Episode 153 - Between Fuzzy and Discrete With LLMs
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Noble Ackerson returns to discuss about a recent presentation that Allen made to the Google Develope...
Episdoe 152 - What's the Intent of OpenAI Functions?
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Allen is joined by Noble Ackerson to discuss the latest feature that OpenAI has included with it'...
Episode 151 - Requiem for Conversational Actions
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Google completed the "sunset" of Conversational Actions for the Google Assistan...
Episode 150 - Another Look Backwards and Forwards
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Another milestone episode! Mark and Allen take advantage of the event to look back at our prediction...
Episode 149 - Recent Projects: Cards and Chains
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a busy week! What have we been up to? Mark has released a new set of cards that summar...
Episode 148 - AI Voodoo With Vodo Drive
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SO MUCH packed into this episode! Recently, Allen participated in a hackathon sponsored by VoiceFlow...
Episode 147 - Google AI/O 2023 Recap
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Google I/O time again! And although Allen couldn't attend in person, he and Mark review...
Episode 146 - Visions of Vector Databases
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've touched on the use of vector databases as we've started to explore how LLMs and conver...
Episode 145 - Alexa Widgets are Here!
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Long teased, the ability for developers to create Alexa Widgets is finally generally available! Mark...
Episode 144 - Experiments With LangChain (Part 2)
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're still exploring what LangChain can do, and this week we dive into a tutorial put out by th...
Episode 143 - Experiments With LangChain (Part 1)
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past few weeks, Mark and Allen have been playing with LangChain and OpenAI, exploring where...
Episode 142 - More From APL 2023.1
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The latest update for the Alexa Presentation Language, APL 2023.1, has been out for a little bit, an...
Episode 141 - Workin' on the LangChain (Part 2)
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Guest host Noble Ackerson returns to tie all the pieces of LangChain together and help Allen underst...
Episode 140 - ChatGPT Plugins (and Voice Agents?)
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the announcement last week that ChatGPT will soon be supporting plugins, Mark and Allen explore...
Episode 139 - Workin' on the LangChain (Part 1)
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Allen has been trying to get into building apps that include LLMs, and has been hearing a lot about ...
Episode 138 - Time After Time
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With Daylight Saving Time ending in the US last weekend, Mark and Allen figured it would be a good.....
Episode 137 - Analytics and BigQuery
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With Google's Universal Analytics sunsetting, everyone is looking at what other tools are available ...
Episode 136 - What To Do With Stuff That's New
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've been exploring some new tools, concepts, and libraries - Mark has been looking at tools to do ...
Episode 135 - Simple STT with Picovoice and Leopard
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're working on a #VoiceFirst application that requires Speech to Text in a controlled environm...
Episode 134 - All About (Speech) Mark
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of our favorite #VoiceFirst features (and not just because of the name) has come to Alexa! Allen...
Episode 133 - Dialogflow Deeper Dive
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our previous episode, Allen and Mark talked about the differences between Dialogflow ES and CX an...
Episode 132 - Discussing Dialogflow
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many #VoiceFirst developers know of Dialogflow as a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) system. But...
Episode 131 - Going Google for the Chat API
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know Google Chat has an API? That you can build bots for? And that it can even integrate dir...
Episode 130 - Must Check Microsoft Chatbots
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How is a chatbot different from what we usually think about in the #VoiceFirst world? There are para...
Episode 129 - Wondering About Alexa Widgets
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
More third party widgets are becoming available for Amazon Alexa, so Mark takes the opportunity to s...
Episode 128 - Looking Forward to 2023
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we kick off the new year, Allen and Mark look ahead at what's coming (or what we *hope* is coming...
Episode 127 - Looking Back at 2022
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the end of 2022 looms, Mark and Allen look back at some of the highlights of the show, of #VoiceF...
Episode 126 - The Twelve Days of Voice-mas
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wishing you the warmest of holiday seasons from all of us at Two Voice Devs and the #VoiceFirst Comm...
Episode 125 - Chatting About (and With) ChatGPT
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest buzz the past few weeks have been about ChatGPT from OpenAI, with some folks in the #Voi...
Episode 124 - On the Downside
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The tech industry isn't always full of better and better things happening. Sometimes... there are se...
Episode 123 - About App Actions
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Google has been sunsetting conversational actions, they've been ramping up with support for the n...
Episode 122 - Once Again, Our Thanks
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We'd like to extend our thanks to so many people in the #VoiceFirst community, our jobs, our family....
Episode 121 - Why Voice Isn't a Stretch With VoicePT
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark sits down with Brett Adler, developer of the award winning VoicePT skill, to discuss his backgr...
