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 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
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode.

SNL UK opening monologue - YouTube

Nick Lowe - Wikipedia

'Born Fighters' 1979 Documentary Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds & Rockpile - YouTube

Voice of Harold, from Dead Letter Office, by R.E.M. - YouTube

Mike Martin‘s post about behind-the-scenes documentaries in Australia

Jess Bowers’s post about EPKs (electronic press kits)

Chad Hughes Interviews Todd Osgood from Project Farm - YouTube

West Campus at Boston University

Ski lift ticket holder (“wicket”)

The Bluesky post by James in MN that gives the example of bagging groceries

John D. Mott: Accused of Sexual Misconduct

St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, in Smithtown, NY

The Testament of Ann Lee - YouTube

I Deleted My Second Brain, by Joan Westenberg

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

Tool For Thought, by Steven Johnson

Elements of a ColdFusion application

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:

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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
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Victor Fell Yellin

Behind the Scenes: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - YouTube

Merlin’s first Serious Feather video

Practical Engineering - YouTube

Grady Hillhouse's YouTube channel.

Behind the Scenes: True Grit - YouTube

Mr. Scorsese - Apple TV

The life and work of Martin Scorsese.

Merlin's Bluesky post containing questionable R.E.M. lyrics

Merlin's Bluesky post showing a 1984 R.E.M. magazine page

The magazine page includes the lyrics to So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry).

Unjustly Maligned #48: Early R.E.M.

Marlin talks about early R.E.M. with Antony Johnston.

Best of Bootie Mash-Ups

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

Trash Theory's video about R.E.M.

Subtitle: Why are you in the bathroom with our food?

Merlin's Garbage Apparatus.

This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

• Vitally: 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.

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(Recorded on Tuesday, March 3, 2026)

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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QI: Series O, Episode 7 - Opposites

Backronym - Wikipedia

Retronym - Wikipedia

Aptronym - Wikipedia

Dishwasher Air Gap

Garbage Apparatus, v1 - YouTube

Merlin’s garbage backboard system

Stuff Made Here: Moving hoop won't let you miss (2020) - YouTube

Stuff Made Here: I made a ball seeking hoop (2022) - YouTube

Smarter Every Day 208: Laminar Flow - YouTube

Nate From the Internet: short laminar flow demo - YouTube

Epcot: Jumping Water Fountains at Imagination Pavilion - YouTube

Jumping Water Fountains of Imagination at EPCOT in 4K - YouTube

Kids playing with the jumping water fountains at EPCOT - YouTube

The Man Who Made Water Fly: The Inspiring History of Epcot’s Leapfrog Fountains (Article)

The Man Who Made Water Fly: The Inspiring History of Epcot’s Leapfrog Fountains (Video)

The Line: Saudi Arabia - Wikipedia

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Bloopers - YouTube

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms official podcast

ALT SHIFT X - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Dunk & Egg) - YouTube

The Dog Sitter Detective series, by Antony Johnston

Subtitle: John's systems are a problem.

On holes, art, and the nature of friendship.

Links and Show Notes:

On holes, art, and the nature of friendship.

(Recorded on Tuesday, February 3, 2026)

Credits

• Beloved Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Five Short Graybles - Wikipedia

Naming Schemes

Elkay Dayton 25" Drop In Single Basin Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink

An image of a sink with 4 holes on the rim and one drain hole

Thaddeus Quintin’s sink hole advice

Todd’s soap dispenser

Joris-Karl Huysmans - Wikipedia

Colin from This Does Not Compute converts his Maclock into a working Mac

Corgi 261 Aston Martin DB5 model car

Maize. You call it corn.

Wednesday is Prince spaghetti day

John explores how to repurpose an extra hole.

This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

• Surfshark: Use this link or use code DIFFS at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

Links and Show Notes:

Merlin comes clean about his slashed-sevens resolution, and John explains the sweatshirts of his storied attic.

For a main topic, John explores how to repurpose an extra hole.

In this month’s member bonus segment, your hosts discuss the Australian Open's 1 Point Slam.

