North Meets South Web Podcast

Episodios

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  Wildfires, Fitness Tracking, and CCTV 17.07.2026 46m

  Michael and Jake catch up ahead of Laracon in Boston, beginning with Michael's increasingly complicated home extension. Jake shares a family trip to Cedar Point, then the conversation moves to how a Laravel Cloud weekend challenge inspired Michael to build Fitrack, a personal app for coordinating training around a single fitness goal. We then move on to home network and security upgrades, including a larger rack cabinet, a new NAS, locally accessible alarms and CCTV, Power over Ethernet cameras, Home Assistant, HomeKit, RTSP feeds, and using Claude to handle unfamiliar smart-home configuration. We also discuss Kitze hacking his NordicTrack treadmill and Michael’s experience connecting his own treadmill with Apple Fitness.Finally, Michael and Jake look ahead to Laracon, discuss conference merchandise and accommodation in Boston, and finish with a conversation about donuts, candy, and the lengths parents go to when quietly disposing of their children’s leftover sweets.Show linksCedar PointLaravel CloudTaylor’s Laravel Cloud weekend shipping challengeEdwin’s Google Meet alternativeFitrackDavid HemphillHome AssistantAqara camerasKitze's treadmill hackCaleb Porzio on code imprinting on our brainsLaracon USMoxy Boston Downtown
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  Better API docs, customer support lessons, and cannoli 02.07.2026 45m

  Jake shares lessons from rebuilding a permissions system around flexible roles, temporary permission leases, and delegated user management. He also discusses adding Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus designing automated text-message payment flows that use numbered choices instead of complicated keywords.Michael talks about building lender integrations, the importance of adding real context to API documentation, and using Claude to turn JSON specifications into PHP DTOs and enums. He also reflects on his team’s new helpdesk rotation, where direct exposure to users has uncovered long-standing bugs, inefficient manual processes, and opportunities for developers to better understand the people using their software.They finish with the challenges of parenting teenagers, preparations for Laracon US in Boston, including a search for coffee, donuts, bagels, and cannoli. (00:00) - Club World Cup surprises and sports talk (03:12) - UFC, LeBron and basketball moves (06:33) - Rebuilding roles and permissions (08:39) - Permission leases and delegated management (10:02) - Apple Pay, Google Pay and text-based payments (11:50) - Lender integrations and better API documentation (14:08) - A new developer and the helpdesk rotation (17:13) - Automated tickets and failed queue jobs (18:54) - The address autocomplete bug (19:58) - When tiny code changes create hidden failures (23:02) - Why support requests need a real ticket (25:17) - Developers learning directly from customers (27:53) - Cross-department training and business context (30:51) - Building trust beyond Slack (32:02) - Weekly stress, workload and personal check-ins (35:18) - Parenting teenagers and setting curfews (37:10) - Planning for Laracon US in Boston (40:00) - Australian and American school calendars (42:51) - Vacations, PTO and wrapping up
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  Ten years of the show, conference ticketing, and database access 18.06.2026 57m

  In this milestone 10-year anniversary episode of North Meets South, Michael and Jake reflect on a decade of podcasting, from their first awkward recordings and early Laravel community connections to the friendships, conferences, and recurring topics that have shaped the show over nearly 200 episodes. A large part of the episode focuses on Michael's work-in-progress event ticketing platform inspired by the challenges of running Laracon AU. He explains the limitations of existing conference ticketing systems, the difficulties of collecting attendee information for multiple conference-adjacent events, and his vision for a more attendee-centric system that manages profiles, dietary requirements, event registrations, and conference networks across multiple Laravel events. To wrap up, Michael and Jake discuss giving developers direct database access, the security implications of SSH access, database permissions, and Laravel filesystem configuration, including why enabling exception throwing for filesystem operations can help avoid silent failures.Show linksLaracon AULaracon US TicketTailor Transistor Laravel News PodcastNo Plans to Merge Notes on WorkTalking BusinesslyLarabelles LaraProm WalletWalletLaravel filesystem throw on fail
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  Fast Laravel with Jason McCreary 04.06.2026 56m

