The Balanced Engineer • Issue #39
Sharing Josh W. Comeau's new Whimsical Animations course plus a shout-out to MagnoliaConf!
The Balanced Engineer Newsletter
Week of September 29, 2025 • Issue # 39
This has been a bit of an odd week and I'm going through yet another period of “maybe I should change everything about the way I write my newsletter” phase. And I'm debating if it's worth it to keep writing it at all.
I only have one resource to share today, since it was a very busy weekend and the resource is a whole course. But before we get into that:
My dear friend Abbey Perini asked me to give a shout-out to MagnoliaConf to help spread the word about this upcoming event. It sounds incredibly cool, and if I wasn't already heading to GitHub Universe the next week in October (another super cool looking event!), I would absolutely consider making the trek! From Abbey:
Our catering isn't just feeding your body, it's possessing your taste buds with flavors that will haunt you long after the conference ends. Come hungry, leave spiritually transformed. Don't miss out on the spookiest tech event of the year! Get your tickets for MagnoliaConf 2025 today!
These tickets aren't just disappearing, they're being consumed by the void of regret that follows people who miss good conferences. Don't become part of the void. The void is lonely and smells like instant coffee. Get your tickets for MagnoliaConf 2025 today!
🧛 MagnoliaConf 2025 is just around the corner! Grab your tickets and be part of the excitement in Jackson, MS!
https://www.tixtree.com/e/magnolia-conf-453fc7ea2496
What’s new
Whimsical Animations: I purchased the early release version of Whimsical Animations from Josh W. Comeau. Early registration is available until Tuesday September 30th at 5PM EDT. This course has been wonderful for finally learning how animations work, which is something I have always told myself I would figure out. I love basically everything that Josh does. Everything he builds, from his writing to his blog, is built with such an impressive level of care and inclusivity that you can just TELL that this dude cares deeply for the craft of building software. This is the first course of his I've taken and it is no different. I have learned a ton, even as someone who considers themselves a decent frontend engineer, and am having a wonderful time using the app he built for his courses. This is not an ad, I'm just a fan, and would love to see other folks admire this work as well :)
What I've Been Building
A quick look at what I've been working on this week
Overcommitted: Ep. 26 | Lessons from an Interim Engineering Manager with Indrajith Premanath - This was such a lovely episode. Indrajith clearly learned a lot from his time as an EM, and it was very cool to hear about this role from the perspective of an IC!
Overcommitted Book Club: Check out the async Looks Good To Me book club!
Have comments or questions about this newsletter? Or just want to be internet friends? Send me an email at brittany@balancedengineer.com or reach out on Bluesky or LinkedIn.