Coding Blocks

Allen Underwood, Michael Outlaw, and Joe Zack have been recording Coding Blocks together for over eleven years, and the comfort level between them makes every episode feel like hanging out with your most technically competent friends. The show focuses on software design fundamentals: design patterns, architecture decisions, coding for performance, object-oriented programming, database design, and the kinds of practical skills that make the difference between code that works and code that works well. With around 242 episodes in the archive, they've built up a serious library of material. Episodes typically kick off with a "water cooler" segment where the three hosts catch up, share what they've been working on, and riff on listener feedback. Then they get into the main topic, breaking down concepts with real examples from their own professional experience. The tone is casual but the content is substantive. You might hear Allen geeking out over a new tool, Outlaw troubleshooting a Kubernetes cluster, and Joe cracking jokes, all in the same episode. They do a great job of taking topics that sound dry on paper, like SOLID principles or clean architecture, and making them engaging through stories and debate. The show is particularly good for mid-level developers looking to level up their design thinking. It's not a news show and it's not chasing trends. Instead, it focuses on the fundamentals that stay relevant regardless of which framework is popular this year.