iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 12/04/2026

After 20+ years of teaching computer science, I've decided my main job isn't teaching syntax or frameworks. It's motivating students to want to learn. Enthusiasm and interesting projects go further than polished lectures. I talked with Quincy Larson on the freeCodeCamp podcast about this and more.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 07/03/2026

That always drove me crazy with programming vids. I got so fed up I came up with a whole new medium that is much easier to build a walkthrough. One of the best things about it is I can go thru it multiple times and add refine it. No need to get it perfect the first time.

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Reposted by Mark Mahoney

freeCodeCamp.org @freecodecamp.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Teaching code is difficult. Blogs and videos don't always let learners see how code & logic evolves over time. In this post, Mark introduces Storyteller, a VS code extension that plays back code evolution with inline comments so learners can follow step-by-step. www.freecodecamp.org/news/storyte...

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 05/02/2026

Big update at Playback Press: All code playbacks are now open to everyone, no signup required. Browse the full library and learn at your own pace. playbackpress.com/books Want to ask questions about the code? The AI assistant is available for logged-in users. See it here: youtu.be/WAPql5KZFR4

playbackpress.com

PlaybackPress

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 28/01/2026

The most viewed content: Python (44K), C++ (37K), and Web Development (37K). I'm partial to my Clojure and Elixir tutorials. Functional programming deserves more attention, and watching it develop line by line makes the concepts click.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 28/01/2026

My site to share programming concepts, Playback Press, crossed 180,000 playback views this year. I built it to replace textbooks in my courses. Now people I've never met are using it too. Check them all out here: playbackpress.com/books

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Reposted by Mark Mahoney

freeCodeCamp.org @freecodecamp.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

As a web dev, you'll use many tools & frameworks when you're building websites & apps. And to help you learn the key concepts, Mark created this guide. You'll learn front & back end Web Development basics like HTTP, Node, Express, JSON, HTML, CSS, React, & more. www.freecodecamp.org/news/an-anim...

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 15/11/2025

Check out this playback: playbackpress.com/books/cppboo... or any code playback on #PlaybackPress playbackpress.com/books

playbackpress.com

Playback

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 15/11/2025

I added a small but valuable feature to code playbacks on Playback Press. Since the hand drawn pictures and screenshots are so important to viewers I added a way to search for comments based on the pictures. Hit 'shift + /' on the keyboard to bring up the new media picker search dialog.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 12/11/2025

The playbacks show how programs evolve. There's also an AI tutor embedded to answer questions about the code (youtu.be/WAPql5KZFR4). The AI tutor is a great example of human-led and AI-assisted learning resources. Let me know what you think!

youtu.be

New AI Assistant Interface

YouTube video by Mark Mahoney

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 12/11/2025

Now is a great time to learn some non-traditional programming languages. I have two free 'books' of code playback on #Clojure and #Elixir. playbackpress.com/books/cljbook playbackpress.com/books/exbook

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 12/11/2025

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 26/09/2025

I’m looking for a little feedback. I am working on a playback describing #perceptrons for my #AI course. Here is a link to it: markm208.github.io/cppbook/ai/p... Reach out to me if you have any feedback!

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 20/08/2025

I'm looking for experienced developers to write code playbacks for my platform. If you enjoy explaining your code and teaching others, code playbacks are a great way to share knowledge and build your reputation in the dev community. Get the details here: playbackpress.com/contact

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Reposted by Mark Mahoney

freeCodeCamp.org @freecodecamp.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Design patterns are solutions to common coding problems that show up often in your projects. And here, Mark explains how some key object-oriented design patterns work in Java. He covers patterns like Strategy, Singleton, Composite, Decorator, Observer, & more. www.freecodecamp.org/news/object-...

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 22/07/2025

Learn how to make and use code playbacks in your CS courses on Tuesday July 29th at 1:00pm CDT. Join with a friend or come with your whole department! www.reddit.com/r/CSEducatio...

reddit.com

Learn how to make your own guided code walkthroughs

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 18/07/2025

I can’t quite believe it myself but… Playback Press has just crossed a major milestone: 40,000+ playback views in a 30 day period!

