Life with a Twist of Lemon

Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

A Podcast about technology, finance, life, craftsmanship, theology, and a little bit of everything else with a twist of Stan Lemon. We’ve moved what we’d normally talk about on the phone, here for your listening enjoyment.

  • Lists, Buckets, and New Year Habits

    Dear Listener,

    In this episode, we kick things off with a mystery: why did Jon unfriend Stan on Facebook? Turns out it was an inbox zero situation gone wrong, which leads us into Stan's philosophy on "lists vs buckets" - a productivity mindset shift from being a meticulous list-walker to becoming a free-flowing bucket person.

    We recap our Thanksgiving experiences: deep-fried turkey vs smoked turkey, store-bought pie vs homemade rhubarb with lattice top (temped to perfection, of course), and the eternal debate over whether Cheesecake Factory cheesecake counts as a Thanksgiving dessert.

    As we approach the new year, we dive deep into habits vs goals. Stan shares his habit-tracking journey from reading 15 minutes daily to his two-and-a-half year streak of morning Apple Fitness Plus workouts. Jon points out that Stan's self-discipline is "pretty rare" - though Stan insists he's not a fitness nut, just someone who doesn't want to die young.

    Finally, we resurrect the wine tasting app project with help from Claude, just in time for the Wall Street Journal wine advent calendar. If you want to join us as a TestFlight user, reach out!

    Thanks for listening,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    4 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 12 minutes
    Bonus Round: A Slice with a Twist of Lemon

    Dear Listener,

    In this special Thanksgiving bonus episode, we tackle the most important question of the holiday season: what makes Thanksgiving truly Thanksgiving?

    Stan argues that pie - not turkey - is what defines the holiday. Nobody sits down and says "yum, turkey's my favorite," but pie? That's what we're all really here for.

    We debate the merits of various pies (rhubarb reigns supreme for Stan, with pumpkin as a solid backup), discuss whether chocolate pie and cheesecake pie are actually pies or cakes in disguise, and take a firm stance on lattice tops versus crumble crusts. We also settle the age-old question: are McDonald's apple pockets actually pies? (Spoiler: they're delicious, but no.)

    Jon learns that Stan has a deep freezer primarily dedicated to frozen rhubarb for pie-making purposes, and we both agree that calling things by their proper names matters - even if it doesn't change how delicious they are.

    Happy Thanksgiving, and may your pie be plentiful.

    Thanks for listening,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    27 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 19 minutes
    Gemini Floats, Codex Stumbles (But We Still Love It)

    Dear Listener,

    This week we dive deep into the AI wars with Google's new Antigravity IDE hitting the scene. Stan walks through his experience testing this VS Code-based editor with built-in agent capabilities that can actually resize browser windows, detect UI issues, and iterate on fixes autonomously.

    We compare the big three AI coding assistants - ChatGPT's Codex, Claude, and Gemini Code Assist - and discuss how each is positioning itself in the developer tools space. Jon shares a cautionary tale about Codex going completely off the rails with an overly complex canonical URL solution, reminding us all that you need to be skilled enough to validate AI-generated code.

    In a move that shocked his entire family (his daughter thought it was a terminal illness announcement), Stan purchased his first Windows PC in years. We talk about the nostalgia of his first coding laptop with an AMD Athlon 4 processor, and his curiosity about Windows Subsystem for Linux and modern Windows development workflows.

    Plus, we kick off the episode with an emergency strap wrench situation involving a jar of filthy cherries that nearly derailed Manhattan night.

    Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    25 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Circuits, Socks, and Broken Promises: An AI Trust Story

    Dear Listener,

    This week we discuss Stan's frustration with Claude Code's sudden degradation, which sparks a conversation about trust in AI services.

    Jon and Stan then dive into a Decoder interview with web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, exploring his surprisingly optimistic take on AI, personal data privacy, and the open web.

    Lastly, we discuss community decline, Star Trek as the basis for all philosophy, and Apple's $229 knitted iPhone sock.

    Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    Show Notes

    20 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 47 minutes 48 seconds
    Welcome to AI, Resume Edition

    Dear Listener,

    In this first episode back after our hiatus, we dive into software subscriptions, AI-powered tools, and the ever-quickening pace of the tech world. Stan shares his experience juggling services like Claude, ChatGPT, and Grammarly, and what it’s like trying to manage so many overlapping tools. Jon talks about his AI workflows, including how he uses them for his annual resume refresh and building a master version that ties everything together. We’re both excited about how modern platforms make it easier than ever to experiment, iterate fast, and bring creative ideas to life.

    Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    13 November 2025, 6:00 am
  • 26 seconds
    Is this thing on?

    Dear Listener,

    Guess who's back? Guess who's back? Guess who's back?

    Well, almost... Stay tuned as we dust off our microphones.

    Thanks for sticking with us,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    2 November 2025, 8:49 pm
  • Heading into 2022

    Dear Listener,

    We're headed into 2022 so we look back on 2021 goals and talk about what we expect out of 2022. The goals are less specific this year, but here's hoping for a joyful 2022.

    Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon,

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    This is our last episode, for awhile... but don't unsubscribe! You never know when we might pop back in.

    30 December 2021, 1:33 pm
  • Top 10 Songs

    Dear Listener,

    Merry Christmas! This week we talk about Christmas plans and cover a listener submitted topic: Our Top 10 Songs (Subjectively, like you'd listen to these 10 songs before you die or something like that.)

    It turns into more of a 10 songs we like, plus some others. Hope you enjoy!

    Thanks for listening!

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    If you use Apple Music here are some playlists:

    Jon: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/top-10-songs/pl.u-vxy6k04C1yBAXb

    Stan: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/last-10-songs-on-an-island/pl.u-LZPBIolk1g

    23 December 2021, 1:30 pm
  • About Page Updates

    Dear Listener,

    Our about page hasn't been updated since we built the site originally, so we bring up some of the things that have changed since our initial bios. One day we might even get to updating the about page itself.

    We also briefly touch on resolutions as we try to come up with topics to talk about for the last 2 episodes of the year.

    Thanks for listening!

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    16 December 2021, 1:39 pm
  • Setting and Keeping Rules

    Dear Listener,

    This week Stan wants to discuss how he goes through life - setting and keeping personal and household rules. Listen in to what types of rules he sets, how he uses them, and what they protect him from.

    Then we talk about the 3rd Episode of Hawkeye and the state of Marvel TV shows so far.

    Thanks for listening!

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    9 December 2021, 1:38 pm
  • Audiobook Commutes, Hawkeye and More

    Dear Listener,

    This week Stan asks Jon about how he has been spending his commuting time. Turns out it has been with Audiobooks. We also talk about the football season, the new Hawkeye TV show, and whatever else comes to mind.

    Thanks for listening!

    Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

    2 December 2021, 1:16 pm
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