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

Hosts

Merlin Mann

Follow

John Siracusa

Follow siracusa

Navigation

  • Reconcilable Differences Archives

    • Links

  • Sponsor
  • Contact

    • @RecDiffs on mastodon.social

    Follow recdiffs

    Support this show

    Join for $7/month Join for $70/year
    Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode.

    Latest Episodes

    #9: Late Bloomer

    September 10th, 2015 · 130 minutes

    This week's main topic focuses on the many aspects of being a "late bloomer." From secondary sex characteristics and serial social prickliness through figuring out how to be in a family and studying the anthropology of the opposite sex.

    #8: Devouring Essence

    August 27th, 2015 · 143 minutes

    John educates Merlin about the first-person shooter game, "Destiny." Merlin feels overwhelmed, while John says we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

    #7: 50 Shades of John

    August 13th, 2015 · 132 minutes

    This week, John and Merlin do some follow-up on John's picky eating and his family's failures at meal planning. Both men cop to loving soup.

    Then on to the big topic: how does John's mind work, and how did he get that way?

    #6: Mud and Gaffer's Tape and Broken Lenses

    July 30th, 2015 · 109 minutes

    This time we learn that your hosts and their families are both/all screwed up and hopeless in different ways. Merlin is weird, but not bulimic; John is picky, fretful, and hopeless; and children continue to be a problem that cannot be solved.

    #5: Shiny and Chrome

    July 16th, 2015 · 101 minutes

    This week is dedicated to a spoiler-heavy look at Mad Max: Fury Road. If you haven't seen it, treat yourself to a cinema viewing as soon as you can.

    John and Merlin's world is blood and fire.

    #4: Ohio Intervention

    July 2nd, 2015 · 91 minutes

    John probes Merlin's spotty history with video games, then sketches out the current console landscape. Merlin is assigned preliminary homework to start catching up.

    #3: Helena Sell

    June 18th, 2015 · 143 minutes

    This week, John and Merlin finally set themselves to the task of beginning to argue about their differences.

    #2: Thrown to the Wolves of Puberty

    June 11th, 2015 · 108 minutes

    John and Merlin discuss the origins of the show, including their contrasting approaches to authority, conformity, and contrariness.

    Also, Merlin credits John with helping him become less horrible, and John deposes Merlin about military school.

    #1: We All Ruined It Together

    June 3rd, 2015 · 129 minutes

    In this inaugural episode, John and Merlin begin framing the conversation on exactly how they got how they are.

    From the dungeons of Usenet to the dragons of roving bullies, origins are explored, and differences are provisionally reconciled.