Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Mikel Lindsaar This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Mikel Lindsaar. Mikel started a Ruby on Rails consultancy in 2010 and is most well known for being the original author of Mail gem. He first got into programming working as a volunteer for a church where he built a Rails parishioner management system. This experience led him to create the Mail gem, which has really made him well-known in the community. He always like the idea of being able to control and create something, and this has definitely influenced his programming career. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:  How did you first get introduced into programming? Mail gem Coders are humans too Rails Issues with his e-mail system Don’t have to be a seasoned coder to create something amazing Blocks Taught himself Ruby PHP How did you get into coding? DOS Manual Coding webpages for the ISP Rails is a very mature ecosystem now You don’t need a lot of different frameworks to create a business app The versatility of Rails Customers don’t care what things are built in Rails with a sprinkle of JavaScript Stimulus Use the appropriate technology And much, much more! Links:  DevChat.Tv YouTube ReIneractive @Lindsaar Lindsaar.net Picks: Charles AstroReality Mikel Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Dr. Joel Fuhrman Marble Machine by Wintergatan