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 16/07/2025

I’m hosting a free online zoom to discuss how to create code playbacks, how I use them in the classroom, and the best practices for using them. "Learn How To Share Your Code With Others With Code Playbacks" Jul 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM Central Time www.eventbrite.com/e/learn-how-... Please share!

eventbrite.com

Learn How To Share Your Code Examples With Others Via Code Playbacks

Learn about the tools and best practices to create and share code playbacks with others!

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 15/07/2025

You can play the game first before diving into the code: markm208.github.io/wordZearch/ Let me know what you think!

markm208.github.io

Word Zearch

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Reposted by Mark Mahoney

freeCodeCamp.org @freecodecamp.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

C++ is a powerful, high-performance programming language devs use for things like systems & game development. And here, Mark teaches you the basics through a series of interactive exercises. You'll learn about variables, functions, vectors, pointers, & lots more. www.freecodecamp.org/news/learn-p...

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Reposted by Mark Mahoney

freeCodeCamp.org @freecodecamp.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

As a web developer, you'll use many different tools and frameworks. And to help you learn the key ones, Mark created this guide. You'll learn both front & back end Web Dev basics like HTTP, Node, Express, JSON, Mongo, HTML, CSS, Web Components, and React. www.freecodecamp.org/news/an-anim...

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 07/07/2025

Here is a quick video showing the new AI assistant interface to code playbacks: youtu.be/WAPql5KZFR4 These new features make code playbacks more interactive. Plus, viewers can review questions they have asked in the past. Check them out here: playbackpress.com/books Let me know what you think!

youtu.be

New AI Assistant Interface

YouTube video by Mark Mahoney

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 01/07/2025

The future of coding requires that people get better at reading and understanding code, not just writing and generating it. Check out the new features here: playbackpress.com/books All of the books are free but you do have to create an account in order to use the AI features.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 01/07/2025

- Skill level selection (beginner/intermediate/expert) - One click to ask common questions - Self-grading multiple choice questions are generated in batches now instead of one at a time - Project extension suggestions to build on the existing code

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 01/07/2025

The new interface is cleaner with tabbed sections for questions, practice problems, and project suggestions. What's new: - Tabbed interface and updated UI - Improved prompts for more specific feedback from the AI model- it really does produce better answers now

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 01/07/2025

It's been almost a year since I added the first AI assistant to code playbacks on Playback Press. They have been helpful to my students to fill in any gaps in their knowledge and to explore advanced concepts. Today I'm sharing a major update.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 19/06/2025

Just a reminder... in one week I'll be giving a free webinar on how to create and use code playbacks! You can click the link and get a free ticket or if you just want the zoom link DM me for it. www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-tex...

eventbrite.com

Beyond Textbooks and Videos: Creating and Sharing Code Playbacks

Join CS professor, Mark Mahoney, to hear about how he uses code playbacks in his computer science courses.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 19/06/2025

Just a reminder... the webinar is in one week! You can click the link and get a free ticket or if you just want the zoom link DM me for it.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 29/05/2025

I'm particularly proud of this interactive tutorial that makes Elixir's functional and concurrent programming concepts approachable through animated code playbacks. 🎥✨ Great intro before diving into Phoenix or Nerves. 🌐🔌 🔗 playbackpress.com/books/exbook #Elixir #Programming

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PlaybackPress

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 27/05/2025

UPDATE: I am going to offer some free online training this summer about how to create code playbacks and use them in a course. I'll show how I use code playbacks instead of textbooks and videos and share what my students think of them. www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-tex...

eventbrite.com

Beyond Textbooks and Videos: Creating and Sharing Code Playbacks

Join CS professor, Mark Mahoney, to hear about how he uses code playbacks in his computer science courses.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 12/05/2025

I recently wrote two tutorials comparing different approaches to component-based web development. Both approaches solve similar problems but with different trade-offs: www.freecodecamp.org/news/a-brief... www.freecodecamp.org/news/a-brief... #WebDevelopment #JavaScript #React #WebComponents

freecodecamp.org

A Brief Introduction to Web Components

In a previous article, I gave a brief introduction to React. This tutorial introduces an alternative approach to building a component-based frontend. It covers the fundamentals of Web Components to bu...

