Reconcilable Differences
John Siracusa and Merlin Mann try to figure out exactly how they got this way. Hosted by Merlin Mann and John Siracusa.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 103 minutes
- Episodes
- 268
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2025
48: Slim Pickings in the Terrarium
Merlin gets his time in the barrel as John disabuses him of his self-styled situation as "the dumb one." Merlin tries gamely to change the subject to how status works in improv, but finds his knife f…
02:31:49 |
Thu 23 Mar 2017
47: Now I Dream in French
This week’s first topic is self-driving cars and how soon they’re likely to be ready, as they say, for prime time. Later, you'll find The Spoiler Slot filled with a discussion of the 2016 movie, Arri…
02:04:40 |
Tue 07 Mar 2017
46: Some Form of Ballast
Main topic this week is ***Valentine’s Day***. Why Merlin hates it, and why John thinks it has its purposes. Why is tonight’s Holy Day of Obligation different from all others, and why exactly did Joh…
01:50:20 |
Thu 23 Feb 2017
45: The Blood is Normal, Right?
Main topic this week is **John's Cautious Tech Optimism**. How does John see technology's role in potentially bringing out our better angels? Why is dystopian sci-fi so depressingly myopic? How much…
01:51:28 |
Wed 08 Feb 2017
44: Assistant Manager Material
For the main topic, your hosts address Money on the Internet. How have technological and cultural changes altered our idea about what's valuable and how much people are willing to pay for it?
02:11:06 |
Thu 26 Jan 2017
43: Pack Mule with a Checkbook
The main topic this week is Dad Stuff. Dad Jokes, Dad Hats, and Dad…everything. In particular, when did Dad Jokes become a thing, and exactly what part of that label is supposed to be so bad and insu…
01:57:29 |
Thu 12 Jan 2017
42: The Punching in Me
The main topic this week is Merlin’s documentary obsession. Turns out: there are a lot of turns-outs. John and Merlin explore what’s so tantalizing (or off-putting) about some documentary films—as we…
01:40:38 |
Thu 22 Dec 2016
41: Jingling Keys
Lots of follow-up on Free Will, including thoughts on Heisenberg, tail-chasing, and provocative recent scholarship on whether what we see is “reality.” Around 01:45:00, we fire off the spoiler horn f…
03:00:01 |
Thu 15 Dec 2016
40: Slippery Slope to Dr. Manhattan
The main topic this week is _**Free Will**_. While Merlin has concerns about bong talk and living in a fingernail, John quickly gets things refocused on people's garden-variety defenses of free will …
01:53:58 |
Thu 01 Dec 2016
39: Rocks Aren’t Magic
This week’s main topic covers teaching kids about technology_ When, how, and what should young students learn about computers at school? How far have things come since Merlin’s Business Administratio…
01:56:42 |
Wed 16 Nov 2016
38: The Monkey God Situation
The main topic this week has Merlin probing John’s thoughts on the idea of a thing being “wrong within normal parameters.” John calls someone a “super doof,” and both hosts share their strategy for n…
01:48:46 |
Tue 01 Nov 2016
37: A Useless Angle for Swordfighting
The main topic this week is whether we’re living in a simulation (and how we’d know it).
01:45:47 |
Tue 18 Oct 2016
36: The Ragged Edge of What's Possible
The main topic is solo parenting. Facing The Shoe Crisis, thrice ruining the dinosaur eggs, and finding yourself in a Staples line that’s literally not moving. Is fear and anxiety really such a smart…
01:24:30 |
Tue 04 Oct 2016
35: A Lot of Them Are Tricks
The main topic this week is "magic and superstition." What delights (or angers) your hosts in a magic show? Why can't Cardini get rid of those cards?
01:58:09 |
Wed 21 Sep 2016
34: All These Assistant Principals are Now Dead
The main topic this week is high school reunions. Or, at least it starts out that way.
02:11:05 |
Tue 06 Sep 2016
33: Survival Bucket
The main topic this week is ratings and reviews. John talks about how he drinks eagerly from the fire hose of product recommendations as well as sharing his perspective on how he thinks about his epi…
01:31:13 |
Thu 25 Aug 2016
32: Pigs and Bunnies
The big topic this week? Sauce. More specifically, John walks us through how he cooks, stirs, and deploys delicious spaghetti sauce at scale. A general discussion of cooking practices reveals that Me…
01:39:23 |
Tue 09 Aug 2016
31: Backsolve From Your Urges
The main topic this time is 'Evolutionary Biology'. John runs through some common misconceptions, and widespread errors of analogies. Merlin candidly admits that he still doesn't really understand wh…
01:46:32 |
Thu 28 Jul 2016
30: Captain of the Living Room
This week's main topic can be roughly called, "my part of the couch." More specifically, why are your hosts so piqued about how hard it is to have nice things—let alone their own things—in their resp…
01:41:25 |
Thu 14 Jul 2016
29: Six Fax Machines
The main topic this week is The Future. Merlin can't contain his fascination and admiration with how John's rationality and long view of history has colored and redirected his own conceptions about w…
01:57:24 |
Thu 30 Jun 2016
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