Best Semantic Web Podcasts (2025)

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466: All about keynotes with Aji Slater 43:36

4h ago43:36

43:36

As the final RailsConf draws near Joël and Aji Slater sit down to discuss its varied and interesting history of keynote presentations. The pair reminisce on their previous trips and talks at RailsConf, share some tips on creating the perfect keynote, as well as discussing the strong community that’s rallied behind RailsConf for so many years and ho…

1
44: Hanami and Chippy Buddies with Tim Riley 1:22:34

13d ago1:22:34

1:22:34

Send us a text Tim Riley joins to discuss Hanami and it’s new fundraising drive. Support if you can so Hanami can continue getting the support it needs. Sponsor Hanami We also discuss the Chippy Butty (aka Chippy Buddy) and California Burritos. Honestly, it's a little offensive the two were even compared, but Rooftop Ruby is all about teaching the …

1
Mara Inglezakis Owens: A People-Loving Enterprise Architect – Episode 34 30:57

13d ago30:57

30:57

Mara Inglezakis OwensMara Inglezakis Owens brings a human-centered focus to her work as an enterprise architect at a major US airline.Drawing on her background in the humanities and her pragmatic approach to business, she has developed a practice that embodies both "digital anthropology" and product thinking.The result is a knowledge architecture t…

1
API Productization and Governance - Discussion with Michaela Halliwell 46:31

20d ago46:31

46:31

In this episode, our guest is Michaela Halliwell, Senior Platform Product Manager at HCSS, a key player in the heavy civil construction industry. The discussion emphasizes applying a product management approach to APIs, focusing on solving customer problems and making them consumable. She also discusses the importance of governance starting from da…

1
What Makes Conversational AI Trustworthy? - Discussion with Ronald Ashri 1:15:28

20d ago1:15:28

1:15:28

In this episode, Kristof speaks with Ronald Ashri, co-founder of OpenDialog, to unpack the realities behind the AI hype. Drawing from his background in multi-agent systems and his journey through academia, startups, and the semantic web, Ronald shares why truly resilient AI isn't about building one model to rule them all—it’s about constraining pow…

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465: What is quality software with Elaina Natario 37:52

28d ago37:52

37:52

Elaina Natario returns to talk with Joël about what makes good quality product design and the priorities that shape development. The pair discuss the importance of certain elements such as security and accessibility, maintaining certain standards throughout development, as well as judging the practical applications of prototypes within a project an…

1
Frank van Harmelen: Hybrid Human-Machine Intelligence for the AI Age – Episode 33 29:31

1M ago29:31

29:31

Frank van HarmelenMuch of the conversation around AI architectures lately is about neuro-symbolic systems that combine neural-network learning tech like LLMs and symbolic AI like knowledge graphs.Frank van Harmelen's research has followed this path, but he puts all of his AI research in the larger context of how these technical systems can best sup…

1
464: Modelling the stars with Rémy Hannequin 42:59

1M ago42:59

42:59

Joël and Rémy draw inspiration from the stars as they discuss Rémy’s new open source Ruby gem, Astonoby. Rémy reveals the challenges he faced in taking on this project, the scientific translation work that went into making it accessible for everyone, as well as the key lessons he learnt from modelling the cosmos. — The Sponsor for this episode has …

1
43: I Think I Saw a Ghost 52:28

1M ago52:28

52:28

Send us a text Collin recounts his 3,000 mile roadtrip, where he definitely met a wild horse, and possibly a ghost. Joel has a new gem that makes working with raw instance variables in Ruby nicer. Zed is getting a debugger. Join the Discord Follow us on Mastodon: Rooftop Ruby Collin Joel Show art created by JD Davis.…

1
463: All about modals with Elaina Natario 36:42

1M ago36:42

36:42

Joël strikes up a dialogue with fellow thoughtboter Elaina Natario about the various use cases of modals. Together they discuss their pros and cons, the dos and don’ts, their functionality and accessibility to the end user as well as the subtle differences you'll notice when compared to dialogs. — The Sponsor for this episode has been Judoscale - A…

