Databases
78 episodes
#5940: The Missing Middle: Content APIs and ISR for a 6,000-Episode Catalog
When your catalog is too big to rebuild on every change, what has to change? Turns out the missing middle might already exist.
#5912: Building Your Own CRM with AI: Where to Start
AI can't write your CRM for you — but it can remove the friction. Start with the schema, not the code.
#5909: Connecting Postgres to Google Workspace
How a Postgres-backed app on Cloud Run talks to Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets and Slides — without duplicating data.
#5908: One Database Won't Fix Your Fragmented Stack
Rita has two employees, four apps, and one fear: which database wins when they disagree? Here's the field-by-field answer.
#5885: The World's Oldest Software Still Running
From a 1958 Pentagon contract system to Voyager's 68KB computer, some software refuses to die. What's the oldest code still in production?
#5848: The Libraries Nobody Thinks About
zlib, SQLite, OpenSSL, and the xz backdoor — the tiny pieces of code running everywhere, and the volunteers keeping them alive.
#5827: LTFS Explained: Tape That Acts Like a Disk
LTFS makes tape pretend to be a filesystem — but 37-second seeks decide whether it can anchor a searchable archive.
#5770: Talking to Your Data: What MCP Doesn't Solve
MCP standardized the pipe. It has no opinion about what flows through it — and that's where the hard part lives.
#5487: Why Your Spreadsheet Mangles José's Name
A deep dive into character sets, from ASCII to UTF-8, and why José becomes "José" in your spreadsheet.
#5394: Why Waze Sends You Into a Jerusalem Alley
A listener's complaint about Waze turns into a tour of how routing apps actually work — graphs, shortcuts, and a map that's always slightly wrong.
#5078: When Shopping Lists Outgrow the Grocery Store
Why grocery list apps fail when you need drywall anchors, and what actually works for multi-store household shopping.
#5017: Reverse-Engineering a Backend from the Frontend
Building a backend when only the frontend exists—database first, then ORM, API, and the hidden traps.
#4829: Why Can't You Filter by Bluetooth on Amazon?
Technical buyers waste hours hunting specs. AI might finally fix e-commerce filtering.
#4826: Schema Design Is an Art Form
Why AI-generated schemas skip the thinking that makes databases survive contact with reality.
#4661: Database Migrations: The Full Lifecycle
From schema change to production — the complete guide to safe, zero-downtime database migrations.
#4650: How Apache Became the Backbone of Modern Infrastructure
From a patchy web server to 320+ projects — how a volunteer non-profit became the default home for the software running the modern economy.
#4603: The Hidden ID System Behind Every Flight
PNRs, e-ticket numbers, and the name match that decides if you fly. Here's how airline booking records actually work.
#4572: The vCard Files: Why a 30-Year-Old Format Still Runs Your Contacts
We crack open the VCF spec — what's inside, what breaks, and why the humble vCard still beats every proprietary contact app.
#4546: Redis: What It Actually Is and Why It's Everywhere
Redis powers half the internet's caching, but almost nobody knows what it actually is. We break it down from the ground up.
#4524: The Hidden Cost of Canceling Your Phone Plan
Why companies make it nearly impossible to cancel — and the free Israeli tool fighting back.
#4339: How Text Survives a Tunnel: Offline Queueing Deep Dive
What happens when you tap send in a tunnel? The browser, service worker, and backend dance that makes tiny payloads survive offline.
#4289: Spreadsheets vs. SQL: Is the Grid Dying?
Airtable's AI agent just collapsed the usability gap. Does the spreadsheet still have a purpose?
#4188: Find the Quietest Time to Drive Using Google's API
Query Google's Routes API to find statistically optimal driving times in Jerusalem — no gut feelings required.
#4071: Four Tools for a Human Review Layer on AI Tags
Adding human review to AI-generated tags without building an admin panel from scratch.