Reconcilable Differences

John reports back with his Billy Joel Results.

John reports back with his Billy Joel Results.

(Recorded on Tuesday, August 5, 2025)

Free to everyone! This is the full member version of episode 266, which includes the normal episode followed by the members-only aftershow (and no ads, of course). If you like what you hear, you can become a member at https://relay.fm/rd/join

How does John generate all that cool chapter art?

Things kick off with John sharing some breaking news about The Flop House, plus it's clear that Merlin's Britishisms are becoming numerous, invasive, and a little un-American.

Next up, Merlin wonders how John generated all that cool chapter art for a recent ATP special. (Hint: some of it was automated; some of it was not.)

And, finally, Merlin decides to apply Theory of Mind to predict why John hasn't watched the Billy Joel special yet. Subsequently, John is pitched on why this program probably represents essential viewing for him and his people.

In this month’s member bonus segment, John has book-adjacent questions about Merlin's Wisdom Project.

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(Recorded Tuesday, July 22, 2025)

This is the Flop House mini episode where Stuart Wellington fulfills John’s request to explain the Warhammer 40,000 episode of the Secret Level animation anthology series on Amazon Prime Video.

The Mac app for using an LLM to take actions in the Finder.

The fun URL for Merlin’s Wisdom Project.

On the complexities and constraints of pursuing the right answer.

Merlin presents some Microwave Results and John shares his most recent Graduation Results.

Things kick off with some document disagreements and a surprisingly long discussion of HTML.

Next up, Merlin presents some Microwave Results and John shares his most recent Graduation Results.

In this month’s member bonus episode, your hosts discuss the 1981 German submarine epic, Das Boot.

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(Recorded Tuesday, June 24, 2025)

This is the episode where we talk about the people who row boats across oceans.

This is the episode where we talk about Waffle House’s Pull Drop Mark Order Calling Method.

John's Prom Results and Merlin's Camping Results.

On goals and accomplishments.

After some great Follow-Up on "Allentown" and The Apparatus, your hosts talk about goals and accomplishments.

In this month’s member bonus episode, John talks about playing Marathon (again).

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

(Recorded Tuesday, May 27, 2025)

"A Bell Is a Cup.…Until It Is Struck"

John's guest appearance on The Cast of Us podcast to discuss the finale of season 2 of The Last of Us TV show on HBO.

From the Be Kind Rewind YouTube channel,

Your hosts finally discuss The Apparatus.

Things kick off with some Billy Joel talk. Merlin thinks he's hearing double, but John's not so sure. Anyway, be sure to hang that graduation on the wall.

In follow-up, John shares a listener's collection of colorful zipper nudges from around the world. Next, Merlin's kid continues to unintentionally learn how to do computer things. The legends and lore of YouTube engagement strategies are considered.

This week's main topic is The Apparatus. In which your hosts investigate a fascinating and evolving contraption that appeared in Merlin's neighborhood.

Things wrap with some anecdotes about places in Merlin's neighborhood where people have made numbers one and two in gross, anti-social ways.

(Recorded on Tuesday, May 13, 2025)

The best version of On My Own, according to John. It's from Les Misérables (Highlights from the Complete Symphonic International Cast Recording)

Merlin's kid has a history of forging technological desire paths.

"Dah."

Merlin is very vulnerable, and John is encouraged to leverage this.

John talks about The Last of Us video game on The Incomparable.

John talks about The Last of Us Part II video game on The Incomparable.

John talks about the final episode of The Last of Us (TV show) season 1 on The Cast of Us.

Stop blaming the dog.

Things kick off with a second episode in which John has to force a context transition, then Merlin commiserates about how bad apps and institutions can be.

In Follow-Up, Merlin introduces both new data and new methodologies to Things It Took Me Too Long to Realize, and John shares yet another instance of erroneously blaming an animal for something bad happening.

Topic one seems like it'll be a topic about how an aging gentleman grooms, but then it ends up being about follicle madness, acceptance, and retaining the sort of friends who'll tell you when your fly is down.

Finally, John has a really good music topic that ends up going into feelings and the sublime subtleties of ardent fandom.

(Recorded on Tuesday, April 15, 2025)

This week, your hosts talk about ChatGPT's new image generation abilities.

And in this month's member after show, John and Merlin talk about the Netflix show, "Adolescence."

This week, your hosts talk about ChatGPT's new image generation abilities.

And in this month's member after show, John and Merlin talk about the Netflix show, "Adolescence."

RetroFab is a new online collection of vintage electronic game simulations that can be played in the browser.I am now releasing in to early access the first (of hopefully many) simulations in this collection.

"what if phones, but too much"