster more careers in science and technology.

Links Referenced:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Francessca_V
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesscavasquez/
• Original Episode: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/building-and-maintaining-cultures-of-innovation-with-francessca-vasquez/

Sponsor

• Panoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

When you hear a name like “Jamf,” you aren’t likely to think of cloud architecture, but for Levi McCormick, it’s his bread and butter. On this Summer Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey and Levi chat about how Jamf’s business approach benefits both their clients and their development team. Levi gives his take on the relationship between software development and personal ownership, how he gamified learning for young engineers, the economic challenges presented to professionals trying to break into the cloud, and how AWS can improve its rollout of new products. Seeing as Levi McCormick is now Jamf’s Director of Engineering, those insights have seemingly paid dividends! You can check out this blast from the past (as well as Corey’s usual wit and hot takes) right now!

Show Highlights

(0:00) Intro to the episode

(0:58) Panoptica sponsor read

(1:49) Levi’s role as a Cloud Architect

(2:41) The history of Jamf and the services they provide

(5:58) Breaking down the cloud for customers

(8:18) Services, development, and ownership

(11:44) Identity and assumed roles in software engineering

(14:41) The woes of mismanagement in the field

(17:03) Pantoptica sponsor read

(17:26) Explaining the Cloud Resume Challenge

(20:11) Hesitancy to take the challenge wider

(21:26) Economic barriers for young engineers

(26:00) Thoughts on reInvent 2021

(28:45) What’s ahead for Levi McCormick

(29:33) Where you can find Levi

About Levi

Levi's passion lies in helping others learn to cloud better.

Links Referenced

• Jamf: https://www.jamf.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/levi_mccormick
• Original Episode: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/an-enterprise-level-view-of-cloud-architecture-with-levi-mccormick/

Sponsor

• Panoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

Matt Coulter returns to share his latest endeavors as he makes a comeback in community work, especially within DevTools and serverless circles. In this episode, he and Corey discuss the significance of the Cloud Development Kit (CDK), CDK Community Day, and CDK Patterns. Matt reflects on his journey into community work and contrasts the challenges of virtual versus in-person events, highlighting Belfast's burgeoning tech scene and his aim to amplify its presence globally. Additionally, Matt discusses Teach Me AWS, his new venture designed to simplify AWS tools and foster practical problem-solving skills.

Show Highlights:

• (0:26) What Matt’s been up to since the last time he was on the show
• (2:04) How Matt got started with community work
• (6:09) Learning about the Belfast community
• (9:57) How technologies are maturing and empowering users to do more
• (14:51) Matt’s latest endeavor, Teach Me AWS
• (19:25) How Teach Me AWS educates users
• (23:02) Big opportunities for Teach Me AWS in the day two experience
• (30:32) The thread that ties all of Matt’s interests and projects together

About Matt:

Matt is an AWS DevTools Hero, Serverless Architect, Author and conference speaker.

He is focused on creating the right environment for empowered teams to rapidly deliver business value in a well-architected, sustainable and serverless-first way.

You can usually find him sharing reusable, well architected, serverless patterns over at cdkpatterns.com or behind the scenes bringing CDK Day to life., Sr. Architect in Belfast. AWS DevTools Hero and @BelfAWSt_Meetup organiser loving #Serverless so I created @cdkpatterns / @cdkday. Co-Author @thecdkbook. he/him, Matt is an AWS DevTools Hero, Serverless Architect, Author and conference speaker/organiser.

He is focused on creating the right environment for empowered teams to rapidly deliver business value in a well-architected, sustainable and serverless-first way.

These days you can usually find him behind the scenes running the official Belfast AWS User Group and organising the Belfast AWS Community Day!!!

Links Referenced:

• Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/nideveloper
• Belfast User Group Twitter: https://x.com/BelfAWSt_UG
• Teach Me AWS website: https://teachmeaws.com/

Sponsor

Panoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/