285: The Regular Amount of Hopelessness

286: Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Break My Stride

In order to proceed with the extraction, John has needed to evolve his approach. THIS EPISODE OF RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES IS SPONSORED BY: * Vitally [https://vitally.io/diffs]: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. LINKS AND SHOW NOTES: In order to proceed with the extraction, John has needed to evolve his approach. In this month’s member bonus segment, your hosts discuss homework. You can sign up today [https://www.relay.fm/rd/join] to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and help support our program. Recorded on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 ---------------------------------------- CREDITS * Audio Editor/Merlin's Handler: Jim Metzendorf [https://www.threads.net/@jmetzendorf] * Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-provenzano-b1605085/] * Music: Merlin Mann [https://mastodon.social/@hotdogsladies] * The Suits: Stephen Hackett [https://eworld.social/@ismh86], Myke Hurley [http://threads.net/imyke] GET AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THE SHOW, PLUS A MONTHLY EXTENDED EPISODE. [https://relay.fm/rd/join] RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES #224: A SECOND LAP OF THE BABIES [https://www.relay.fm/rd/224] Maybe the episode where we talk about Dole raisins? GOODLINKS [https://goodlinks.app] John’s link-tracking app. AMERICAN CHEESE - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cheese] EMULSIFIED, BY YO LA TENGO - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSPFGlY88Ps] VISUALIZING THE SIMPSONS EPISODE RATINGS - REDDIT [https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/1pu59xi/oc_visualizing_the_simpsons_episode_ratings_over/] JOHN’S 24-SECOND MARATHON VIDEO - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHLJCqkv2zA] BREAK MY STRIDE, BY MATTHEW WILDER - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4c_SkROzzo] BREAK MY STRIDE, BY MATTHEW WILDER - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break_My_Stride] JOHN EXPLAINS HIS DESTINY MUSIC VIDEOS - HYPERCRITICAL.CO [https://hypercritical.co/2023/02/05/destiny-music-videos] PON FARR - MEMORY ALPHA [https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Pon_farr]

285: The Regular Amount of Hopelessness

John has some questions for Merlin. THIS EPISODE OF RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES IS SPONSORED BY: * Vitally [https://vitally.io/diffs]: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. LINKS AND SHOW NOTES: John has some questions for Merlin. ---------------------------------------- CREDITS * Audio Editor/First Chair Saxophonist: Jim Metzendorf [https://www.threads.net/@jmetzendorf] * Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-provenzano-b1605085/] * Music: Merlin Mann [https://mastodon.social/@hotdogsladies] * The Suits: Stephen Hackett [https://eworld.social/@ismh86], Myke Hurley [http://threads.net/imyke] GET AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THE SHOW, PLUS A MONTHLY EXTENDED EPISODE. [https://relay.fm/rd/join] I DELETED MY SECOND BRAIN, BY JOAN WESTENBERG [https://medium.com/westenberg/i-deleted-my-second-brain-b7a65bce3717] Why I Erased 10,000 Notes, 7 Years of Ideas, and Every Thought I Tried to Save. YAGNI - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_aren%27t_gonna_need_it] XKCD #974 - THE GENERAL PROBLEM [https://xkcd.com/974/] THE IKEA EFFECT [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKEA_effect] ATP DEV: NUGGETS OF WISDOM [https://atp.fm/atp-dev-nuggets-of-wisdom] JONATHAN TROTT’S TOOT ABOUT DEMOLITION MAN AND TACO BELL IN AUSTRALIA [https://mastodon.au/@jonathantrott/116390860849220949] DEMOLITION MAN (1993) [https://letterboxd.com/film/demolition-man/] PIZZA TOPPING CHANGES IN INSIDE OUT [https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/b7dn4d/in_inside_out_the_pizza_toppings_were_changed/] MORE COUNTRY-SPECIFIC CHANGES IN INSIDE OUT - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ5i44Orbt0] DR. KATZ, PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Katz,_Professional_Therapist] DR. KATZ, SEASON 1 EPISODE 2 - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjFVzBg4rpA] NOT TOO SOON, BY THROWING MUSES - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZI-FTcFtn8] JOAQUIN PHOENIX TAKES THE COLBERT QUESTIONERT - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iwCqpw5PnM] STING TAKES THE COLBERT QUESTIONERT - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKE0G2g0Ho8]