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

(Recorded on Tuesday, February 3, 2026)

Credits

• Audio Editor/First Chair Saxophonist: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Swapfest: The Flea at MIT

RFC 2822 - Internet Message Format

RFC 1178 - Choosing a Name for Your Computer

Pets vs. Cattle

Stress-Shift: stress, accent, and rhythm explained - Dr. Geoff Lindsey on YouTube

OpenClaw (née MoltBot, née ClawdBot)

From Clawdbot to Moltbot: How a C&D, Crypto Scammers, and 10 Seconds of Chaos Took Down the Internet's Hottest AI Project

Capocollo - Wikipedia

Prosciutto - Wikipedia

An example of a "Kitchen Side Spray"

An example of a kitchen faucet with an integrated spray

Gridfinity - Zack Freedman on YouTube

Gridfinity 2.0 - Zack Freedman on YouTube

Sir Alan Frederick "Tommy" Lascelles - Wikipedia

Australian Open 1 Point Slam

Galliano - Wikipedia

The OA - Wikipedia

Maddux (baseball statistic) - Wikipedia

Australian Open 1 Point Slam highlights (20 minutes) - YouTube

Australian Open 1 Point Slam highlights (5 minutes) - YouTube

AstroTurf - Wikipedia

Subtitle: Temperature is the enemy of glass.

John tells Merlin how to do a fraud with his eyeglasses, and Merlin tells John about his air fryer.

Then they talk about a new thing they've both independently started using a lot.

Links and Show Notes:

John tells Merlin how to do a fraud with his eyeglasses, and Merlin tells John about his air fryer.

Then they talk about a new thing they've both independently started using a lot.

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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SNL: Taco Town - YouTube

Merlin’s air fryer

John’s air fryer

First impressions of Claude Cowork - Simon Willison

What Actually Is Claude Code’s Plan Mode? - Armin Ronacher

My Claude Code Workflow And Personal Tips - Zhu Liang

Status Board, by Panic

Calculator Construction Set - Folklore.org

OMG.lol

Pondering an orb…

Subtitle: “I am the oven now.”

Merlin shares his Large Appliance Results.

(Recorded on Tuesday, January 6, 2026)

Links and Show Notes:

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Get a Job - The Silhouettes (1957)

Dip dip dip dip dip dip dip…

“…and that’s my trick.”

Clemenza teaches Michael how to make sauce in The Godfather.

10 Apple TV Tips from Stephen Robles - YouTube

Princess telephone - Wikipedia

Trimline telephone - Wikipedia

Five products so over-engineered, they're actually kinda worse, by Zack Freedman - YouTube

Zack Freedman’s 3D Filament Tier List - YouTube

Jumperless V5

The next generation jumperless breadboard.

Colin M. Ford's screenshot of the “Writing Direction” menu items’ icons in iPadOS

“The Staten Island of San Francisco” - jwz.org

Merlin’s big toaster oven: the Breville BOV900BSSUSC

John’s favorite toaster over: the Breville BOV650XL

The smallest Breville toaster over: the BOV450XL

Lawn Darts from the 1980s - Reddit

Aerobie - Wikipedia

Raclette - Wikipedia

Raclette grill mistakenly placed in the wrong orientation

Old Trapper beef jerky

Fight Club (1999)

Demotivators from despair.com

Meetings: None of us is as dumb as all of us

Merlin Mann: Who moved my brain? - YouTube

Midnight Commander

Tautulli for Plex

Blu Lights (2023) season 1 - Wikipedia

Downstream #107: A Thanksgiving Visit from Alan Sepinwall

The Wire - Wikipedia

Nicola Coughlan - Wikipedia

Nicola Coughlan on The Graham Norton Show - YouTube

Richard Dormer - Wikipedia

Merlin’s Trakt.tv list: The Troubles & Northern Ireland

Siân Brooke - Wikipedia

Taylor Tomlinson - Wikipedia

Kelsey Cook - Wikipedia

The Troubles, by U2 - YouTube

Watching TV Makes You Smarter - The New York Times

"The total number of active threads equals the multiple plots of "Hill Street," but here each thread is more substantial. The show doesn't offer a clear distinction between dominant and minor plots; each story line carries its weight in the mix."

