Screaming in the Cloud – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn talks with Jonathan Schneider, CEO of Moderne and author on Java microservices and automated code remediation. They explore why upgrading legacy systems is so hard, Schneider’s journey from Netflix to building large-scale code transformation tools like OpenRewrite, and how major companies like Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft use it.

They also discuss AI in software development, cutting through the hype to show where it genuinely helps, and the human and technical challenges of modernization. The conversation offers a practical look at how AI and automation can boost productivity without replacing the need for expert oversight.

Show Highlights

(2:07) Book Writing and the Pain of Documentation

(4:03) Why Software Modernization Is So Hard

(6:53) Automating Software Modernization at Netflix

(8:07) Culture and Modernization: Netflix vs. Google vs. JP Morgan

(10:40) Social Engineering Problems in Software Modernization

(13:20) The Geometric Explosion of Software Complexity

(17:57) The Foundation for LLMs in Software Modernization

(21:16) AI Coding Assistants: Confidence, Fallibility, and Collaboration

(22:37) The Python 2 to 3 Migration: Lessons for Modernization

(27:56) The Human Element: Responsibility, Skepticism, and the Future of Work

Links

1. Wiz Cloud Security Health Scan: https://www.wiz.io/crying-out-cloud
2. Modern (Jonathan Schneider's company): https://modern.ai
3. LinkedIn (Jonathan Schneider): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanschneider/

On this episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn talks with Simon Willison, founder of Datasette and creator of LLM CLI about AI’s realities versus the hype. They dive into Simon’s “lethal trifecta” of AI security risks, his prediction of a major breach within six months, and real-world use cases of his open source tools, from investigative journalism to OSINT sleuthing. Simon shares grounded insights on coding with AI, the real environmental impact, AGI skepticism, and why human expertise still matters. A candid, hype-free take from someone who truly knows the space.

Highlights: 

00:00 Introduction and Security Concerns
02:32 Conversations and Kindness
04:56 Niche Museums and Collecting
06:52 Blogging as a Superpower
08:01 Challenges of Writing and AI
15:08 Unique Use Cases of Dataset
19:33 The Evolution of Open Source
21:09 Security Vulnerabilities in AI
32:18 Future of AI and AGI Concerns
37:10 Learning Programming with AI
39:12 Vibe Coding and Its Risks
41:49 Environmental Impact of AI
46:34 AI in Legal and Creative Fields
54:20 Voice AI and Ethical Concerns
01:00:07 Monetizing Content Creatively

Links: 

• Simon Willison’s Blog
• Datasette Project
• LLM command-line tool and Python library
• Niche Museums
• GitHub MCP prompt injection example
• Highlights from the Claude 4 system prompt
• AI energy usage tag
• AI assisted search-based research actually works now
• POSSE: Publish on your own site, syndicate elsewhere
• Bellingcat
• Lawyer cites fake cases invented by ChatGPT, judge is not amused (May 2023)
• AI hallucination cases database
• Sponsor Simon to get his monthly summary newsletter
• https://simonwillison.net/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonwillison
• https://datasette.io/

Dropping and sharing files should be easy. What a novel idea. On this episode, Corey speaks with Timo Josten, the sole developer behind Dropshare. We bring up the fact that he’s the only guy working on it because the tool is quite impressive! Corey loves it and so does an entire community of folks on Github! Together, they discuss the evolution and functionality of Dropshare. Timo also shares how he balance of enhancing Dropshare, emphasizing user feedback, and customization options, all while offering feature updates and maintaining sustainability. 

Show Highlights

(0:00) Intro

(1:06) The Duckbill Group sponsor read

(1:39) What does Dropshare do? 

(6:10) Dropshare's impressive flexibility and dedicated community

(10:27) How Timo landed on Dropshare's business model

(12:38) What's new in Dropshare 6?

(16:09) The Duckbill Group sponsor read

(16:36) Determining what should be an update or part of the next version of Dropshare

(18:30) Dropshare’s iOS app

(21:04) The perks of being able to configure deletion in Dropshare

(25:45) Dropshare's thriving GitHub community

(29:26) Where you can find more from Timo and Dropshare

About Timo Josten

Timo Josten is the developer of Dropshare, the macOS and iOS app to upload anything anywhere.