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 06/05/2025

On June 26th 12CDT I am hosting a free webinar on creating and sharing code playbacks! Join me to learn how I use playbacks to teach about programming. www.eventbrite.com/e/1355457412...

eventbrite.com

Beyond Textbooks and Videos: Creating and Sharing Code Playbacks

Learn how to create and share guided code walkthroughs with the free, open-source Storyteller VS Code extension.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 19/04/2025

I have been posting to @freecodecamp.bsky.social lately with links to my code playbacks. This post covers SQL, practice problems, and coding with SQLite (C/C++, Python, Java) from my free books: playbackpress.com/books/sqlbook playbackpress.com/books/worked... playbackpress.com/books/sqlite...

playbackpress.com

PlaybackPress

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 23/03/2025

I'm using the wiki feature of GitHub's repos to host my updated documentation for Storyteller: github.com/markm208/sto... I also have this video which describes creating your own playbacks: youtu.be/LITe23OkSm0 Let me know if you want some help getting started! My students really like them.

Image of new documentation page in repo wiki

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 16/03/2025

New to code playbacks? Have questions? Do you want to create and share your own code playbacks? Learn more here: markm208.github.io Or DM me here.

markm208.github.io

Mark Mahoney's Code Playbacks

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 16/03/2025

Learn about more complex relationships: 📌 Many-to-Many Relationships and Even More SQL 🔗 playbackpress.com/books/sqlboo... Want more? Check out my free book on SQL! 📖 Database Design and SQL for Beginners 🔗 playbackpress.com/books/sqlbook All of my other free 'books': 🔗 playbackpress.com/books

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Playback

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 16/03/2025

Most databases are made up from multiple related tables. This playback shows how to link data from two tables using foreign keys: 📌 One-to-Many Relationships and More SQL 🔗 playbackpress.com/books/sqlboo... Use the built-in AI tutor to ask questions about database design or SQL.

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Playback

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 16/03/2025

💾 Want a quick intro to SQL? Watch me build a database for a fictional pet adoption center and write some SQL queries: 📌 Database Design and Simple SQL 🔗 playbackpress.com/books/sqlboo... SQL queries evolve step-by-step and playbacks show that process visually. They are a great way to learn SQL!

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 09/02/2025

It could be that they are really impressed with you and your work and they hope to spark your curiosity about them. Aside from obvious recruiters, it is likely a sign of admiration and respect.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 23/01/2025

You can download the code at any point in the playback by going to the file system tab above the comments. From there you can edit and run code on your machine. Making the code editable and executable in the browser for every language was not my goal. Think of them more like books than repls.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 21/01/2025

- Database Design and SQL for Beginners playbackpress.com/books/sqlbook - Worked SQL Examples playbackpress.com/books/worked... - Programming with SQLite playbackpress.com/books/sqlite... - An Introduction to Web Development from Back to Front playbackpress.com/books/webdev...

playbackpress.com

PlaybackPress

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 21/01/2025

Each playback has a built-in AI assistant to answer questions about the material and to generate multiple choice questions. Feel free to use these in your classes or add them as an additional resource! This semester I am teaching a database course and a web dev course. I’ll be using these:

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PlaybackPress

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 21/01/2025

Are you teaching a programming course this semester or learning to code? Here is my semi-annual reminder... I’ve written a dozen or so ‘books’ of code playbacks that are available for free (#CPP, #Python, #Clojure, #DesignPatterns, #Elixir, #SQL, #WebDev) on Playback Press playbackpress.com/books.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 14/01/2025

Hi Myles, if you're still willing to share this with your contacts I'd appreciate it.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 08/01/2025

One thing that I would want in the first example is an experienced lawyer who has access to an AI model. In both situations, AI is a helpful tool, but an expert who understands the nuances is still essential.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 08/01/2025

Now imagine that you want to write a piece of software to help your business. Given how hard it is for humans to write down all of the requirements and constraints, would it be sane to have an AI model build the software alone?

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 08/01/2025

AI replacing sw devs? Imagine that you are being sued for a large sum of money. You could, right now, plug in the lawsuit and attempt to defend yourself with an AI model's knowledge of the law. However, no sane person would consider this.

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 07/01/2025

Product steward or is there a better name?

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Mark Mahoney @mark.playbackpress.com · 06/01/2025

I just added urls and a markdown editor. Thanks for the suggestions!

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