1027: The Rise of the Design Engineer

1028: Cloudflare Wallets

Cloudflare is rolling out crypto wallets with claimable handles as identity, and a real React compiler finally landed for regular hooks-based code. Plus: OpenAI's pricing war, Vue Vapor benchmarks, GitHub's new npm malware scanning, and an active supply chain attack hitting 868 packages. Show Notes * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 01:02 Shai Hulud is back! * New Shai-Hulud announcement [https://x.com/IntCyberDigest/status/2084636007790449126?s=20] * Attacked keyv packages [https://socket.dev/supply-chain-attacks/keyv-and-cacheable-compromise] * 05:27 GitHub scans your npm packages for malware [https://github.blog/changelog/2026-07-28-npm-publish-time-malware-scanning-and-dual-use-metadata/] * 06:42 Your agent has a wallet now * Make your own [https://cloudflare.pay/] * Cloudflare wallet announcement blog post [https://blog.cloudflare.com/wallets/] * X402 payments [https://x402.org/] * 12:10 Yet another React compiler? * Ripple.ts [https://www.ripple-ts.com/] * Inferno.js [https://www.infernojs.org/] * Dominic Gannaway’s launch post [https://x.com/trueadm/status/2081764408741540071] * Octane [https://octanejs.dev/] * Native Script [https://nativescript.org/] * Reactivity + Rendering Benchmark [https://rbench.nullvoxpopuli.com/results?q=7] * 27:19 Scott switched his browser AGAIN! * Dia [https://www.diabrowser.com/] * Knock off extension [https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/knockoff-amazon-etsy-shop/pjgickchbiikhdfpmecaabkphmofpdce] * 31:56 AI Mental health survey [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdij87S57ibtMm2yPotcL0Ipd-c4ybQ45FgPqNTvVVW4pGU5w/viewform] * 32:29 OpenAI models are becoming cheaper? [https://openai.com/index/building-abundant-intelligence/] * 38:49 GitHub stacked PRs finally arrived [https://github.blog/changelog/2026-07-30-stacked-pull-requests-are-now-in-public-preview/] * 41:48 AI video podcasts * HeyGen launch post [https://x.com/HeyGen/status/2082510248489943367] * Hank Green’s unhealthy AI usage [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/youtuber-hank-green-says-his-ai-usage-is-not-healthy/] * 48:15 Brought to you by Sentry! [https://sentry.io/syntax/] * 49:28 News from the TC39 meeting * ECMAScript news [https://bsky.app/profile/tc39.es/post/3mrdjr6uq2t2i] * Await dictionary [https://github.com/tc39/proposal-await-dictionary] * TC39 Process [https://tc39.es/process-document/] * 56:58 Qwen 3.8 [https://qwen.ai/blog?id=qwen3.8] * 01:02:31 Latest and greatest in CSS and UI libraries * Foley.dev [https://usefoley.dev/] * Morphicons [https://www.morphicons.com/] * Lucide [https://lucide.dev/] * Nucleo [https://nucleoapp.com/] * 8bit library [https://8bit.cnlibs.com/theme] * CSS radar [https://cssradar.com/] * Impeccable [https://impeccable.style/] Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

1027: The Rise of the Design Engineer

Scott and Wes tackle your questions on the rise of the design engineer, why AI still lacks “taste” (and why it’s about more than just looks), and how to actually write tests in the age of AI-assisted coding. Plus: is AI a bubble about to burst, keeping coding agents efficient in massive codebases, introducing kids to AI, a Linux life update, and more! SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 01:18 The Rise of the Design Engineer Role * 08:39 Why AI Has No Taste: It’s Not Just How It Looks * 14:28 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax] * 14:52 Testing in the AI Era: Are We Using AI to Write Tests? * 20:09 Is AI a Bubble? Will It Burst? * The AI Bubble is Bursting on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgOZWGvzDpA] * 24:35 Negative Public Sentiment Towards AI and Data Centers * 30:16 Update on Scott Using Omarchy and Linux * Is The Omarchy Hype Real? [https://youtu.be/aWWo4ypLXds?si=e48H6HijGycJyLny] * 38:14 Introducing AI to Kids: A Parent’s Perspective with Dr. Courtney * 49:34 Getting Hired Without AI Experience: How to Catch Up * 52:53 Keeping Coding Agents Efficient: Token Usage, Speed, and Accuracy * Modem.dev Article [https://modem.dev/blog/how-coding-agents-read-your-code] * Fallow Docs [https://docs.fallow.tools/] * 57:10 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs SICK PICKS * Scott: Kitchen Sink Brush [https://amzn.to/4fqEstn] * Wes: Magnet Fishing [https://amzn.to/45sjLHC] SHAMELESS PLUGS * Scott: Phases Podcast [https://phases.fm/], Phases Podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKC_qfYDUsiRej_-dGHIT2A] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