Links

• Timo’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timo-josten-493962185/
• Timo’s personal website: https://josten.io
• Dropshare: https://dropshare.app/
• shitposting.pictures 

Sponsor

The Duckbill Group: duckbillgroup.com 

This week on Screaming in the Cloud, Corey is joined by good friend and colleague, Charity Majors. Charity is the CTO and Co-founder of Honeycomb.io, the widely popular observability platform. Corey and Charity discuss the ins and outs of observability 1.0 vs. 2.0, why you should never underestimate the power of software to get worse over time, and the hidden costs of observability that could be plaguing your monthly bill right now. The pair also shares secrets on why speeches get better the more you give them and the basic role they hope AI plays in the future of computing. Check it out!

Show Highlights:

(00:00 - Reuniting with Charity Majors: A Warm Welcome

(03:47) - Navigating the Observability Landscape: From 1.0 to 2.0

(04:19) - The Evolution of Observability and Its Impact

(05:46) - The Technical and Cultural Shift to Observability 2.0

(10:34) - The Log Dilemma: Balancing Cost and Utility

(15:21) - The Cost Crisis in Observability

(22:39) - The Future of Observability and AI's Role

(26:41) - The Challenge of Modern Observability Tools

(29:05) - Simplifying Observability for the Modern Developer

(30:42) - Final Thoughts and Where to Find More

About Charity

Charity is an ops engineer and accidental startup founder at honeycomb.io. Before this she worked at Parse, Facebook, and Linden Lab on infrastructure and developer tools, and always seemed to wind up running the databases. She is the co-author of O'Reilly's Database Reliability Engineering, and loves free speech, free software, and single malt scotch.

Links:

• https://charity.wtf/
• Honeycomb Blog: https://www.honeycomb.io/blog
• Twitter: @mipsytipsy

On this week’s episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey is joined by Kristi Perreault. Given Kristi’s title of AWS Serverless Hero, Corey and Kristi discuss the origins and current state of the serverless world, the similarities between AI and serverless as the tech world moves into this next era, and why she emphasizes that serverless is not always the right solution for every issue. Kristi also opens up about her role as Principal Software Engineer at Liberty Mutual, and what she enjoys most about jet setting around the globe giving speeches.

Highlights:

(00:00) - Introducing Kristi Perreault

(00:39) - The Unconventional Path to Becoming an AWS Serverless Hero

(05:05) - Exploring the Boundaries of Cloud Education

(10:53) - The Challenges of Keeping Up with Rapid Tech Changes

(11:51) - Redefining Serverless: Beyond the Hype

(13:12) - The Evolution of Serverless and Its Impact

(21:55) - Staying Grounded Amidst Technological Zealotry

(27:18) - Python Development in the Cloud

(29:31) - Upcoming Talks and Where to Connect with Kristi

About Kristi

Kristi Perreault is an AWS Serverless Hero and a Principal Software Engineer at Liberty Mutual Insurance, where her focus is serverless-first cloud enablement. She has over 5 years of industry experience, holds an M.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering, and is very passionate about promoting women in technology. She is an established speaker, appearing in over 35 conferences, podcasts, panels, and more. Kristi founded the Serverless Denver meetup, and currently co-organizes the Portsmouth, NH AWS User Group and CDK Day. Outside of work and the serverless tech space, Kristi can be found reading a good book in her tiny home, enjoying a good poke bowl, or jet setting all over the world.

Links:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-perreault/
• Twitter: @kperreault95
• AWS Portsmouth User Group: https://www.meetup.com/aws-portsmouth-user-group/
• AWS Usergroup Belfast: https://www.meetup.com/aws-usergroup-belfast/

George Porter, a computer science professor at the University of California, San Diego, talks to us about advanced networking and the effects of computing on the environment In this episode of Screaming in the cloud. George explores the shift towards optical networking in data centers to meet growing bandwidth needs and discusses the significant carbon footprint associated with computing, from data centers to device production. In addition to providing a look into the future of scalable, sustainable computing systems, George mentions the difficulties and benefits of incorporating cloud computing into academic research. 