284: Burger Boy

SUBTITLE: IF YOU WANT TO GET INTO THE PUFFY VILLAGE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CHILD WITH YOU. What we talk about when we talk about bagging your own groceries. LINKS AND SHOW NOTES: Things kick off with some vintage and international Follow-Up on video extras. Your hosts also consider why you might not actually want to deliberately remove all the Fluoride from your family's drinking water. John admits he was once residentially saddled with persistently discolored drinking water. As a main topic, your hosts consider whether bagging your own groceries might not be the most durable analogy for how we navigate the present—let alone what we anticipate some eldritch, notional future. Expertise is agreed to be complicated. In this month’s member bonus segment, your hosts discuss why someone might choose to delete their "second brain." Should you consider throwing out everything you ever wrote down and just start over? Especially given that it can be difficult to meter the usefulness of a given 55-gallon contractor bag? You can sign up today [https://www.relay.fm/rd/join] to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and help support our program. (Recorded on Tuesday, March 31, 2026) ---------------------------------------- CREDITS * Audio Editor/First Chair Saxophonist: Jim Metzendorf [https://www.threads.net/@jmetzendorf] * Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-provenzano-b1605085/] * Music: Merlin Mann [https://mastodon.social/@hotdogsladies] * The Suits: Stephen Hackett [https://eworld.social/@ismh86], Myke Hurley [http://threads.net/imyke] GET AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THE SHOW, PLUS A MONTHLY EXTENDED EPISODE. [https://relay.fm/rd/join] SNL UK OPENING MONOLOGUE - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=712AlPYYDNE] NICK LOWE - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Lowe] 'BORN FIGHTERS' 1979 DOCUMENTARY NICK LOWE, DAVE EDMUNDS & ROCKPILE - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0m0IUJ93N8] VOICE OF HAROLD, FROM DEAD LETTER OFFICE, BY R.E.M. - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kkLuSlOE3U] MIKE MARTIN‘S POST ABOUT BEHIND-THE-SCENES DOCUMENTARIES IN AUSTRALIA [https://mastodon.au/@atcdev/116308812766533546] JESS BOWERS’S POST ABOUT EPKS (ELECTRONIC PRESS KITS) [https://mastodon.social/@Jessbowers/116312465524090790] CHAD HUGHES INTERVIEWS TODD OSGOOD FROM PROJECT FARM - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfkCyGOjX2U] WEST CAMPUS AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY [https://www.bu.edu/housing/residence/west-campus-traditional-residences/] SKI LIFT TICKET HOLDER (“WICKET”) [https://www.toolclip.com/index.php/ski-lift-ticket-wickets] THE BLUESKY POST BY JAMES IN MN THAT GIVES THE EXAMPLE OF BAGGING GROCERIES [https://bsky.app/profile/jamesahk.bsky.social/post/3ltxcpoxxzk26] JOHN D. MOTT: ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT [https://www.andersonadvocates.com/accused/father-john-d-mott/] ST. PATRICK’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, IN SMITHTOWN, NY [https://stpatricksmithtown.org/] THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlWVcKcqC3U] I DELETED MY SECOND BRAIN, BY JOAN WESTENBERG [https://medium.com/westenberg/i-deleted-my-second-brain-b7a65bce3717] Why I Erased 10,000 Notes, 7 Years of Ideas, and Every Thought I Tried to Save MERLIN’S GARBAGE-FREE READWISE LINK FOR THE “I DELETED MY SECOND BRAIN” POST [https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01kn5b16qbbbgmy24ac9efyv4q] TOOL FOR THOUGHT, BY STEVEN JOHNSON [https://stevenberlinjohnson.com/tool-for-thought-b12c170fcc24] ELEMENTS OF A COLDFUSION APPLICATION [https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/developing-applications/developing-cfml-applications/designing-and-optimizing-a-coldfusion-application/elements-of-a-coldfusion-application.html]