1026: OpenAI Agent Hacks Hugging Face

A rogue OpenAI agent allegedly hacks Hugging Face, the React Compiler lands in Rust, and a fresh Rust full-stack framework ships. Scott, Wes, and CJ also dig into Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement, Claude Opus 5, and the campaign to kill the cookie banner. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! * 01:03 React Compiler Ported to Rust [https://github.com/react/react/pull/36173] * 06:39 Vercel releases TS to Native Compiler [https://scriptc.dev/] * 19:26 Standard Agent Zen Garden [https://model-zen-garden.standardagents.ai/] * 29:14 In-House LLM at Netflix [https://netflixtechblog.com/in-house-llm-serving-at-netflix-a5a8e799ea2c] * 34:14 Brought to you by Sentry.io [https://sentry.io/syntax] * 35:15 Anthropic to pay $1.5B over book piracy [https://apnews.com/article/ai-anthropic-copyright-settlement-claude-books-bartz-74b140444023898aeba8579b6e9f0d63] * 38:06 Open Weights [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/topics/open-weight/] and American AI Leadership * 40:27 Kimi K3 Weights Released [https://huggingface.co/moonshotai/Kimi-K3] * 44:26 Claude 5 Context Engineering [https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-5] * 45:40 Writing Code For Agents to Read [https://modem.dev/blog/how-coding-agents-read-your-code] * 48:02 Gemini 3.6 Flash / 3.5 Flash Cyber [https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-6-flash-3-5-flash-lite-3-5-flash-cyber/] * 50:44 Qwen Image 3.0 Released [https://qwen.ai/blog?id=qwen-image-3.0] * 54:46 Cactus Hybrid [https://github.com/cactus-compute/cactus-hybrid] - Fine Tune Small Models * 56:06 topcoat [https://github.com/tokio-rs/topcoat#roadmap] - Rust Full Stack Framework * 01:01:00 SvelteKit 3 Migration Notes [https://github.com/sveltejs/kit/pull/16505/changes] * 01:05:16 Canvas UI [https://canvasui.dev/] * 01:07:26 Jelly UI [https://jelly-ui.com/] * 01:09:24 Kill the Cookie Banner [https://killthecookiebanner.eu/] * 01:12:31 Hugging Face Hacked by OpenAI [https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/] * 01:21:27 AI Alliance for AI Safety and Security [https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/open-secure-ai-alliance/] * 01:24:51 htmx 4: the game for gameboy [https://swag.htmx.org/en-usd/products/htmx-4-the-game] * 01:29:00 Stolen Buttons [https://anatolyzenkov.com/stolen-buttons] * 01:29:33 Fonts in Use [https://fontsinuse.com/] * 01:32:39 3d Splats [https://vincentwoo.com/3d/grace_cathedral/] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

1025: The Open Web's second chance (w/ Dan Abramov)

Dan Abramov joins Scott and Wes to explain AT Protocol, the open standard quietly rebuilding the social web. They get into how it actually works, why it’s way bigger than just Bluesky, and why Dan calls it one of the most interesting ideas on the internet right now. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Intro * 00:45 Welcome to Syntax! * 01:46 Introduction of Dan Abramov * 02:55 Understanding AT Protocol and Its Importance * 06:41 The Relationship Between AT Protocol and Bluesky * 08:22 Identity and Hosting in AT Protocol * 11:29 Brought to you by Sentry [https://sentry.io/syntax/] * 11:54 Use Cases for AT Protocol * 13:08 How Content is Managed in AT Protocol * 19:12 Public Data and Future Extensions of AT Protocol * pds.ls [https://pds.ls/] * 20:33 Schema Flexibility in AT Protocol * Standard.site [https://standard.site/] * 25:28 Exploring AT Protocol Patterns * UFOs [https://ufos.microcosm.blue/] * 28:27 Media and Data Integration Challenges * Stream.place [https://stream.place/] * 31:15 User Experience and Accessibility in AT Protocols * 32:13 AI Intersections with AT Protocol * 36:54 Comparing Protocols: Bluesky vs. Mastodon * 41:43 Decentralization and Crypto Connections * 44:59 Addressing Abuse and Spam in Protocols * 48:24 Community Trust and Content Quality * 51:20 Innovations and Future of AT Protocol * 55:55 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs SICK PICKS * Scott: * Wes: * Dan: Solo Monk [https://open.spotify.com/album/4Bxg4OFb2wA6IjoeuWilRF?si=yM2UQ3rARo6pr3M2yJeRzw&nd=1&dlsi=4b4f16729b2d4ddb] SHAMELESS PLUGS * Scott: * Wes: * Dan: Next.js 16.3: Instant Navigations [https://nextjs.org/blog/next-16-3-instant-navigations] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]

