PODCAST · technology
Wednesday Wisdom
by Jos Visser
This podcast comes down to me reading articles from my article series "Wednesday Wisdom" which is available on Substack at josvisser.substack.com.
Episodes
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Know thyself
The ancient Greeks told us to “know thyself.” They probably didn’t anticipate software engineers armed with AI assistants, dashboards, personality tests, and enough browser tabs to heat a small village. Yet somehow, understanding ourselves remains just as difficult and we continue to make…
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Security is not just a feeling
Or maybe: Security is more than a feeling. I couldn't quite decide on the title. There seems to be a pervasive idea that you do not have to "be technical" in order to qualify for many security-related roles. Personally I think that if you are working on dealing with attacks from computers on...
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How to start a remote SRE team
When you are done with late nights and answering pages at night, a remote sister team is usually the way to go. This week's Wednesday Wisdom explains how to start such a remote team and why Kazakhstan is not a great location for that. Warning: Contains strong language and children should only...
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On writing interview feedback
Hiring is still a thing. Unfortunately, I still see a lot of terrible interview feedback. In the age of ChatGPT, there really is no reason anymore to write bad interview feedback, provided that you put a little bit of effort in keeping good notes during the interview. Throw the notes, the job...
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A possible future of software engineering
AI coding tools are changing software engineering, but not in the simple “everyone gets replaced” way the headlines suggest. The real story is messier: more productive senior engineers, fewer easy entry-level paths, shifting salaries, more software getting built, and a profession trying to figure...
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A tiny history of software engineering
NOTE: Because of a mistake, this episode has been posted out of order and was supposed to be published on 5/20/2026. It should be listened to before the episode on 5/27/2026 called: Coding with AI tools is still hard. Apologies for the confusion....
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Coding with AI tools is still hard
AI coding tools excel at the part of software development that was never really a problem to begin with: Typing in the statements. Because of this, coding with AI tools is still hard. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/coding-with-ai-tools-is-still-hard
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The whooshing sound of deadlines
Welcome to this week's Wednesday Wisdom, in which we cover a reader question on how to deal with managers who insist on "accurate ETAs" for software development projects. Obviously, no software project in the history of time has ever been delivered according to a pre-established immutable plan…
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The anxiety factory
Many startups are anxiety factories. But why? There are the obvious reasons, but there is one that is often overlooked. Find out how that works in this week's Wednesday Wisdom article. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-anxiety-factory
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Does code review still matter?
Does it? Because let's be honest, most code reviews are terrible. Also, what about AI generated code? Warning: This episode contains more questions than answers! https://josvisser.substack.com/p/does-code-review-still-matter
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Ten things not to worry about regarding oncall
This week: An article confirming the Law of the Conservation of Misery. Rejoice! https://josvisser.substack.com/p/ten-things-not-to-worry-about-regarding
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Shiny object syndrome
It’s like morphine, not overly dangerous when used sparingly and in small doses by experts…
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Big machine people
Think big, but execute small... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/big-machine-people
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How to become a better engineer? (bot)
This week’s Wednesday Wisdom features a competition of human against bot. I took the question of how to become a better engineer, wrote an article about it, but also asked Midweek Muse (a ChatGPT trained on Wednesday Wisdom content) to write an article about it. I am posting both of these...
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How to become a better engineer? (human)
This week’s Wednesday Wisdom features a competition of human against bot. I took the question of how to become a better engineer, wrote an article about it, but also asked Midweek Muse (a ChatGPT trained on Wednesday Wisdom content) to write an article about it. I am posting both of these…
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Coming to terms with my unimportance
I finally learned to enjoy being nobody… https://josvisser.substack.com/p/coming-to-terms-with-my-unimportance
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Exit Plan
Do you have one? https://josvisser.substack.com/p/exit-plan
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Standard Response
It has come to this: A standard response to the many messages I get that seek to sell something to me, offer me a job, use me as an introduction to sell something to OpenAI, or get a referral for a position at OpenAI. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/standard-response
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The cost of efficiency
Can you afford to be so efficient that you cannot innovate anymore? https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-efficiency
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The one about coding with AI tools
If at this moment in time you are not investing in proficiency with AI coding tools, you are doing yourself an enormous disservice. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-one-about-codex
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The gift of post-career
The subtle art of gliding into retirement with ease and comfort... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-post-career
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Losing the secret sense
It is often hard to move on after an amazing work experience... Article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/losing-the-secret-sense
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Taylor Swift and the value of time
To get something done, be everywhere all the time and persist... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/taylor-swift-and-the-value-of-time
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Short: Seniority is a mindset
Seniority is not a job description, it is a mindset you take to every task you engage with... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/short-seniority-is-a-mindset
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Math and you
Math is everywhere, but rarely used... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/math-and-you
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How to become a TL 101
Not that I know, but here are some thoughts... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/how-to-become-a-tl-101
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Welcome to the problem fractal
In 2026, I will again spend a lot of time explaining to people that things that sound really simple are actually quite complicated and that two things that look alike are in fact quite different. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-problem-fractal
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Parameters for Success
Note: This is the 12/24/2025 episode which I apparently forgot to publish on the date itself :-) Full article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/parameters-for-success
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The gift of nice
I used to think not nice was cool. How wrong I was! Full article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-nice
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Why do good people write bad software?
