From Rails Girls to Developer Gift Guides: A November to Remember
Planet Argon
Helping you sustain, modernize, & future-proof your Ruby on Rails applications through the ever-changing tech landscape.
?? Message from the Captain
Hey there,
November has been an exciting and reflective month at Planet Argon. We’re thrilled to share that we sponsored Rails Girls S?o Paulo earlier this month. Having had the opportunity to attend one of their events earlier this year, I’m delighted that we could help support their mission. With several team members now based in Brazil, we’re eager to immerse ourselves further in the local community.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner here in the U.S. and Dia de A??o de Gra?as in Brazil, we hope you enjoy the day, too. I’ve been reflecting on what I’m grateful for:
We also held another REBASE, our internal workshop day, where the team dives into talks, workshops, and learning opportunities. These moments of collaboration and growth are what make Planet Argon tick.
On the operational side, we’ve been making some behind-the-scenes financial shifts.
After years of using Hubspot as a core tool, we decided it was time to cut the cord. It was one of our largest expenses, costing nearly $1,200/month at its peak! By cleaning up and migrating to tools like Kit.com, Zapier (did you know they have forms and tables?), and Calendly, we’ve streamlined costs while keeping things running smoothly.
Lastly, we launched something I’ve been thinking about since last December: a Rails developer gift guide! It’s live now—just in time for the holiday season.
What’s on your mind this month? Hit reply and let us know!
Until next time,
Robby
?? Another Trip Around the Sun! Argonaut Birthdays
This month, we’re sending extra special birthday wishes to our very own Gary Blessington! ?? Here’s to another year of greatness ahead! ????
?? Argonaut Anniversaries
? William Mena - Ruby on Rails Developer, 3 years! William is a dynamic force on our development team. His passion for creating maintainable software, solving complex challenges, and contributing fresh ideas has been invaluable. We’re so lucky to have him on our team and can’t wait to see what the future holds for his journey with Planet Argon.
? Gary Blessington - COO & Partner, 18 Years! Gary has been an integral part of Planet Argon for nearly two decades. Gary’s leadership has helped guide us through challenges and opportunities, shaping the company we are today. Cheers to 18 incredible years of growth, leadership, and impact—thank you, Gary!
?? Logbook Entries: Blog Highlights
Choosing between Ruby on Rails and React for your web development project is more than just a technical decision—it’s about finding the right fit for your team’s dynamics and your project's goals. Our Engineering Manager, Ben Parisot , explores this further in his most recent blog post.
Emotional intelligence is a blanket term for several personal aspects, including self-awareness, empathy, motivation, and understanding complex social situations. Practically, what does this mean? Our Project Manager, Michael Kurt , offers some excellent tips in his new blog post.
?? Exploration Report: What We're reading
Tips, Gems, and Articles for Developers
For fun
?? Signals from the Ethers: Podcast Highlights
Popular Episode on Maintainable Software Podcast
What makes a database truly maintainable? Robby Russell had the pleasure of speaking with Gulcin Yildirim Jelinek, a Staff Database Engineer at Xata. Gulcin’s journey spans managing legacy systems in high-pressure industries to innovating with modern tools like Postgres. If you’ve ever been curious about vector databases, database automation, or building accessible communities, this episode is a must-listen.
?? For Fun