Show Highlights:

(00:00) - Introduction 

(03:15) - The Shift to Optical Networking

(07:50) - The Efficiency of Cloud Networks

(12:06) - Adaptable Networks for Different Uses

(16:19) - Reducing Computing's Carbon Footprint

(20:25) - Highlighting Computing's Environmental Impact Through Art

(26:51) - Cloud Computing Challenges in Academia

(31:18) - The benefits of cloud computing for academic research

(34:14) - Closing thoughts 

About George:
A Computer Science Professor at UC San Diego focusing on high-performance and sustainable computer systems

Links:

• Center for Network Systems at UCSD: https://cns.ucsd.edu/
• Low Carbon Computing and Collaboration with the University of San Diego: https://c3lab.net/ 

Join Corey Quinn and MinIO's co-founder and CEO, AB Periasamy, for a look into MinIO's strategic approach to integrating open-source contributions with its business objectives amidst the AI evolution. They discuss the effect of AI on data management, highlight the critical role of data replication, and advocate for the adoption of cloud-native architecture. Their conversation examines the insights of data replication, mentioning its pivotal role in ensuring efficient data management and storage. Overall, a recurring theme throughout the episode is the importance of simplifying technology to catalyze a broader understanding and utilization that can remain accessible and beneficial to all.

Show Highlights:
(00:00) - Intro

(03:40) - MinIO's evolution and commitment to simplicity and scalability.

(07:25) - The significance of data replication and object storage's versatility.

(12:12) - Challenges and innovations in data backup and disaster recovery.
(15:21) - Launch of MinIO's Enterprise Object Store and its comprehensive features.
(20:50) - Balancing open-source contributions and commercial objectives.

(30:32) - AI's growing influence on data storage strategies and MinIO's role.

(34:33) - The shift towards software-defined data infrastructure driven by AI and cloud technologies.

(39:40) - Resources and the future of tech 

(43:31) - Closing thoughts 

About A.B Periasamy:

AB Periasamy is the CEO and co-founder of MinIO. One of the leading thinkers and technologists in the open source software movement, AB was a co-founder and CTO of GlusterFS which was acquired by RedHat in 2011. Following the acquisition, he served in the office of the CTO at RedHat prior to founding MinIO in late 2015. AB is an active angel investor and serves on the board of H2O.ai and the Free Software Foundation of India. He earned his BE in Computer Science and Engineering from Annamalai University.

Links:

• MinIO: https://min.io/
• Kubernetes:https://kubernetes.io/
• AWS (Amazon Web Services): https://aws.amazon.com/
• Twitter: @abperiasamy 

Corey Quinn is joined by HumblePod CEO Chris Hill to dissect Chris's debut experience at AWS re:Invent. Together, they tackle the challenges of attending one of the biggest conferences in the IT industry, discussing its immense reach, logistical hurdles, and invaluable insights for anyone considering attending in the future. Beyond the event itself, Chris provides an intimate glimpse into the crucial behind-the-scenes efforts involved in producing exceptional content amid the chaos of AWS re:Invent, emphasizing the importance of kindness, professionalism, and superior audio quality. Discover how partnering with an experienced podcast production team can elevate any content to new heights of polish and engagement.

Full Description / Show Notes

(00:00) - Introduction to the Episode

(01:25) - Chris's First Impressions of AWS re:Invent

(02:09) - The Surprising Scale of AWS re:Invent

(04:13) - Lessons Learned and Things Chris Would Do Differently at Future AWS re:Invent Events

(07:52) - Balancing Content Creation, Networking, and Professionalism Under Stress

(13:42) - Chris and Corey’s Humorous Encounters with Security While Filming at AWS re:Invent

(15:35) - Exploring AWS Services and Billing Surprises

(21:12) - Significance of Professional Podcast Production

(25:04) - Closing Thoughts & HumblePod Contact Information

(26:19) - Closing Thoughts

About Chris:

Chris Hill is a Knoxville, TN native and owner of the podcast production company, HumblePod. He helps his customers create, develop, and produce podcasts and is working with clients in Knoxville as well as startups and entrepreneurs across the United States, Silicon Valley, and the world.In addition to producing podcasts for nationally-recognized thought leaders, Chris is the co-host and producer of the award-winning Our Humble Beer Podcast. 