1
Denny Vrandečić: Connecting the World’s Knowledge with Abstract Wikipedia – Episode 32 32:34

2M ago32:34

32:34

Denny VrandečićAs the founder of Wikidata, Denny Vrandečić has thought a lot about how to better connect the world's knowledge.His current project is Abstract Wikipedia, an initiative that aims to let anyone anywhere on the planet contribute to, and benefit from, the world's collective knowledge, in their native language.It's an ambitious goal, b…

1
462: Decomposition as a key developer skill with Steve Polito 42:18

2M ago42:18

42:18

Joël and Steve sit down to discuss the ins and outs of decomposition within their respective workflows and how they use it to their advantage when working on certain projects. Together they look at working with vertical slices over other decomposition methods, when and how to break down code as efficiently as possible, and Joël lays out his three k…

1
Charles Ivie: The Rousing Success of the Semantic Web “Failure” – Episode 31 33:49

2M ago33:49

33:49

Charles IvieSince the semantic web was introduced almost 25 years ago, many have dismissed it as a failure.Charles Ivie shows that the RDF standard and the knowledge-representation technology built on it have actually been quite successful.More than half of the world's web pages now share semantic annotations and the widespread adoption of knowledg…

1
461: Writing new vs existing code with Sara Jackson 42:20

2M ago42:20

42:20

Joël talks with fellow thoughtboter Sara about the different ways developers can help one another across the various stages of an app’s lifecycle. They highlight the importance of utilising notes early on to clarify your work for others who may need it later down the line, how tooling can aid with this at all stages of development, and what lessons…

1
Andrea Gioia: Human-Centered Modeling for Data Products – Episode 30 32:48

2M ago32:48

32:48

Andrea GioiaIn recent years, data products have emerged as a solution to the enterprise problem of siloed data and knowledge.Andrea Gioia helps his clients build composable, reusable data products so they can capitalize on the value in their data assets.Built around collaboratively developed ontologies, these data products evolve into something tha…

1
42: You Can Go Any Speed You Want 51:15

2M ago51:15

51:15

Send us a text Joel and Collin discuss a variety of topics ranging from road trips and procrastination to coding tools and AI advancements. They share personal experiences from recent travels, delve into the challenges of productivity, and reflect on their conference experiences. The discussion also touches on the evolution of coding tools, the fut…

1
Patterns in Documentation - Conversation with Daniel Beck 51:49

2M ago51:49

51:49

In our conversation with Daniel Beck, we discuss creating documentation project archetypes to aid open source and enterprise projects in structuring their documentation efforts. The episode also delves into the evolving role of technical writers in the age of AI and the increasing importance of documentation for API usability. Further resources:Pat…

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460: Programer Productivity with Valerie Burzynski 36:10

2M ago36:10

36:10

Start taking notes in this episode as Joël and Valerie discuss the different ways in which they structure their note taking systems to improve their workflows. Together they cover the best ways to get started with serious note taking, how to best map out your thoughts so they make the most sense when you come back round to them, as well as examinin…

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Dave McComb: Semantic Modeling for the Data-Centric Enterprise – Episode 29 34:01

2M ago34:01

34:01

Dave McCombDuring the course of his 25-year consulting career, Dave McComb has discovered both a foundational problem in enterprise architectures and the solution to it.The problem lies in application-focused software engineering that results in an inefficient explosion of redundant solutions that draw on overlapping data sources.The solution that …

1
459: Paper Data Structures with Sally Hall 42:20

2M ago42:20

42:20

Joël and thoughtbot colleague Sally Hall set out to find an answer to the question, what exactly are the differences between paper data structures and digitals ones? They compare the different ways humans store and access data, from rolodexs to the dewey decimal system, browsing a system vs searching it, and how the digital age has changed the way …

