For part 2 of our Council of Wizards panel discussion, we are joined by Chris Bell, Desmond Bowe, Emily Maxie, Dan Lindeman, and Alan Voss! Chris and Desmond run the ElixirTalk Podcast and we get in-depth on the intersection of the language and talking about it. They share the lessons they have learned in the podcasting space, making some pit stops to chat about aliens, Elixir beef, and marble flooring! We discuss the community during the pandemic and what the Elixir world might look like for the next year or two. Emily and Dan then step in to give us all the information about Very and their very functional remote work model. They talk us through the full departure that the company made from a physical hub and both share what they love and hate about working from home, before and during the COVID crisis. Dan and Emily talk about onboarding and team spirit in remote teams and the strategies that have best served Very in this regard. Lastly, we have a bonus section with Alan Voss, to discuss his game night competitions and more. He unpacks the games he has already hosted and some of the candidates for future events before we hear about his experiences in the pandemic, specifically as an extrovert and a father. For all of this make sure to join us on the show!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The exciting possibility of starting beef in the Elixir community!
• Books and podcasts we have been reading and listening to.
• Marble flooring, glass blowing, aliens, conspiracy theories, and impersonations!
• Tips, tricks, and lessons for the podcast space from Chris and Desmond.
• Thoughts on the future of the Elixir community during and after the pandemic.
• The array of projects that keep Chris and Desmond busy; startups, meetups, conferences!
• Very's fully remote-work setup and the decision to move away from a physical office.
  
• Challenges and lessons in the work-from-home model; making do with less in-person interaction.
• Positive sides to a home workspace; making a mess and closing the door.
• Employee socialization and familiarization at a remote company.
• The applicability of Elixir across different projects and libraries.
  
• The infinite amount of puns that are available when talking about Very!
• Programming Connect Four and the future of bot competitions according to Alan.
• Strategy snobs and taking this to its logical conclusion with chess and Go.
• The effect that the pandemic has had on extroverts and the adjustments that Alan has made.
• The possibility of ElixirConf this year and the forms it could take.
• Work that has gone into Alan's game-night side project over the last months.
• The growth of Postmates and their current need for new employees!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

SmartLogic — https://smartlogic.io/
Elixir Ecosystem Survey — https://elixirsurvey.typeform.com/to/yYmJv1
ElixirConf — https://elixirconf.com/2020
Github Repo for Transcript Corrections — https://github.com/smartlogic/smartlogic.io/tree/master/podcast/elixir-wizards/transcripts
Chris Bell — https://cjbell.co/
Chris Bell on Twitter — https://twitter.com/cjbell
Desmond Bowe on Twitter — https://twitter.com/desmondmonster
ElixirTalk — http://elixirtalk.com/
Emily Maxie on Twitter — https://twitter.com/emilymaxie
Dan Lindeman on Twitter— https://twitter.com/lindemda
Very — http://verypossible.com/
Chris McCord — http://chrismccord.com/
Alan Voss — http://www.alanvoss.org/
Alan Voss on Twitter — https://twitter.com/alanvoss
Lonestar Elixir— https://lonestarelixir.com/
MPex — https://mpex.com/
Payitoff — https://www.payitoff.io/
Meetup — https://www.meetup.com/
OpenAI — https://openai.com/
Risk — https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-B7404-Risk-Game/dp/B01ALHAIWG
Strange Loop — https://www.thestrangeloop.com/
Postmates — https://postmates.com/

Special Guests: Alan Voss, Chris Bell, Dan Lindeman, Desmond Bowe, and Emily Maxie.