  Michael and Jake are joined by Jason "JMac" McCreary to talk the impact of AI on Laravel Shift and modern upgrade workflows, and his latest Fast Laravel course focused on edge caching and application performance.Jason shares how Laravel Shift has evolved alongside AI-assisted development, why recent Laravel releases have changed the upgrade landscape, and why he still believes there's value in keeping applications aligned with the latest framework conventions rather than simply running composer update. The conversation explores how AI tools are influencing developer workflows, the future of upgrade automation, and new ways Shift is integrating with agentic coding tools. The second half of the episode dives deep into Fast Laravel, Jason's course on making Laravel applications dramatically faster using Cloudflare edge caching. Drawing on decades of web development experience, he explains why page caching remains one of the most effective performance techniques available, how Laravel's default stateful behaviour can prevent effective caching, and the practical steps required to achieve cache rates approaching 99% on real-world applications.Show LinksLaravel ShiftShift AI SkillsFast LaravelSeparate `static` middlewareManaged queues on Laravel CloudLaravel Cloud
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  Laracon AU CFP, developer storytelling, and audience engagement 21.05.2026 46m

  Michael shares a behind-the-scenes look at organising Laracon AU 2026, including the new committee-based CFP review process, the tooling built to manage the talk submissions, and how AI-assisted workflows helped shape the final conference schedule. The conversation dives into balancing technical depth with audience engagement, designing conference cadence to avoid cognitive overload, and why advanced technical talks are so difficult to execute well.Jake and Michael also discuss the realities of crafting technical presentations, from simplifying code examples and avoiding "proof of expertise" syndrome, to using AI tools as collaborative thought partners when preparing talks. Along the way, they explore how conference organisers think about audience fit, production experience, practical takeaways, and keeping attendees engaged during deeply technical sessions.Show linksLaracon AUModel Context Protocol (MCP)Riff & Refine: Trust the Process
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  Unused APIs, Passport testing traps, and local AI bottlenecks 07.05.2026 36m

  In this episode, Michael shares details from a major internal platform shift at work, including the decision to completely remove an underused public JSON API and rebuild integrations around real customer needs instead of hypothetical use cases. The conversation dives deep into Laravel Passport, Sanctum, OAuth flows, request authorisation, and some tricky edge cases around testing authenticated APIs.Jake then broadens the conversation into AI infrastructure, local model hosting, security implications of autonomous AI systems, NVIDIA hardware demand, and the future potential of photonic processors as a solution to the growing power and cooling bottlenecks facing AI workloads.Show linksLaravel PassportLaravel SanctumLaravel Passport actingAs testing helpersPHP enumsPHPStanLarastanZapierClaudeNVIDIA DGX systemsPhotonic processors
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  Gents on Gent with David Hemphill 23.04.2026 1h

  Michael and Jake are joined by David Hemphill to discuss David's macOS app Gent, a task runner built on the "Ralph loop" pattern for AI-powered coding workflows.The conversation covers how Gent takes a project requirements document (PRD), breaks it into small tasks that fit within a single context window, and runs them sequentially or in parallel using copy-on-write clones and Git worktrees.We discuss our own evolving workflows with Claude Code, including plan mode, the "Grill Me" skill for stress-testing plans, managing context windows, and the /rewind command.Show LinksDavid HemphillGentRalph loopConductorPolyscopeChief"Grill Me" skillMatt Pocock / AI HeroSoloThe Eternal Promise: A History of Attempts to Eliminate ProgrammersLaracon
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  Flight booking mistakes, Laracon AU, and dead letters 10.04.2026 49m

  In this episode, Michael and Jake catch up ahead of Laracon and share a wild travel story involving flight changes, third-party booking headaches, and expensive rebooking.Jake then shares a fun personal highlight: attending the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and watching Michigan win.The conversation shifts into development work, where Jake dives into building a centralised system for managing failed Laravel jobs across multiple applications. He explains the challenges of aggregating failed jobs without Horizon, how they built a custom package to expose APIs for inspecting and retrying jobs, and the nuances of Laravel's queue system.They also explore ideas for turning this work into a Laracon talk, emphasising practical, experience-driven content over purely technical deep dives.Show LinksLaracon AULaravel HorizonSentryDead Letter Queue (00:00) - Introduction and road to episode 200 (01:00) - Laracon plans and travel setup (02:00) - Flight booking disaster and schedule change (06:00) - Rebooking flights and unexpected costs (09:00) - Lessons learned with third-party bookings (10:00) - Michigan wins NCAA championship (12:30) - Midwest geography and personal background (12:45) - Building a centralized failed jobs system (15:30) - Challenges with retries and tracking failures (16:40) - The "Dead Letter" package and API approach (23:20) - Turning real-world problems into Laracon talks (48:20) - Wrapping up and outro
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  OIDC, bastion hosts, and production safety 20.03.2026 38m