1
458: Learning Typescript with Aji Slater 42:31

3M ago42:31

42:31

Joël and fellow thoughtboter Aji Slater examine the unfamiliar world of Typescript and various ways of working within it’s system. They lay out the pros and cons of Typescript over other environments such as Ruby and Elm and discuss their experience of adopting LLM partners to assist in their workflows. Using ChatGPT and Claude to verify code and t…

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41: There's no "R" in Naur 31:13

3M ago31:13

31:13

Send us a text We follow-up with an audio based piece of feedback on the Australian pronunciation of "Pinnochio." Collin is sick with shingles 🥺 Testing and security MVVM in Ruby desktop app development Performance in server design And of course, talk about British and American food. Join the Discord Follow us on Mastodon: Rooftop Ruby Collin Joel …

1
Ole Olesen-Bagneux: Understanding Enterprise Metadata with the Meta Grid – Episode 28 34:25

3M ago34:25

34:25

Ole Olesen-BagneuxIn every enterprise, says Ole Olesen-Bagneux, the information you need to understand your organization's metadata is already there. It just needs to be discovered and documented.Ole's Meta Grid can be as simple as a shared, curated collection of documents, diagrams, and data but might also be expressed as a knowledge graph.Ole app…

1
The Future of Content Management - Discussion with Jeff Eaton (Part 2) 57:57

3M ago57:57

57:57

In the second part of this thought-provoking exploration, the discussion turns towards dissecting the capabilities and limitations of AI, particularly Large Language Models. The episode highlights comparisons between human and artificial intelligence, as well as LLMs functioning as sophisticated indexing or caching mechanisms for information.…

1
Pattern languages and semantic caching - Discussion with Jeff Eaton (Part 1) 1:40:40

3M ago1:40:40

1:40:40

How do constraints increase opportunities by introducing boundaries? What challenges do Content Management Systems face in the age of AI? In this episode, Jeff Eaton (Partner at Autogram) discusses the complexities of building and managing digital systems, drawing on a wide range of theoretical frameworks to understand underlying patterns. The epis…

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Andrea Volpini: The Role of Memory in Digital Branding for AI – Episode 27 32:08

3M ago32:08

32:08

Andrea VolpiniYour organization's brand is what people say about you after you've left the room. It's the memories you create that determine how people think about you later.Andrea Volpini says that the same dynamic applies in marketing to AI systems. Modern brand managers, he argues, need to understand how both human and machine memory work and th…

1
457: Time Zones with Sally Hall 46:29

3M ago46:29

46:29

Joël enlists the help of thoughtbot colleague Sally Hall as they dive into the complex world of time zones, daylight savings, measurements and coding. Together they discuss their struggles with daylight savings throwing off their recent project reporting, the constant struggles of writing for different time zones and why writing your own code is ne…

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Jacobus Geluk: Use-Case Trees for the Data-Product Marketplace – Episode 26 33:48

3M ago33:48

33:48

Jacobus GelukThe arrival of AI agents creates urgency around the need to guide and govern them.Drawing on his 15-year history in building reliable AI solutions for banks and other enterprises, Jacobus Geluk sees a standards-based data-product marketplace as the key to creating the thriving data economy that will enable AI agents to succeed at scale…

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Rebecca Schneider: Knowledge Graphs and Enterprise Content Strategy – Episode 25 32:09

4M ago32:09

32:09

Rebecca SchneiderSkills that Rebecca Schneider learned in library science school - taxonomy, ontology, and semantic modeling - have only become more valuable with the arrival of AI technologies like LLMs and the growing interest in knowledge graphs.Two things have stayed constant across her library and enterprise content strategy work: organization…

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456: Typescript with Jimmy Thigpen 37:19