1024: Open Models Replace Big AI

A huge week for open models: Inkling (the first big US open-weight model since Gemma 4), Qwen 3.8, and Kimi 3 all dropped. Plus Vue 3.6 RC + Vapor Mode, the slow death of Stack Overflow, a decoy font that blinds AI, and the usual grab bag of fun links. SHOW NOTES * 00:00 Intro * 00:44 Welcome to Syntax * 03:01 Vue.js 3.6 RC Released * Vue.js 3.6-RC.1 [https://github.com/vuejs/core/releases/tag/v3.6.0-rc.1] * 09:50 Brought to you by Sentry [https://sentry.io/syntax/] * 10:35 Rift - new worktree alternative * Rift [https://github.com/anomalyco/rift] * Explaining Rift tweet [https://x.com/nexxeln/status/2079124017131446655] * 17:46 Every new browser feature * MDN Plus Browser features updates [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/plus/updates] * CSS ’text-fit’ property [https://chromestatus.com/feature/5104141688635392?gate=5188568263426048] * 23:09 Kimi K3 Released * Kimi K3 release tweet [https://x.com/Kimi_Moonshot/status/2077830229968683203] * Kimi K3 blog post [https://www.kimi.com/blog/kimi-k3] * Openrouter effective pricing [https://openrouter.ai/moonshotai/kimi-k3] * 29:33 What are Open Weight Models * 32:46 Kimi K3 Architecture * Kimi K3’s built up [https://x.com/Kimi_Moonshot/status/2077830234955816983] * Cutting off access to Kimi [https://x.com/kimi_moonshot/status/2078855608565207130] * 33:59 Qwen 3.8 Released * Qwen 3.8 launch announcement [https://x.com/Alibaba_Qwen/status/2078759124914098291] * 36:42 Inkling from Thinking Machines * Thinking Machines release Inkling [https://x.com/thinkymachines/status/2077454609551921208] * Inkling release post from Mira Murati [https://x.com/miramurati/status/2077455974743593100] * Thinking Machines news blog post [https://thinkingmachines.ai/news/introducing-inkling/] * 40:45 Mole Cleanup App * Mole [https://mole.fit/] * 43:21 Moshi Terminal App * Moshi app [https://getmoshi.app/] * 46:05 RIP Stack Overflow * Query for new questions on Stack Overflow [https://data.stackexchange.com/stackoverflow/query/1953768/stackoverflow#graph] * Stack Overflow for Agents [https://agents.stackoverflow.com/recent] * StackExchange [https://stackexchange.com/sites] * 54:10 Scott’s Foot Pedal [https://www.elgato.com/ww/en/p/stream-deck-pedal?srsltid=AfmBOopC5ph-LzMqoP9T_8z2h3jHsXIH5aAd8i9mpoE5wROdJEowqXJz] * 54:59 Scott’s Feet * 56:13 Decoy Font [https://www.mixfont.com/experiments/decoy-font] * 59:16 Jurassic Park Computers [https://fabiensanglard.net/jurrasic_park_computers/index.html] * 01:03:59 Ride the Tokyo Trains LIVE [https://jivx.com/densha] HIT US UP ON SOCIALS! Syntax: X [https://twitter.com/syntaxfm] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/syntax_fm/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@syntaxfm] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/96077407/admin/feed/posts/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@syntax_fm] Wes: X [https://twitter.com/wesbos] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wesbos/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wesbos] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesbos/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@wesbos] Scott: X [https://twitter.com/stolinski] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stolinski/] Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stolinski] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stolinski/] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@stolinski] Randy: X [https://twitter.com/randyrektor] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/randyrektor/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@randyrektor] Threads [https://www.threads.net/@randyrektor]