283: Famous in My Head

SUBTITLE: I NEVER SAY IT'S FOR KIDS. Merlin has a question about a YouTube channel, and John has some notes on R.E.M. and their songs' lyrics. THIS EPISODE OF RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES IS SPONSORED BY: * Vitally [https://vitally.io/diffs]: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. LINKS AND SHOW NOTES: Merlin has a question about a YouTube channel, and John has some notes on R.E.M. and their songs' lyrics. ---------------------------------------- CREDITS * Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf [https://www.threads.net/@jmetzendorf] * Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-provenzano-b1605085/] * Music: Merlin Mann [https://mastodon.social/@hotdogsladies] * The Suits: Stephen Hackett [https://eworld.social/@ismh86], Myke Hurley [http://threads.net/imyke] GET AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THE SHOW, PLUS A MONTHLY EXTENDED EPISODE. [https://relay.fm/rd/join] VICTOR FELL YELLIN [https://archive.org/details/omnibusidea0000yell] BEHIND THE SCENES: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS219uod4y0] Merlin’s first Serious Feather video PRACTICAL ENGINEERING - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/@PracticalEngineeringChannel] Grady Hillhouse's YouTube channel. BEHIND THE SCENES: TRUE GRIT - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQo7Tg5pm4I] MR. SCORSESE - APPLE TV [https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mr-scorsese/umc.cmc.4a06j5lm5pxny9nx505zo5g0y] The life and work of Martin Scorsese. MERLIN'S BLUESKY POST CONTAINING QUESTIONABLE R.E.M. LYRICS [https://bsky.app/profile/hotdogsladies.bsky.social/post/3mgedjt63zs2u] MERLIN'S BLUESKY POST SHOWING A 1984 R.E.M. MAGAZINE PAGE [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:cayr3rg377qvqnq6d36mwwoo/post/3mgcd7vwwuc2m] The magazine page includes the lyrics to So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry). UNJUSTLY MALIGNED #48: EARLY R.E.M. [https://www.theincomparable.com/ump/48/] Marlin talks about early R.E.M. with Antony Johnston. BEST OF BOOTIE MASH-UPS [https://bootiemashup.com/] More free mash-ups than you can shake a stick at. HOW R.E.M. BECAME THE PREEMINENT COLLEGE ROCK BAND (AND THEN GRADUATED) - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snd8klIZjAE] Trash Theory's video about R.E.M.

282: Sadness Accrues

SUBTITLE: WHY ARE YOU IN THE BATHROOM WITH OUR FOOD? Merlin's Garbage Apparatus. THIS EPISODE OF RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES IS SPONSORED BY: * Vitally [https://vitally.io/diffs]: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. LINKS AND SHOW NOTES: Merlin has some Follow-Up on words, and John updates us on dishwashers. This week's main topic is Merlin's Garbage Apparatus. In this month’s member bonus segment, your hosts discuss the first season of HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. You can sign up today [https://www.relay.fm/rd/join] to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and help support our program. (Recorded on Tuesday, March 3, 2026) ---------------------------------------- CREDITS * Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf [https://www.threads.net/@jmetzendorf] * Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-provenzano-b1605085/] * Music: Merlin Mann [https://mastodon.social/@hotdogsladies] * The Suits: Stephen Hackett [https://eworld.social/@ismh86], Myke Hurley [http://threads.net/imyke] GET AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THE SHOW, PLUS A MONTHLY EXTENDED EPISODE. [https://relay.fm/rd/join] QI: SERIES O, EPISODE 7 - OPPOSITES [https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/qi/episodes/15/7/] BACKRONYM - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym] RETRONYM - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronym] APTRONYM - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptronym] DISHWASHER AIR GAP [https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/kitchen/what-is-a-dishwasher-air-gap.html] GARBAGE APPARATUS, V1 - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gSAUAdW420M] MERLIN’S GARBAGE BACKBOARD SYSTEM [https://bsky.app/profile/hotdogsladies.bsky.social/post/3merotf3bnk25] STUFF MADE HERE: MOVING HOOP WON'T LET YOU MISS (2020) - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myO8fxhDRW0] STUFF MADE HERE: I MADE A BALL SEEKING HOOP (2022) - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHWXZyfhQas] SMARTER EVERY DAY 208: LAMINAR FLOW - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7Hyc3MRKno] NATE FROM THE INTERNET: SHORT LAMINAR FLOW DEMO - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IasJz6KNd6U] EPCOT: JUMPING WATER FOUNTAINS AT IMAGINATION PAVILION - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uv7rx9VA1A] JUMPING WATER FOUNTAINS OF IMAGINATION AT EPCOT IN 4K - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsPT94wpYqg] KIDS PLAYING WITH THE JUMPING WATER FOUNTAINS AT EPCOT - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3maTQFMv20I] THE MAN WHO MADE WATER FLY: THE INSPIRING HISTORY OF EPCOT’S LEAPFROG FOUNTAINS (ARTICLE) [https://weloveattractions.com/the-man-who-made-water-fly-the-inspiring-history-of-epcots-leapfrog-fountains/] THE MAN WHO MADE WATER FLY: THE INSPIRING HISTORY OF EPCOT’S LEAPFROG FOUNTAINS (VIDEO) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqVZmL_qS_A] THE LINE: SAUDI ARABIA - WIKIPEDIA [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Line,_Saudi_Arabia] A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS BLOOPERS - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l01hTdB5PK4] A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS OFFICIAL PODCAST [https://feeds.megaphone.fm/WMHY9427820236] ALT SHIFT X - A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (DUNK & EGG) - YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn6yDpEottdi2O4BDLn-X3rd6sW4jnjLU] THE DOG SITTER DETECTIVE SERIES, BY ANTONY JOHNSTON [https://dogsitterdetective.com/]