Episode 120 - Live and In Person at VOICE22
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you're seeing each other for the first time in 3 years, you make it an event! That's what Mark ...
Episode 119 - Reading Alexa's Signature
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not every technology we deal with in Voice is a #VoiceFirst technology, sometimes we need some "adja...
Episode 118 - Voicing Thoughts on Glass' Future
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Allen may be well known for coordinating his wardrobe with his Google Glass, but he's also as passio...
Episode 117 - VOICE22 Perspectives and Presentations
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Now that Mark and Allen have returned from #VOICE22, they take a look at what the summit was like a ...
Episode 116 - Spreadsheet Voodoo with Vodo Drive
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does it feel like to talk with a spreadsheet? That's the core question behind Vodo Drive (prono...
Episode 115 - Author! Author!
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you learn new skills in the #VoiceFirst arena? How do you share what you've learned with othe...
Episode 114 - Rules And Regulations (Part 2)
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
No matter if you're building an app for the iPhone or Android, a Google Action, or an Amazon Alexa S...
Episode 113 - Rules And Regulations (Part 1)
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
No matter if you're building an app for the iPhone or Android, a Google Action, or an Amazon Alexa S...
Episode 112 - Beyond the Assistants: Getting Input
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you're building your own #VoiceFirst app outside the assistants, you'll also need to think about ...
Episode 111 - Beyond the Assistants: Sending Output
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not every assistant needs to be part of Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant. What if you're develop...
Episode 110 - Building a Jovo Plugin
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark's been on a roll recently, converting many of the utilities he's built as part of writing Amazo...
Episode 109 - Verify and Verify Again
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Making sure our #VoiceFirst applications are written securely and use secure components is important...
Episode 108 - It's a Developer Challenge!
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Allen and Mark chat about the Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge: Aging & Engaging event that is curr...
Episode 107 - Skill, Book, and Handle
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Guest Host Craig Walls joins Allen to discuss his latest book on #VoiceFirst development for Amazon ...
Episode 106 - Supporting Open Source: Sanity and Jovo
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark goes over the latest open source package that he's developed with his company, RAIN, for the #V...
Episode 105 - What's New From Alexa Live 2022
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Amazon Alexa ran their annual developer event, Alexa Live, where they showcased a number ...
Episode 104 - Two Years, Two Voice Devs
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's our Second Anniversary show! In addition to a few kind words from our friends, Mark and Allen c...
Episode 103 - You Get A Badge! And You Get A Badge!
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Open Source components can be incredibly useful when building your #VoiceFirst Skill or app. Allen a...
Episode 102 - Iterating Intents Intentionally
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Based on a question from StackOverflow, Allen and Mark explore the question about how to handle a #V...
Episode 101 - What Have You Learned This Week?
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With Mark and Allen's plans to explore some new tools and features for #VoiceFirst developers, we di...
Episode 100 - Looking Back, Looking Forward
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On the occasion of our 100th episode, and with big changes in the #VoiceFirst industry from Google a...
Episode 99 - APL: What's New in 2022?
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has introduced an update to the Alexa Presentation Language, which allows #VoiceFirst develop...
Episode 98 - Gaming and Gates
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Based on a question from Will Rongholt, Mark and Allen discuss different approaches to implementing ...
Episode 97 - Jovo Community Plugin Tools (Part 2)
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we do #VoiceFirst development for platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Actions on the Google Assist...
Episode 96 - Jovo Community Plugin Tools (Part 1)
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we do #VoiceFirst development for platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Actions on the Google Assist...
Episode 95 - Google I/O 2022 Recap
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year again! Google I/O! When Google rolls out the latest tools and products for de...
Episode 94 - Multivocal + CMS = ?
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With a basic understanding of how multivocal helps you create a configuration-driven #VoiceFirst app...
Episode 93 - Configure Conversations? Multivocal!
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Allen has been talking about multivocal for years, but what is it, and what does it do for developer...
Episode 92 - AWS Lambda and Google Cloud Functions
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, AWS announced that their Lambda functions could now be invoked directly via HTTP, rather t...
Episode 91 - Bringing the Voice CMS to Sanity
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode, Mark demonstrated some of his work on Jovo that would lead towards a #VoiceFirs...
Episode 90 - How Jovo Works (With a CMS)
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever have one of those weekends where you have a programming idea, and you just can't get it out of ...
Episode 89 - Dealing With Databases
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Based on a question from Dana Gibson, Mark and Allen discuss some of the complexities when it comes ...
Episode 88 - OAuth Weirdness, Wisdom, and Woes
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An important feature in Account Linking with both Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant is how they ...
