
The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source
Refactored in prison (Interview)
May 23, 2025 · 1 hr 42 min · 147.4 MB
0:00-1:42:14
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Preston Thorpe joins us from inside prison, where he awaits a hopeful release within the next 12 months. His journey has been anything but easy—marked by hardship and uncertainty. But over the past few years, Preston has undergone a profound transformation. He’s refactored not just his skills, but his identity. Today, he proudly calls himself a software engineer and an open source contributor. In this episode, Preston shares his story of redemption, resilience, and what comes next.
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Sponsors:
- Retool – The low-code platform for developers to build internal tools — Some of the best teams out there trust Retool…Brex, Coinbase, Plaid, Doordash, LegalGenius, Amazon, Allbirds, Peloton, and so many more – the developers at these teams trust Retool as the platform to build their internal tools. Try it free at retool.com/changelog
- Depot – 10x faster builds? Yes please. Build faster. Waste less time. Accelerate Docker image builds, and GitHub Actions workflows. Easily integrate with your existing CI provider and dev workflows to save hours of build time.
- Outshift by Cisco – AGNTCY is an open source collective building the Internet of Agents. It’s a collaboration layer where AI agents can communicate, discover each other, and work across frameworks. For developers, this means standardized agent discovery tools, seamless protocols for inter-agent communication, and modular components to compose and scale multi-agent workflows.
Featuring:
- Preston Thorpe – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn
- Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
- Jerod Santo – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Show Notes:
- Preston Thorpe - My Story
- Preston Thorpe - About
- GitHub – PThorpe92
- Unlocked Labs
- exa – Replacement for ls
- eza – Modern replacement for exa
- micro – Terminal-based text editor
- The Stanford Prison Experiment
Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Join the discussion
changelog.zulipchat.comChangelog++
changelog.comRetool
retool.comDepot
depot.devOutshift by Cisco
agntcy.orgWebsite
pthorpe92.devGitHub
github.comLinkedIn
linkedin.comWebsite
adamstacoviak.comGitHub
github.comLinkedIn
linkedin.comMastodon
changelog.socialX
x.comWebsite
jerodsanto.netGitHub
github.comLinkedIn
linkedin.comMastodon
changelog.socialX
x.comPreston Thorpe - My Story
pthorpe92.devPreston Thorpe - About
pthorpe92.devUnlocked Labs
unlockedlabs.orgexa – Replacement for ls
github.comeza – Modern replacement for exa
eza.rocksmicro – Terminal-based text editor
micro-editor.github.ioThe Stanford Prison Experiment
prisonexp.orgPRs welcome!
github.com
- 0:00This week on The Changelog
- 1:07Sponsor: Retool
- 3:57Start the show!
- 7:04How did you end up here?
- 10:28Access and distrobution
- 14:02Dr*g flow
- 20:14Multiple offenses
- 35:53Sponsor: Depot
- 38:14First steps to writing software
- 43:33Your choice is your superpower
- 45:49The best life hack?
- 47:45You've made a choice. They can make a choice.
- 51:17Getting into open source
- 1:00:05Contributing to `exa`
- 1:04:33Sponsor: Outshift by Cisco
- 1:05:37Applying new skills
- 1:14:02You seem to be on the tip
- 1:17:04Plans for next?
- 1:18:19Scared of what's next?
- 1:19:55Thanks to Prime and others
- 1:23:02The humans in our loop
- 1:25:17Thoughts on prison reform
- 1:29:49The Stanford Prison Experiment
- 1:39:11Wrapping up
- 1:40:35Closing thoughts and stuff