  In this episode, Jake and Michael dive into modern infrastructure security practices, sparked by an annual audit and the painful process of rotating AWS IAM tokens. That experience leads into a broader discussion on why long-lived credentials in GitHub Actions are risky, and how OIDC (OpenID Connect) enables a more secure, short-lived, role-based alternative.Show linksScout SuiteOpenID Connect (OIDC)Laravel ForgeLaravel HorizonScrambleClaudeLoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation)
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  Worktree structures, workflow events, and enum metadata 06.03.2026 44m

  In this episode, we discuss using `claude --worktree` to spin up parallel feature work, and the unexpected friction that can arise when your editor doesn’t play nicely with nested worktrees.Jake shares his experience running multiple Claude agents in parallel and problems that surfaced in PhpStorm. Michael explains how he structures worktrees differently, avoiding those issues, and the two compare workflows between PhpStorm and Neovim.Show Linksclaude --worktreeGit worktreesPhpStormNeovimTmuxLazyGitUsing GitHub CLI in workflowsarchtechx/enumsArborLaracon USGit Worktree Hub plugin for PhpStorm
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  Charging chaos, corona discharge, and vector embeddings 20.02.2026 42m

  Michael and Jake discuss Jake's device charging chaos, household optimisation, international power outlets, and vector embeddings.Show linksGitryinMagnetic 3-in-1 wireless chargerDesktop charging station 12-in-1Corona dischargeLaracon US ElevenLabsDaily Dose of DS (Data Science)MstyRetrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)Laravel AI
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  OpenClaw, Arbor, and horseless carriages 06.02.2026 39m

  Michael and Jake catch up on what’s been occupying their time lately, from AI tooling experiments to new developer workflows, before closing with a broader reflection on how new technologies are often misunderstood at first.Show linksOpenClaw / Clawd Bot / MoltbotArborAI horseless carriages
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  When AI clicks, automation at home, and developer workflows 23.01.2026 46m

  Jake and Michael return for 2026 and talk about their evolving experiences with AI; what it’s good at, what it’s not, and how it’s changing the way they work.Show linksOpenAI / ChatGPTAnthropic / Claude (Sonnet & Opus)OpenCode (multi-provider AI coding interface)Home AssistantZigbee temperature sensorsGitHub CopilotOllama (local LLM runner)NVIDIA DGX SparkAmp CodeMiniMax M2.1 modelSoftware for an audience of oneArborOpenCode Desktop has workspaces supportOpus 4.5 is going to change everything
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  Choose your hard 09.10.2025 47m

  Michael and Jake open with retro arcade serendipity (a Mortal Kombat cabinet sighting!) and tumble into family bowling, kid-approved card games, and why tactile gadgets are back in style.Then they pivot hard into dev-mode: shadcn/ui (and shadcn-vue), Inertia, React-ish forms, and the age-old tradeoff between “batteries-included” simplicity and modern real-time UX.Highlights:Mortal Kombat cabinet & mini arcades, gift ideas for Laracon AUDuckpin bowling explainer and family bowling stories (plus UNO, Yahtzee, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza)The “analog is cool again” thread: mechanical keyboards, a Keychron board, and a retro 3D-printed mouse shell for a Logitech M185Dev deep-dive: shadcn docs, Inertia forms, partial reloads vs full refresh, Livewire/Alpine, and real-time updates with Pusher/ReverbShow linksRetroPie / Arcade1UpLaracon AUDuckpin bowlingKeychron keyboard3D-printed retro mouse shell for Logitech M185Taco Cat Goat Cheese PizzaInertia.jsshadcn/uishadcn-vueLivewireAlpine.jsPusherLaravel ReverbAxiosfetch
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  Controllers and Middleware, Grok vs. Claude, and Developer Value 25.09.2025 45m

