At The Gnar, we're always reading, watching, and listening in order to keep our skills sharp and our perspectives fresh. Every month, we round up our learnings and publish them in a Gnarly Learnings blog post.
In October 2023, we learned about building AI apps with Elixir, examined the Storefront UI component library offered by Vue Storefront, and took our first in-depth look at the Bun JavaScript runtime.
AI Business Applications
When we think of computer interfaces, we're usually thinking about UI (user interface) elements where I click on menus and there's buttons and all this stuff. Increasingly, now we can just talk
The IBM Director of the MIT/IBM Watson AI Lab discussed the current problems with artificial intelligence, its business applications, and foundation models.
In his ElixirConf 2023 presentation titled Building AI Apps with Elixir, Charlie Holtz gives an overview of AI business applications using refreshingly simple language.Want some more insights? Check out our full analysis of the ElixirConf talk. In a three-part series, Planet Money created a full podcast episode written and voiced by artificial intelligence.
Ecommerce Web Design
For React or Vue apps, check out the open-source Storefront UI from Vue Storefront, which provides customizable components built for ecommerce.
Jakub Andrzejewski, developer advocate for Vue Storefront, talks more about headless ecommerce on the COMPRESSEDfm podcast.
Design
[31:30] …a lot of our customers are using Lit for design systems. So Adobe, Alaska Airlines, IBM, Cisco, ING…, Red Hat, SAP, Shoelace Components…VMware, the Internet Archive…Reddit, Just Eat Takeaway.
In a recent JS Party podcast, Justin Fagnani (creator of Lit), discusses how and why Lit is used in design systems.
Engineers, product managers, and researchers all have an important part to play in the design of a product. Their work, like ours, shapes the user experience. But despite shared interests, teams are often siloed by discipline, which makes collaboration and communication difficult, even dysfunctional.
Learn how lateral design can deliver superior products, outcomes, and experiences.
Mobile App Development
This summer, Expo had its first Launch Party - here's the recap and the original Launch Party page if you want more information.
A recent Expo video briefly explains how to build apps with React Native and Expo. For more information, check out the full App.js Conf 2023 keynote.
Tech Insights
At The Gnar, we always try to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. In Bun JavaScript Runtime First Look, we examine the features of Bun and ask one of our engineers how it worked as a drop in replacement for Node.
Gnarly Bytes
- Postgres: Orphaned .pid files can lead to some odd Postgres behavior, but this StackOverflow post reminds us we can use
rm -f /usr/local/var/postgres/postmaster.pidto fix the problem - DevEx:
Command+Inow opens an inline GitHub Copilot prompt - Libraries: For fans of HTMX or Turbo, check out Unpoly
- Libraries: For fans of asdf version manager, check out rtx for a Rust-based alternative
Contributors
Learn more about how The Gnar builds software.
Mike is Co-Founder of The Gnar Company, a Boston-based software development agency where he leads project delivery for clients like Whoop, Kolide (acquired by 1Password), LevelUp (acquired by GrubHub), Qeepsake (feaured on Shark Tank), and AARP. With over a decade of experience building impactful software solutions for startups, SMBs, and enterprise clients, Mike brings an unconventional perspective having transitioned from professional lacrosse to software engineering, applying an athlete's mindset of obsessive preparation and relentless iteration to every project. As AI reshapes software development, Mike has become a leading practitioner of agentic development, leveraging the latest AI-assisted practices to deliver high-quality, production-ready code in a fraction of the time traditionally required.