Episode 87 - Voice Content Management Systems (Part 3)
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With another week to ponder the implications (and implementation), Mark and Allen are both pretty ex...
Episode 86 - Voice Content Management Systems (Part 2)
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Allen and Mark continue their conversation about Content Management Systems in a #VoiceFirst world a...
Episode 85 - Voice Content Management Systems (Part 1)
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to #VoiceFirst applications, we often say that "content is king". But creating great c...
Episode 84 - Building a Chat App With Voice?!?!
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What #VoiceFirst technology would we use to build an Alexa Skill or Google Assistant Action that all...
Episode 83 - Invocations Start It Up
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Let's get this #VoiceFirst app going! Mark and Allen chat about some of the complexities when it com...
Episode 82 - What Is Modality?
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent listener JT asked us to explain what "modality" means. Good question, JT! Allen and Mark ta...
Episode 81 - HTTP For You And Me
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark and Allen take a look at one of the foundational technologies for Alexa Skills and Google App A...
Episode 80 - An Introduction to App Actions
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark is joined by guest host Eliza Camber, an Android developer and Google Developer Expert for the ...
Episode 79 - Voice At The Drive-Through
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Voice AI technology is popping up in all sorts of different places, but one place that has gotten lo...
Episode 78 - When Things Go Wrogn
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever have one of those days (or weeks) as a developer where things don't just go wrong, they go badl...
Episode 77 - A Day In The Life Of A Developer
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark and Allen discuss what being a senior Software Developer looks like, for them, on a day-to-day ...
Episode 76 - File Access Frustrations
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A surprising amount of major #VoiceFirst development requires accessing other resource files your Al...
Episode 75 - LIVE!
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark and Allen are joined by friends from around the world via Twitter Space in a live episode to di...
Episode 74 - And a Partridge In a Pear Tree
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Holidays, everyone! Mark and Allen take a quick look back to see what gifts the #VoiceFirst de...
Episode 73 - Getting the Team Back Together
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While your first experiments with #VoiceFirst development may be a solo project, bigger and more ela...
Episode 72 - Terminology (Part 2)
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mark and Allen continue their dive into some of the words we use as we develop #VoiceFirst. In this ...
Episode 71 - Terminology (Part 1)
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We use a lot of strange terms in the #VoiceFirst world, so Mark and Allen start diving into some of ...
Episode 70 - A Moment of Thanks
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We just want to take a moment to thank members of the #VoiceFirst community, those who make developi...
Episode 69 - An Intent by Any Other Name
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The concept of an Intent in the #VoiceFirst world seems straightforward - it is what a user is tryin...
Episode 68 - My First Steps in Voice
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is difficult to believe that the Google Home launched just over 5 years ago, and Alexa just celeb...
Episode 67 - Pre PostAPL Posting, Posted Post PostAPL
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ever have an idea that you just can't shake? Mark had an idea for an APL processor based on the Post...
Episode 66 - Cheering Up Designing Speech Markdown
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you get into a funk, and you need a little bit of self-care to just deal with a week. Mayb...
Episode 65 - Widgets and Other Wonders
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mark and Allen continue talking about the most recent hardware announced from Amazon and how this ma...
Episode 64 - Hardware: Building It and Buying It
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mark is joined by fellow Alexa Champion Darian Johnson to talk about Darian's various hardware proje...
Episode 63 - Back to (APL) Basics
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has been going all-in with Alexa Presentation Language recently, and Mark has been taking a d...
Episode 62 - ˈfoʊnimz ænd mɔr
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
That's "Phonemes And More", as in the SSML Phoneme tag, and some other tags that are now available f...
Epsiode 61 - Picture Plus
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mark has updated his Picture Guesser skill with some new features, and he and Allen discuss what wen...
Episode 60 - Put More Pep In Your Prompt
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do your messages and prompts to your users just drone on and on? Are people begging your voice agent...
Episode 59 - Count to Five
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a design presented at VoiceLunch US/Canada, Mark and Allen discuss how we would implemen...
Episode 58 - Everything's Pretty Routine
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Both the Google Assistant and Alexa have routines - ways you can create your own phrases to do thing...
Episode 57 - Who Ya Gonna Call?
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most voice skills and actions will need to work with a database or contact another service, and the ...
Episode 56 - The Unhappy Path
19 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Conversations don't always go to plan, and your conversation designers may specify how to handle err...
Episode 55 - I Have A Little List
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When we have a list of information to display on the web or on a mobile device, there are a variety ...
Episode 54 - Of the World
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, Amazon announced the latest class of Alexa Champions, and Google announced the first GDEs ...