  Jake and Michael dive into a wide range of topics, from coding practices in Laravel to the evolving role of AI in software development. They kick things off with daylight savings and weekend updates before moving into technical discussions on authorization, policies, and form requests in Laravel.The conversation expands to cover recent changes in middleware and controller patterns, contextual attributes in the service container, and practical approaches to request validation.Later, the focus shifts toward AI tools like Claude, Grok, and Cursor, including their strengths, frustrations, and industry-wide adoption pressures. We reflect on the uneasy balance between developer control and AI assistance, wrapping up with thoughts on productivity, value, and what it means to let machines write code.Show linksLawn HubArcade 1UpRetroPieMortal Kombat cabinetNuno's authorization on form requestsContextual AttributesGrok Code Fast 1
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  LawnHub, Saloon, and Salesforce 11.09.2025 40m

  In this episode, Michael and Jake catch up on life and code. They talk about fatigue, seasonal shifts, lawn adventures, and the return of hay fever.We dive into replacing a legacy Salesforce integration with Saloon, frustrations with mocks, and how Saloon fakes have improved testing workflows. Michael walks through his experiments with AI tools like Claude and opencode to prototype fake gateways - treating AI as a “junior dev” pair. The discussion covers gateway patterns, middleware, registry-based response handling, and strategies for testing Salesforce without polluting production environments.From weeds and soil temps to software fakes and AI-driven dev, this one’s a mix of everyday life and practical engineering insights.Show linksLawnHub – Michael’s lawn care supplierSaloon (by Sam Carré) – Laravel/HTTP client packageSalesforce – CRM platform discussed in the episodeMockery – PHP mocking frameworkopencode – terminal tool for AI coding (by SST’s Dax and Adam, Terminal Coffee)Claude – AI model used for coding explorationGitHub Copilot – AI coding assistantStripe test cards – referenced in gateway fake analogyBond for Livewire
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  Soccer terror, conference swag, and Omarchy (btw) 28.08.2025 48m

  In this episode, Jake and Michael catch up on life, family, and tech.Michael shares proud stories about his son Eli turning into a “soccer terrorist” on the field, while Jake recounts his own stint as a stand-in soccer coach. They dive into Laracon AU updates — from speaker announcements and Road to Laracon podcasts, to quiz night and swag planning.Other highlights include experiments with AI-generated artwork, Bruce’s new social media adventures, sponsor promotion, and even a tangent on coding tools like PHPStan and how AI can help fix issues in the background.Show linksLaracon AURoad to LaraconBruce on XLaravel Live DenmarkBoost
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  Laracon recap, eleven stations, and Laravel meetups 14.08.2025 40m

  In this episode, Michael and Jake reflect on their recent time at Laracon US 2025 in Denver - catching up in person after six years, reconnecting with the Laravel community, and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the conference floor.They also cover:Why this Laracon felt like a true “homecoming”Building Laravel meetups and fostering communityThe book (and tv show) Station Eleven (and how different things might have been)The value of attending conferences, particularly as a non-speakerContinued discussion on the complexities of handling roles and permissionsThe episode weaves together community highlights, technical challenges, and personal reflections.
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  Laracon, controller middleware, and permissions 11.07.2025 50m

  In this episode, Michael and Jake kick things off with some Laracon travel talk, sharing their hotel plans, coffee quests, and even jokes about pillow fights at the conference hotel. Michael reveals his precise coffee scouting for the Vib by Best Western hotel, determined not to survive three days on Starbucks alone.Should you define middleware in a controller’s constructor? Michael explains why he avoids it - preferring to keep all middleware in route definitions for better visibility and maintainability. Jake explores the pros and cons and why he’s still tempted to use it for certain edge cases.Dynamic permissions vs. static definitions: We switch gears to talk about the balance between flexibility and clarity when defining permissions for applications, especially when it comes to handling user roles, teams, and complex business rules.Mentioned in this episode:Laracon US travel plansVib by Best Western (the hotel coffee and tacos!)Laravel middleware usagePermission handling in appsTravel gear for developers on the go
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  Flavours of busy, restrained features, and variable static views 27.06.2025 47m

  In this episode, Jake and Michael discuss the nuance of being “busy”, saying no to features (and why), handling user feedback early, Laravel-powered static views with dynamic data, and building tools that stand the test of time.