4M ago37:19

37:19

Joël turns to fellow thoughtboter Jimmy Thigpen as he looks to expand his knowledge about the wide world of Typescripts. Together they discuss the differences between Typescript and other common systems such as Elm and Javascript, how to best handle their edge cases and error flags, as well as the benefits of using Zod as your typescript library. —…

1
40: Brought to You by McVities 1:34:58

4M ago1:34:58

1:34:58

Send us a text Joel explains why he loves Svelte 5 so much and Collin talks about an iOS app he put on GitHub. Collin realizes relating everything back to how it's like Swift might only be a useful comparison for himself. Links: Svelte Turbo Mount Inertia Rails Join the Discord Follow us on Mastodon: Rooftop Ruby Collin Joel Show art created by JD …

1
455: Noisy Animals Kata with Fritz Meissner 46:06

4M ago46:06

46:06

Joël talks with fellow thoughtboter Fritz Meissner about the thinking process behind his latest kata project and the vast world of coding problems. Fritz explains why he developed the noisy animals kata and how it helped to better understand and streamline his code, the best ways to break down conditionals and how to clean them up efficiently withi…

1
454: Workshop design with Aji Slater 37:46

5M ago37:46

37:46

Joël is joined by fellow thoughtboter Aji Slater as they discuss their previous experiences in designing content for workshops. Learn how to best structure your workshop for an audience, the benefits of a workshop over a talk and vice versa, as well as how to tackle the different hurdles your audience might face when working through your presentati…

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39: I Just Want Some Structure 1:14:07

5M ago1:14:07

1:14:07

Send us a text Exciting News! We're both unemployed! Someone hire us 🥺 You could even hire both of us—a dream team for hire, you might say. This week, Collin accidentally deletes his Application Support folder on his Mac, and we talk Xcode, text editors, and Difftastic. Joel goes in-depth on Tree-sitter and writing a SQLite parser. Plus, we discuss…

1
From Documentation to Interaction: Building a More Resilient Web - Discussion with Jeff Eaton 1:43:03

5M ago1:43:03

1:43:03

How has the concept of structured content evolved, and how does it relate to APIs? How is the internet shifting from a focus on publishing content to enabling interactions? In this special episode, Kristof Van Tomme (Co-founder and CEO of Pronovix) and Christoph Weber (Solutions Architect at Pronovix) invited Jeff Eaton (Partner at Autogram) to dis…

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453: The Bike Shed Wrapped 2024 31:30

6M ago31:30

31:30

Happy New Year from The Bike Shed! Tune in to the one wrapped edition that really matters this holiday season, The Bike Shed Wrapped! Recap the year with Joël and Stephanie as they reminisce over their favourite moments of 2024. The pair discuss ways they’ve stepped outside their comfort zone to gain a different perspective on their work, the growt…

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452: Hotwire Essentials with Steve Polito 28:47

6M ago28:47

28:47

Stephanie is joined by follow thoughtbot-er Steve Polito as they discuss his latest GitHub resource, Botcasts. Find out why Steve was so keen to make the app, what he learnt about Hotwire in the process and why he thinks you should stop listening to the show in your current pod-catcher and pick it up in Botcasts instead! -- Try building Botcasts fo…

1
451: Making Time for and Managing Focus 29:25

6M ago29:25

29:25

It’s officially the holidays at the Bike Shed! Defrag your hard drives and take a break with Joël and Stephanie as they breakdown different ways to manage your focus during the day. The pair discuss separating coding time from thinking time when working, the pros and cons of blocking out time for different tasks and clever ways to move seamlessly f…

1
450: Javascript-Driven Development? 39:57

7M ago39:57

39:57

Joël and Stephanie go back to fundamentals as they pick apart some recent conversations they’ve been having around the office. Together they discuss the advantages of GraphQL over a REST API, how they utilise JSONB over a regular column or table, and the use-cases for and against a frontend framework like React. But what’s the theme that ties all t…