He also lectures at the University of Tennessee, where he leads non-credit courses on podcasts and marketing.  He received his undergraduate degree in business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he majored in Marketing & Entrepreneurship, and he later received his MBA from King University. 

Chris currently serves his community as the President of the American Marketing Association in Knoxville. In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with the local craft beer community, international travel, exploring the great outdoors, and his many creative pursuits.

Links:

• HumblePod: https://www.humblepod.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HumblePod 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdhill1/ 
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thechristopholies
• WBTB TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@webuiltthisbrand 
• HumblePod IG: https://www.instagram.com/humblepod/?hl=en 

On this week’s episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn is joined by Joel Griffith. Joel is  the CEO of Browserless.io, a company focused on providing headless browser automation without the pains of hosting. Corey and Joel discuss the most common use cases for headless browsers, the spectrum of web scraping ethics over the last decade, and why it’s so important to always do what you are passionate about no matter how high you climb on the corporate ladder. Joel also gives us his insight into why so many engineers come from creative backgrounds and shares his story of moving from jazz trumpet player to CEO.

Full Description / Show Notes

• (00:00) - Intro
• (00:53) - Guest Introduction: Joel Griffith
• (02:51) - The Genesis of Browserless.io
• (05:21) - Use Cases of Browserless.io
• (07:19) -The Potential for Abuse of Web Scraping
• (08:37) - The Legitimate Use Cases of Web Scraping
• (11:17) - The Power of the Right License Type
• (13:55) - The Value of Open Source and Charging for Software
• (14:13) - The Journey to Starting a Business
• (24:00) - Joel’s Emphasis on Quality of Life
• (27:43) - Staying Focused on the Work You’re Passionate About
• (30:00) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

About Joel

Master of puppets and the browsers they run! I'm Joel Griffith, and for over a decade I've helped run, destroy, and make manageable things related to browser automation. I've had the pleasure of working on this in big companies and small, and more recently started Browserless to bring the power of automation to teams of all sizes.

Links:

• Github: https://github.com/joelgriffith
• Twitter: @browserless https://twitter.com/browserless  

Corey is joined by William Collins, Alkira's head cloud architect, to discuss the obstacles and possibilities of cloud networking. They discuss the evolution, challenges, and necessity of cloud networking, highlighting why this fundamental part of cloud design often goes unrecognized yet truly deserves attention. From William's early days of cloud skepticism to the incredible influence of services such as AWS Transit Gateway, William shares his experiences and insights into how network planning can make a big difference in cloud installations in this episode of Screaming in the Cloud.

Show Notes:

About William Collins:

William Collins is a principal cloud architect at Alkira, where he plays a pivotal role in evangelizing the company's vision, building customer relationships, and leading thought in the network, security, and automation spaces within the cloud ecosystem. With a rich background in enterprise technology across financial services and healthcare, including a significant tenure as Director of Cloud Architecture at Humana, William has made substantial contributions to cloud adoption and network modernization. Beyond his professional pursuits, William is passionate about content creation, hosting The Cloud Gambit Podcast, and teaching as a LinkedIn Learning Instructor. His expertise spans automation, cloud computing, and network engineering. An advocate for continuous learning and innovation, William's outside interests include woodworking, playing ice hockey, and guitar. While his insights are influential, they reflect his personal views and not those of his employer.

Show Highlights: 

(00:00) Introduction

(03:24) William Collins shares his initial skepticism towards cloud computing 

(07:28) The evolution of cloud networking

(13:50) The role of upfront planning in cloud network deployment to avoid scalability and complexity issues.

(21:10) The shift from complicated, manual network setups to simple, effective cloud systems .

(24:13) William uses Netflix's network design as an example of how cloud networking powers seamless user experiences 

(27:44) The future of cloud networking and the ongoing need for innovation

(30:23)  Closing remarks 

Links:

• Alkira's Website: https://www.alkira.com/
• The Cloud Gambit Podcast: https://www.thecloudgambit.com/
• William Collins on X (Twitter) https://twitter.com/WCollins502
• AWS Transit Gateway  https://aws.amazon.com/transit-gateway/
• William Collins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-collins-