Reconcilable Differences

#81: Sixteen-Tile Puzzle

June 28th, 2018 · 95 minutes

This week opens with Merlin’s heavy reappraisal of Isle of Dogs, plus an anecdote that involves his wife slapping a remote out of his hands. John shares some strong opinions about motion smoothing and reveals the stunning secrets of Instagram. Your hosts discuss New England.

John reveals a new wrinkle in his daughter’s recent dietary radical…

#80: Death is an Easy Diagnosis

June 14th, 2018 · 100 minutes

This week’s wraparound episode begins with the annual WWDC reporting live from the show floor. Then, Merlin explains a joke and shows John an image you can’t see yet. John has trouble stopping the flow of WIRED, and Apple TV apps are further discussed. Merlin briefly uses his Nest camera as a voice dingus. Very briefly.

Your hosts talk a…

#79: Goofball Island

May 31st, 2018 · 92 minutes

This week kicks off with a main topic: Kid Independence Projects. Merlin is trying a new thing, and John admits that he’s pan-fretful. What kind of stuff do you undertake to encourage your kids’ independence and responsibility? What about the fires and the knives? Merlin is proud when his daughter deceives him, but John’s a little disappoi…

#78: Right Above Self-Actualization

May 17th, 2018 · 110 minutes

This week kicks off punctually, with some follow-up from John on Destiny 2 users getting more vault space to hold all their stuff. Why not 3000 slots? Who even knows? Merlin confesses that he’s terrible at controlling his PlayStation and extolls the magic and perplexity of Movies Anywhere. Siri control of Apple TV is discussed.

In more offici…

#77: Prodigal Bird

May 3rd, 2018 · 115 minutes

This week, John and Merlin come in hot with an accidental main topic: punctuality. Is punctuality important, and how much tardiness can we abide from our pals and business associates? Merlin wonders if expecting punctuality might be a form of privilege, and John has strong feelings about the police, just in general.

In follow-up, Merl…

#76: The Dandelion of Content

April 18th, 2018 · 121 minutes

This week’s episode has lots of really good follow-up. Follow-up on accents, Face ID, how Roderick records, and Merlin’s new internet friend.

John provides much-requested follow-up on Twitter’s recently announced changes. This leads to a broader discussion of free speech and platform ownership.

John and Merlin embarrass their families, f…

#75: The Most Popular Meat Grinder in Town

April 4th, 2018 · 129 minutes

This week, things kick into gear quickly with a mini-topic about Instagram. Why isn’t Merlin on it, and why does John like it so much? John likes it as a refreshing break from word things, but Merlin still thinks there are too many hashtags and birds on wires. Merlin really misses the salad days of Flickr, but of course John derails it to ye…

#74: Stingy on the Fives

March 22nd, 2018 · 126 minutes

This week’s first mini-topic concerns John's office chair. Honestly, why can't people just leave John's chair alone? Why always with the moving and the replacing? A chair is a very personal thing, and John likes his chair. So, what, now he has to get a bike lock or something? Merlin wonders if the form is actually hooked up to anything, and …

#73: Ladyhawke Times

March 8th, 2018 · 133 minutes

This week kicks off with a return to an old chestnut: Twitter. John doesn’t want too many things to check, and Merlin finds some therapy. The distinction of the “muffle” is highlighted.

This week’s mini-topic concerns the new Google Calendar UI. Merlin thinks there’s just too much clicking, and John would like some better information de…

#72: The Seventh Alarm Clock

February 22nd, 2018 · 108 minutes

This week kicks off with recalibrating some expectations and repeatedly clicking some buttons. Merlin likes dog shopping and dislikes that dumb Winston Churchill movie.

In follow-up, John scores a monarchical point to listener, "swilliams," and Merlin likes Parliamentary questions. In an accidental nano-topic, your hosts discuss the decline …