Reconcilable Differences

Swimming naked in school and thinking about Lead. Links and Show Notes: In Follow-Up, listeners share their experiences with Swimming Naked in School. Won't someone please think of the pool filters? Merlin recalls that distant summer he attended swimming and trampoline camp—albeit in an admittedly non-nude context. Next up, John does his level best to give updates on his finished room. Space is required for something called "blocking." Merlin confesses that he can't really identify where that beeping sound is coming from. In the (free-to-you) member segment, things kick off with compliments to the author Stephen King along with some remarks on his earthy social media presence. But the main topic? Lead (Pb)! In particular, your hosts explore scientific speculation that the effects of lead on the psychopathology of their generation may be far greater than previously known. Authentic anecdotes about aggressive childhood lead play are revealed. (Recorded on Tuesday, September 16, 2025) N.B. Your hosts thought this week's member segment was pretty good, so they decided to share it with everybody here for free. If you enjoy what you hear, please consider supporting the program at https://www.relay.fm/rd/join. 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. Give to St. Jude! Bachman–Turner Overdrive - Wikipedia Bachman Turner Overdrive - "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" (1974) ACK: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) - Wikipedia “Ack!” Cathy (comic) - Wikipedia “Ack!” Bill the Cat (Bloom County) - Wikipedia ATP 657: Ears Are Weird — Accidental Tech PodcastATP Overtime: Alterego and “thought to text” translation Procedure word - Wikipedia Nude swimming in US indoor pools - Wikipedia Alison K. Hoagland. "Introducing the Bathroom: Space and Change in Working-Class Houses." Minnesota men bare all about naked swimming in school - The Minnesota Star Tribune Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (2022) Silver Beaver Award - WikipediaMerlin's late father was awarded a Silver Beaver. What is Blocking? - Cocoknits Blocking 101 (Knitting Tutorial) Stephen King promotes The Long Walk (video) An excerpt from Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy - Prose Porn Subreddit“The judge like a great ponderous djinn stepped through the fire and the flames delivered him up as if he were in some way native to their element. He put his arms around Glanton. Someone snatched the old woman’s blindfold from her and she and the juggler were clouted away and when the company turned in to sleep and the low fire was roaring in the blast like a thing alive these four yet crouched at the edge of the firelight among their strange chattels and watched how the ragged flames fled down the wind as if sucked by some maelstrom out there in the void, some vortex in that waste apposite to which man’s transit and his reckonings alike lay abrogate. As if beyond will or fate he and his beasts and his trappings moved both in card and in substance under consignment to some third and other destiny.” Words Cormac McCarthy Uses in His Novels [PDF]"Each word is noted as to which book(s) it is included in as well as how many times it occurs in that book." Contribution of childhood lead exposure to psychopathology in the US population over the past 75 years“More than half of the current US population was exposed to adverse lead levels in childhood as a result of lead's past use in gasoline. […] Lead-associated mental health and personality differences were most pronounced for cohorts born from 1966 through 1986 (Generation X).” 20th Century Lead Exposure Damaged American Mental Health - Duke University We Made Hot Fuzz - YouTube

Subtitle: This is where the tractors go.John shares the results of some fascinating recent polling on TV obstructions and chewing gum swallowing. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code diffs50off Links and Show Notes: John speculates about a reference, then Merlin sings like Paul Simon for a few seconds. In Follow-Up: if you thought "shirts vs. skins" was bad? Oh boy, just wait until you hear how they used to do things in 1970s Michigan. Next up, Merlin has questions about urban phone usage. Specifically, hey, what's the deal with all the talking on speakerphone? Then, John shares the results of some fascinating recent polling on TV obstructions and chewing gum swallowing. Merlin really wants John to watch the movie, Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024). (Recorded on Tuesday, September 2, 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. Give to St. Jude! Roderick on the Line #593: These Are the Days These Are Days, by 10,000 Maniacs These Are Days (audio links) Sharon Linne Faulk on her husband's high school PE class in the 1970s John's TV blockers poll Megadoc (2025) - IMDb Aubrey Plaza says Megalopolis is “disturbing,” Coppola “repressed”

Subtitle: “No Scraps!”Canada blames the dog, John presents his Vacation Results, and Merlin talks about the beach. In this month's bonus member segment, Merlin shares some Professional Expert Results. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code diffs50off Links and Show Notes: Canada blames the dog, John presents his Vacation Results, and Merlin talks about the beach. In this month's bonus member segment, Merlin shares some Professional Expert Results. (Recorded Tuesday, August 19, 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. Winnipeg woman says dog started fire by turning on stove under recall notice — twice Greenmade InstaCrate Collapsible Storage Bin ATP Insider: Vacations Defunctland: The History of Action Park - YouTube C8 Corvette steering wheel