Perhaps the hallmark of a good engineer is not that they always write good software, but that they can get bad software working and out of the door in time when the situation requires it.
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Misinterpreting SRE
Hot take: You might be doing SRE all wrong! https://josvisser.substack.com/p/misinterpreting-sre
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Stress!
Everyone is stressed... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/stress
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TG Special: A reader question
Learning happens when you have to sink or swim... https://josvisser.substack.com/p/tg-special-a-reader-question
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Respect what came before
Respect what came before because often there is much hard-earned wisdom embedded in existing solutions. Also: Replacing working code is hard. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/respect-what-came-before
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The gift of Modesty
Modesty is not a hip trait in a world that suffers from culturally sanctioned ADHD, but all things considered, I’d rather be undecided while I am thinking, than wrong. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-modesty
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More things I learned running a small business
Or: How to be successful while making many mistakes 🙂 Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/more-things-i-learned-running-a-small
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Things I learned running a small business (part 1)
Experience is what you get when you are expecting something else…
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Unhappy the team that needs heroes
The problem with heroes is that heroics don’t scale; instead: Boring scales. Call me old-fashioned (or boring) if you will, but when I am in charge of running some service, I want my days to be uneventful. https://josvisser.substack.com/p/unhappy-the-team-that-needs-heroes
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Form without function
If you have code reviews without actual reviews, postmortems that do not lead to improvements, and training without learning, you have form without function. It might look good, but it is useless. Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/form-without-function
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Leave a sinking ship in time
You might like the boat you are in, but make sure you leave it before it starts making water.
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Show, don't tell!
If your team's culture is not what you think it needs to be, do not explain what needs to change, instead, model the desired behavior and look for a first follower. This week's article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/show-dont-tell Referenced video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ...
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Security is temporary, adaptability is forever
Adaptability is the new safety net… Read at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/security-is-temporary-adaptability
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Coding in the time of AI
If you are a software engineer today and you are not learning how to be a better and faster coder with AI agents, you are doing yourself a disservice that might have significant ramifications for your career. Do not miss this bandwagon. Read, watch, and subscribe at...
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Be a Player of Games
Whenever I get feedback, I always check if someone didn’t just explain some of the rules of the game to me. Read and watch at https://josvisser.substack.com
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Scale is the only problem left
People with experience solving small problems often underestimate the difficulty of solving big problems. Read and watch at: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/scale-is-the-only-problem-left
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Consider this: You might be wrong
If you are, like me, a certified brainiac who relishes in spouting endless factoids, I invite you to consider this: You might be wrong. Considering that you might be wrong will make it more impressive if you are right and, as a bonus, will make you a nicer person to be around.
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Know thy tools!
If you want to be effective and professional, you better know your tools well and spend time gaining the required knowledge and experience. Read and watch at: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/know-thy-tools
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All communication is strategic
When communicating in a professional context, you want every communication to count towards something. This in turn means that you need to have crystal clarity about your goals. If you communicate without a plan, then it should be no surprise that your non-existent plan does not come to fruition....
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The burden(s) of ownership
For the systems you own, do you ever look at the logs and metrics? If not, you are not the owner, you are, at best, the lazy guardian of a bunch of orphans, anyone of which could become the next Voldemort. Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-burdens-of-ownership
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Keeping it real
Hot take: If you want to work in this field, you need to understand computers. Read and watch at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/keeping-it-real
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
This podcast comes down to me reading articles from my article series "Wednesday Wisdom" which is available on Substack at josvisser.substack.com.
HOSTED BY
Jos Visser
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Wednesday Wisdom have?
Wednesday Wisdom currently has 82 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Wednesday Wisdom about?
This podcast comes down to me reading articles from my article series "Wednesday Wisdom" which is available on Substack at josvisser.substack.com.
How often does Wednesday Wisdom release new episodes?
Wednesday Wisdom has 82 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Wednesday Wisdom?
You can listen to Wednesday Wisdom on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Wednesday Wisdom?
Wednesday Wisdom is created and hosted by Jos Visser.
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