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#define: sheer resistance (Changelog & Friends #116)

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Nov 7, 2025

In this lively showdown, returning champions Taylor Troesh, Thomas Eckert, Matthew Sanabria, and David Aja engage in a battle of wits and vocabulary. They tackle obscure terms like 'iatrogenic' and 'heteroscedasticity,' with hilarious definitions and lively banter. The game features a unique Google-autocomplete challenge related to Steve Jobs and intriguing round themes, including musical terms and cinematic misadventures. Expect playful competition and a delightful exploration of language that will keep you entertained and educated!

01:42:41

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INSIGHT

Agents Behave Differently Than Humans

Agents operate by calling, retrieving, and parallelizing rather than clicking and scrolling like humans.
Design your infrastructure and tooling expecting agents to orchestrate workflows and plug into systems.

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ADVICE

Use Databases Built For Agents

Use databases built for agents when your systems need native search, instant zero-copy forks, and vector/text handling.
Try Tiger Data's Agented Postgres to avoid Postgres choking on agent workloads and large-scale retrievals.

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ADVICE

Limit External Help In Word Games

Enforce a no-googling policy in word-guess games to preserve game integrity and fun.
If you allow LLM assistance, limit its use (e.g., one hidden mulligan) to balance fairness.

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Round 1: Iatrogenic — Medical Mishap Definition

09:11 • 7min

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Round 2: Heteroscedasticity — Statistical Variability

Round 3: Achakatura — Musical Grace Note Revealed

29:20 • 15min

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Round 4: Give It a Goog — Steve Jobs Autocomplete

Round 5: Weird Flicks — The Man Who Laughs (1928)

56:24 • 18min

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Round 6: Brobdingnagian — Meaning 'Marked by Tremendous Size'

01:14:11 • 16min

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Tiebreaker Decision and Bill Gates Autocomplete

01:30:10 • 8min

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Winners, Reflections, and Game Balance Discussion

• Mentioned in 34 episodes

Gulliver's travels

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" is a satirical masterpiece that uses fantastical journeys to critique human nature and societal flaws. Gulliver's encounters with Lilliputians, Brobdingnagians, and other fantastical creatures serve as allegories for political and social issues of Swift's time. The novel's sharp wit and biting satire continue to resonate with readers today, offering a timeless commentary on human folly and the complexities of power. Gulliver's experiences highlight the absurdity of human conflict and the importance of reason and moderation. The book's enduring popularity stems from its ability to entertain while simultaneously provoking thought and challenging readers' assumptions.

#14704

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Small Fry

Lisa Brennan-Jobs

In 'Small Fry,' Lisa Brennan-Jobs recounts her childhood spent between two vastly different worlds: her mother Chrisann Brennan's humble home and her father Steve Jobs's affluent lifestyle. The memoir explores her father's initial denial of paternity, their eventual reconciliation, and the emotional complexities of their relationship. It also delves into her experiences with emotional abuse and neglect, as well as her journey to forgiveness and understanding. The book is praised for its literary elegance, sharp insights, and poignant portrayal of a child's longing for parental love and acceptance.

#4953

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

No man is an island

A Study of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew

James Minchin

This book provides an in-depth analysis of Lee Kuan Yew's life and his role in shaping modern Singapore. Based on interviews with over seventy politicians and activists, it offers a nuanced view of Lee's successes and failures, including his abuses of power and personal struggles. The author's unique perspective, gained from his years living in Singapore and his involvement in the community, makes this book a valuable resource for understanding the complex figure of Lee Kuan Yew and the development of Singapore.

#274

• Mentioned in 71 episodes

Fooled by randomness

the hidden role of chance in life and in the markets

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

In 'Fooled by Randomness', Nassim Nicholas Taleb discusses the pervasive influence of chance and randomness in our lives and financial markets. The book argues that humans tend to underestimate the role of luck and overestimate the role of skill, leading to biases such as hindsight bias, survivorship bias, and the narrative fallacy. Taleb emphasizes the importance of recognizing and coping with uncertainty, and he critiques the tendency to seek deterministic explanations for random events. The book is part of Taleb's Incerto series, which also includes 'The Black Swan', 'The Bed of Procrustes', 'Antifragile', and 'Skin in the Game'.

#136

• Mentioned in 115 episodes

Antifragile

Things That Gain from Disorder

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Albino Santos Mosquera

Genís Sánchez Barberán

In 'Antifragile', Nassim Nicholas Taleb delves into the concept of antifragility, arguing that some systems not only withstand stress and disorder but actually benefit from them. The book builds on ideas from his previous works, such as 'Fooled by Randomness' and 'The Black Swan', and is part of his five-volume philosophical treatise on uncertainty, 'Incerto'. Taleb provides examples from various fields, including science, economics, and history, to illustrate how antifragility can be achieved and how it contrasts with fragility and robustness. He also discusses strategies like the barbell strategy and optionality, and critiques modern society's attempts to eliminate volatility, which he believes are harmful. The book is praised for its revolutionary ideas and multidisciplinary approach, though it has also received criticism for its style and some of the author's views on mental health and other topics.

#223

• Mentioned in 82 episodes

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

The play revolves around Prince Hamlet's journey to avenge his father's murder, which was committed by his uncle Claudius. Hamlet's father's ghost appears and reveals that he was poisoned by Claudius, who then married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet feigns madness while he investigates and plots his revenge. The play explores themes of betrayal, mortality, and the human condition, culminating in a tragic finale where nearly all main characters die, including Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and several others.

On this seventh iteration of our award-worthy game show filled with obscure jargon, fake definitions, and expert tomfoolery: past winners battle to determine the champion of champions. (Also, Adam.)

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Featuring:

Taylor Troesh – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn
Thomas Eckert – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, X
Matthew Sanabria – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
E. David Aja – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Moar game shows!
Chorus

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!

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