Subtitle: We called them latex invitations.John reports back with his Billy Joel Results. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code diffs50off Links and Show Notes: John reports back with his Billy Joel Results. (Recorded on Tuesday, August 5, 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. The Living Daylights (1987) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) “Slicing the Pie” in Destiny - YouTube “Slicing the Pie” with diagrams - YouTube Direct MP3 link to the member version of Reconcilable Differences #266Free to everyone! This is the full member version of episode 266, which includes the normal episode followed by the members-only aftershow (and no ads, of course). If you like what you hear, you can become a member at https://relay.fm/rd/join Lisp code examples “Lisp has all the visual appeal of oatmeal with fingernail clippings mixed in.” — Larry Wall, July 21, 1994 in comp.lang.lisp Billy Joel: And So It Goes - HBO Billy Joel: Turn the Lights Back On - YouTube

Subtitle: The folder is called “Pepperoni.”How does John generate all that cool chapter art? This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes: Things kick off with John sharing some breaking news about The Flop House, plus it's clear that Merlin's Britishisms are becoming numerous, invasive, and a little un-American. Next up, Merlin wonders how John generated all that cool chapter art for a recent ATP special. (Hint: some of it was automated; some of it was not.) And, finally, Merlin decides to apply Theory of Mind to predict why John hasn't watched the Billy Joel special yet. Subsequently, John is pitched on why this program probably represents essential viewing for him and his people. In this month’s member bonus segment, John has book-adjacent questions about Merlin's Wisdom Project. You can sign up today to hear all the member episodes, get more bonus stuff, and help support our program. (Recorded Tuesday, July 22, 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. Flop House Mini 132: Stu Brings Down the HammerThis is the Flop House mini episode where Stuart Wellington fulfills John’s request to explain the Warhammer 40,000 episode of the Secret Level animation anthology series on Amazon Prime Video. Secret Level episode 5: Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear - Wikipedia Secret Level episode 5: Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear - Amazon Prime Video "Faff" in the Oxford English Dictionary SubstageThe Mac app for using an LLM to take actions in the Finder. ATP Tier List: Pizza Toppings ATP Member Specials Billy Joel: And So It Goes - HBO HBO’s Big Beautiful Billy Joel Documentary Delivers Maximum Piano Man Per Minute - GQ.com Hicksville, New York - Wikipedia Hicksville, New York - Google Maps The Gilded Age (TV series) - Wikipedia Billy Joel - Live in London (March 13, 1978) - YouTube Lorraine Bracco - Wikipedia wisdom.limoThe fun URL for Merlin’s Wisdom Project. Merlin’s Wisdom Project on GitHub Inspirado for Merlin’s Wisdom Project The Art of Pants Reconcilable Differences #3: Helena Sell - Relay

On the complexities and constraints of pursuing the right answer. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes: 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. R.E.M. - Collapse into Now Stephen Hackett: Ten Years Indie Lighter Darker: The ILM Podcast Merlin’s post about ChatGPT and “ctx” The Gell-Mann amnesia effect - Wikipedia Like Stories of Old: When Two Filmmakers Make the Same Movie - YouTube Like Stories of Old: The Inner Chronicle of What We Are – Werner Herzog Documentary - YouTube Come and See (1985) We Were the Lucky Ones (2024) Merlin’s “Some Next-Level Shit” movie list

The hosts dive into a humorous debate over document formatting quirks and HTML tags. They share nostalgic tales from their school days with Linux while tackling early Unix systems. The conversation shifts to the 1981 film 'Das Boot,' exploring its themes and adaptations. Expect playful banter surrounding food odors from microwaved meals and the awkwardness of group travel. Emotional moments arise as they reflect on graduation ceremonies and the bittersweetness of growing up, all wrapped in relatable anecdotes and camaraderie.

John's Prom Results and Merlin's Camping Results. This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by: TRMNL: Clarity, at a glance. Get $15 off for 1 week only. Grist: A modern, open source spreadsheet that goes beyond the grid. Try it for free today. Links and Show Notes: 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. Lisa’s First Word (The Simpsons, season 4, episode 10) - Wikipedia “The Nice Price” stickers @katieonviolin tells Merlin about The Apparatus™ in 2024 Hypercritical #42: The Wrong Guy The Plumber Problem Hors d'oeuvre - Wikipedia Titan submersible - Wikipedia

The hosts dive into nostalgia as they reminisce about the classic game 'Marathon' and its resurgence. They explore the evolution of Billy Joel's 'Allentown,' unpacking its socio-economic themes. Amusing exchanges about internet speeds and unique outdoor installations lead to reflections on community and safety. They tackle the complexities of personal goals, emphasizing the shift from perfectionism to enjoying the creative process. Their conversation wraps up with the importance of balancing work and play, especially during life's transitions.

In a playful banter, the hosts kick things off discussing Billy Joel and delve into the whimsical complexity of town names influencing song lyrics. They humorously explore YouTube engagement strategies and share amusing tales about parenting and tech-savvy kids. A curious plumbing apparatus becomes the centerpiece of their discussion, leading to laughs over its odd design and functionality. The conversation wraps up with bizarre neighborhood antics, including flower theft and public peculiarities, making for a delightful and entertaining listen.