7 - Wikipedia

Most people in Continental Europe, Indonesia, and some in Britain, Ireland, Israel, Canada, and Latin America, write 7 with a line through the middle (7), sometimes with the top line crooked

Local files - Spotify

Georgia-Pacific to Close Its Foley Cellulose Facility in Perry, Florida

The paper mill that Uncle Bill mentioned.

NEVER Touch "The Cornballer" - Arrested Development - YouTube

"Hot! Hot! Hot!"

John's new art piece leads to a discussion of accuracy and build quality in toys for grown men and sometimes children.

Links and Show Notes:

John's new art piece leads to a discussion of accuracy and build quality in toys for grown men and sometimes children.

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Merlin's toot: "I may have figured out why my phone keeps dimming."

Maclock on Ali Express

Hatsune Miku figurine at Walmart

Frieren figurine

Hand-painted model kit of Nausicaä riding Kai - Reddit

Stellar Blade’s Eve figurine

Calico Critters

LEGO Friends

LEGO Creator 3in1

LEGO Duplo

LEGO Quatro

Four-Byte Burger recreation story - YouTube

Four-Byte Burger pixel art, by Jack Haegar (1985) re-digitized by Stuart Brown,

Four-Byte Burger recreation (PNG)

Cheltenham (typeface) - Wikipedia

In 2003, The New York Times introduced a more unified Cheltenham typographic palette for its headline use in the print edition.

Elmo's World: Jackets (DVD Rip) - YouTube

James Bond's Aston Martin D.B.5 (261) – Corgi Model Club USA

Subtitle: You can’t yell at math.

A quick check-in on whether or not the machines are helping.

(Recorded on Tuesday, December 9, 2025)

This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

• Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code DIFFS with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.

Links and Show Notes:

A quick check-in on whether or not the machines are helping.

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode.

Get 20% off annual membership until the end of 2025!

Bloody Sunday (2002)

Peelers - Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives

Why are the Irish police called peelers? - Quora

Plants with Seeds that Stick to your Clothing (aka burs), by Miles Hearn

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition - Wikipedia

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias

Richard Dormer - Wikipedia

Game of Thrones cast singing I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You, by Tom Waits

Magic (1978) Trailer - YouTube

Subtitle: The beginning, the beginning!

The dog-blaming continues, and John has updates on the social component of arc raiding.

Links and Show Notes:

The dog-blaming continues, and John has updates on the social component of arc raiding.

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Get 20% off annual membership until the end of 2025!

Dog Accidentally Shoots and Injures a Pennsylvania Man, the Police Say - The New York Times

Dog-Centered Design - One Foot Tsunami, by Paul Kafasis

OU launches wireless button allowing dogs to control household appliances

INRI - Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum

Clever Hans - Wikipedia

Arc Raiders

Subtitle: Everybody starts out with the same quarter.

After some Follow-Up on phone dimming and naked swimming, John discusses a video game with some unusual—and possibly unintentional—social mechanics.

Links and Show Notes:

After some Follow-Up on phone dimming and naked swimming, John discusses a video game with some unusual—and possibly unintentional—social mechanics.

In this month’s member bonus segment, your hosts discuss the first two episodes of Prur1bus (Apple TV, 2025).

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

(Recorded on Tuesday, November 11, 2025)

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode.

Get 20% off annual membership until the end of 2025!

iPulse - Iconfactory

iPulse in the Apple App Store

Naked swimming in gym class mentioned in the pilot episode of 21 Jump St. in 1987

Written by Patrick Hasburgh, who was born in 1950.

Technology Connections - YouTube

Nissan Figaro - Wikipedia

Marathon (2025-ish) - Wikipedia

ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders trailer - YouTube

ARC Raiders - Wikipedia

Nexon, owner of Embark Studios, makers of ARC Raiders - Wikipedia

Pluribus (aka Plur1bus, aka Plurbius) - Wikipedia

Rhea Seehorn - Wikipedia

John’s post about a review of Top Gun - Hypercritical

Pluribus’s log line

“The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.”

Edgar Wright: How to Do Visual Comedy - Every Frame a Painting on YouTube

I Think About My Painting Goblin in The Sims a Lot - Becca Schuh in The Cut

Monster Factory - YouTube