The uneven paces of technological and personal progress.

Merlin checks in with John to see if he's started noticing the Millennial Speech Tics. Of course, this leads to a lot of discussion about how people do and don't talk.

In Follow-Up, John shares a French meat word, and then he updates us on his health.

The main topic this week seems like it's going to be about best practices for phone charging. Fortunately for the listener, it broadens into a slightly more interesting exploration of the uneven paces of culture, technology, and personal habits.

(Recorded on Tuesday, October 1, 2024)

John and Merlin argue about whether John's new avatar is extremely bad.

John and Merlin argue about whether John's new avatar is extremely bad. Opinions differ.

Merlin identifies John's new catchphrase, and John catches us up on his health. In further Follow-Up, there's some bad news for liver sausage enthusiasts.

Mini-topics include: fake swearing, garlicky pasta, poor line management, and your hosts' unusual food equipments.

In this month’s member bonus episode, your hosts discuss John's HBO updates, plus Season Two of House of the Dragon.

You can sign up today to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and, support this program.

(Recorded on Tuesday, September 17, 2024)

Your hosts relitigate this shameful cultural moment in which people keep blaming sweet precious angels for human stovetop cock-ups.

John is under the weather and hands over the keys to Merlin who very much does not want the keys handed to him.

In Follow-Up, there are updates on misleading names and a theory on why everyone's a doctor now. Project Farm Todd has some fun with a bit about YouTube, but, gratefully he doesn't do the voice.

John considers officially becoming a real Italian.

Most importantly, your hosts relitigate this shameful cultural moment in which people keep blaming sweet precious angels for human stovetop cock-ups. John will not stand for it, and Merlin begs people to just stop asking cops questions.

(Recorded on Tuesday, September 3, 2024)

Merlin demands an opportunity to defend his honor, and John encourages him to get more adult supervision.

Things kick off with Merlin demanding an opportunity to defend his honor and John encouraging him to get more adult supervision.

Next up, there's so much good Follow-Up on new Things It Took Me Too Long to Realize, the judge from a Jonathan Coulton song, which dwarf didn't get the tattoo, plus further insight on whose notes live in the margins of John's The Power Broker.

In this month’s member bonus episode, your hosts finally talk about Merlin's soundbar.

You can sign up today to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and, yes, support our program.

(Recorded on Tuesday, August 20, 2024)

It's simple. We believe cleaners should be tough on krud, but gentle on nature.

Removes really tough soils as quickly and effectively from so many different surfaces. Cuts grease, grime, oil

The proprietary formulation penetrates into every void of a metal surface and dissolves rust/oxidation through chemical action. Then tiny, rust-inhibiting crystals are formed and become integral with the surface molecules of the metal to resist future rusting.

In general, I love any meta-meta-bit where Siracusa refuses to participate in the meta-bit.

Merlin's toddler learned how to work a stereo receiver pretty early on.

John reports back on his Vacation Results.

John's Vacation Results, some listeria concerns, the bridges of New York City, and sundry thoughts on long sentences. All interspersed with periodic commentary on Merlin's legacy of poor decisions.

(Recorded on Tuesday, August 6, 2024)

Your hosts discuss the breathless magic of "Project Farm."

Things kick off with John preparing for his family's annual sojourn to the beach.

In Follow-Up, there's a new Scandinavian sleep technology, and your hosts aren't precisely sure what makes it so Scandinavian. Still, they remain open to adjudicating whether it might be a Secret Weird Thing. The modal shapes of a sleeping dog are considered.

The main topic this week is Project Farm. Merlin cops to buying some new knives and a jug of acid, and John has thoughts on the value of objective product testing.

In this month’s member bonus episode, your hosts talk about some recent TV shows they've enjoyed.

You can sign up today to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and, yes, support our program.

(Recorded on Tuesday, July 16, 2024)

John has updates on some recent elective plumbing.

In Follow-Up, there's an update on movies with spelled-out abbreviations, John finally figures out why his magazine got bigger, and Merlin checks in on jiggle mode.

Next up, John shares some very biased reporting on dogs and technology. Merlin thinks people should just stop interviewing first responders. This somehow leads to a very useful discussion of proper key hygiene.

Then, your hosts conduct a studious review of the literature regarding why we build ships.

As your main topic, John has updates on some recent elective plumbing.

(Recorded on Tuesday, July 9, 2024)

What does it mean to be a young person in the age of ubiquitous capture?

Things kick off with Merlin's inspiring Apple success story. Then, there's some consideration of where all these wrecked cars might be coming from.

In Follow-Up, John learns he's not the only aging auto enthusiast whose magazine has gotten bigger. Also, listeners share more novel, rich-people technologies for making your kitchen look like it's not actually a kitchen.

The main topic finds your hosts considering what it means to be a young person in the age of ubiquitous capture. John makes a case for the value of having all your ideas challenged, and Merlin learns how little he knew about the ERA.

In this month’s member bonus episode, your hosts finally address a topic that's been hanging out in the doc for a while now: Mastodon hates threads. After making two distinct piles, Merlin does a terrible job just sticking to the first one.

You can sign up today to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and, yes, support our program.

(Recorded on Tuesday, June 25, 2024)

Kessler and McKenna convincingly argue that gender is not a reflection of biological reality but rather a social construct that varies across cultures. Valuable for its insights into gender, its extensive treatment of transsexualism, and its ethnomethodological approach, Gender reviews and critiques data from biology, anthropology, sociology, and psychology.

Merlin can't tell whether John is mad at him, but John claims that he's not.

Merlin can't tell whether John is mad at him, but John claims that he's not.

In follow-up, listeners share even more upsetting information about ice machines, and John has further remarks on a podcast Merlin likes. Also, Merlin remembers to tell John about his health problems.

Names and pronunciation are further explored, and John criticizes Daisy's herding skills. Then, for some reason, they talk about lunchboxes for a while. John thinks Merlin should do more due diligence on his realizations.

In an unexpected burst of Macintosh nostalgia, your hosts recall weird hard drive problems and Kerry from MacWarehouse.

Then, Merlin has to go home to turn off the smoke alarm.

(Recorded on Tuesday, June 4, 2024)

“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

John complains about a podcast that Merlin likes, and Merlin announces that professional eye care is a racket.

John has some concerns about Merlin’s water intake and general desk situation.

In what begins as follow-up, John has further illumination regarding the oven dial problem. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this leads to a lot of appliance talk.

John complains about a podcast that Merlin likes, and Merlin announces that professional eye care is a racket.

Finally, John wonders why he’s started receiving such a big magazine.

In this month’s member bonus episode, Merlin leads a deeper investigation into the vacation problem. Travel is about more than travel, plus if you want to get better at something, it’s useful to stop pretending you’re great at it.

(Recorded on Tuesday, May 28, 2024)

It’s not just smart— it’s countertop genius: the Tovala Smart Oven.