John Siracusa and Merlin Mann try to figure out exactly how they got this way.

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Merlin Mann

The Wisdom Project

John Siracusa

Hypercritical

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    #269: The Rope Elf

    This is where the tractors go.

    September 12th, 2025 · 95 minutes

    John shares the results of some fascinating recent polling on TV obstructions and chewing gum swallowing.

    This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

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    Download: MP3 (87.78 MB)

    Links and Show Notes

    John speculates about a reference, then Merlin sings like Paul Simon for a few seconds.

    In Follow-Up: if you thought "shirts vs. skins" was bad? Oh boy, just wait until you hear how they used to do things in 1970s Michigan.

    Next up, Merlin has questions about urban phone usage. Specifically, hey, what's the deal with all the talking on speakerphone?

    Then, John shares the results of some fascinating recent polling on TV obstructions and chewing gum swallowing.

    Merlin really wants John to watch the movie, Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024).

    (Recorded on Tuesday, September 2, 2025)

    Credits
    Give to St. Jude!
    Roderick on the Line #593: These Are the Days
    These Are Days, by 10,000 Maniacs
    These Are Days (audio links)
    Sharon Linne Faulk on her husband's high school PE class in the 1970s
    John's TV blockers poll
    Megadoc (2025) - IMDb
    Aubrey Plaza says Megalopolis is “disturbing,” Coppola “repressed”