1
Semantic and Other Versioning Systems 38:57

7M ago38:57

38:57

Send us a text Thanksgiving, mince pies, and Joel is giving up on semantic versioning. Versioning systems on Wikipedia Join the Discord Follow us on Mastodon: Rooftop Ruby Collin Joel Show art created by JD Davis.By Collin Donnell, Joel Drapper

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449: Evergreen skills for new-ish developers 37:41

7M ago37:41

37:41

One of the most challenging things about starting out as a developer is how much you need to master all at once. And with so much to learn, it can be difficult for experts to guide fresh developers and advise them on where to focus first. Luckily, some skills will always be useful, no matter what language you’re coding in. In today’s episode, Steph…

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448: Other Uses for Tests 33:42

7M ago33:42

33:42

How can tests serve beyond just catching bugs in code? In this episode, Stephanie and Joël dive into the various roles that tests can play in a developer's toolkit. Covering all the fundamentals, from aiding knowledge transfer and documentation to ensuring accountability in code reviews, they explore the unexpected ways that tests support developer…

1
Literal 1.0 and Where We’ve Been 59:16

7M ago59:16

59:16

Send us a text Collin and Joel discuss where they’ve been, Collin’s broken wrist, getting into film photography, and the release Literal 1.0. Join the Discord Follow us on Mastodon: Rooftop Ruby Collin Joel Show art created by JD Davis.By Collin Donnell, Joel Drapper

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447: How to (not) implement impersonation 37:39

7M ago37:39

37:39

For developers, impersonation can be a powerful tool, but with great power comes great responsibility. In today’s episode, hosts Stephanie and Joël explore the complexities of implementing impersonation features in software development, giving you the ability to take over someone’s account and act as the user. They delve into the pros and cons of i…

1
Developer productivity and emerging personas - Discussion with Praneet Singh 56:28

7M ago56:28

56:28

If information is scattered across all the different sections of a developer portal, how can you make it easy for developers to find exactly what they are looking for? Is AI really the answer to challenges in data exploration? In this episode, Praneet Singh (Product Manager at Intuit) shares valuable insights about improving findability, as well as…

1
446: All about rewrites 35:31

7M ago35:31

35:31

When is it time for a rewrite? How do you justify it? If you’re tasked with one, how do you approach it? In today’s episode of The Bike Shed, we dive into the tough question of software rewrites, sharing firsthand experiences that reveal why these projects are often more complicated and risky than they first appear. We unpack critical factors that …

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445: Working Iteratively 40:06

8M ago40:06

40:06

Does having smaller, more frequent iterations help to ease your cognitive load? During this episode, we discuss the benefits and challenges of working iteratively and whether or not it can prevent costly errors. You’ll hear about juggling individual pieces effectively, factors that incentivize and de-incentivize working iteratively, and how Joël ga…

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What are your business incentives? Shifts and Effects in the API world - Discussion with Zdenek Nemec 1:14:23

8M ago1:14:23

1:14:23

Are there negative values when opening up API programs? Can an AI agent be more than a virtual co-worker that works under supervision? In this episode, Zdenek Nemec (Founder and CTO at Superface) and Kristof Van Tomme explore the attention economy and the effects of shutting down successful social networks for profit. They also delve into the role …

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444: From Solutions To Patterns 34:58

8M ago34:58

34:58

What’s the difference between solving problems and recognizing patterns, and why does it matter for developers? In this episode, Stephanie and Joël discuss transitioning from collecting solutions to identifying patterns applicable to broader contexts in software development. They explore the role of heuristics, common misconceptions among junior an…

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443: Rails World and Open Source with Stefanni Brasil 32:23

9M ago32:23

32:23

Learning from other developers is an important ingredient to your success. During this episode, Joël Quenneville is joined by Stefanni Brasil, Senior Developer at Thoughtbot, and core maintainer of faker-ruby. To open our conversation, she shares the details of her experience at the Rails World conference in Toronto and the projects she enjoyed see…

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Semantic Web Podcasts

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