Three nerds discussing tech, Apple, programming, and loosely related matters.
- Rights
- Copyright 2013–2026 Accidental Tech Podcast
- Public lists
-
Featured
- Fetched
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em while you sunset Dance Jam
WWDC
How to make a lottery work, like Shmoocon does
How to write a live blogging system for keynotes
Our winnings and losses in the WWDC Don't-Call-it-a-Lottery
Levels of randomness and Apple's discretionary pool...
59: The Little Puck That Could
- Follow-up on vocabulary and Michael Abrash joining Oculus.
- Amazon Fire TV — no fan!
- USB-IF's renderings of their proposed new connector
- The giant anti-poaching collusion between Google, Apple, and dozens of other companies (Facebook apparently refused)
- Google checking with Steve Jobs first before making a hiring decision
- After-show: We tried to predict WWDC dates, not knowing that Apple would announce them 12 hours later, then discussed ticket lotteries and how Apple probably wouldn't build one. (Yeah.)
Sponsored by:
- Warby Parker: Boutique-quality, vintage-inspired eyewear at a revolutionary price.
- Pixelmator: Full-featured image editing app for the Mac.
- 2Checkout: Control your checkout experience from pixel to payout with our Payment API. Visit for your free sandbox account.
58: Always On Vacation In California
Follow-up on discussing sexism in technology, Anil's experiment, empathy, ad hominem tu quoque, and cultural rigidity.
Facebook buying Oculus:
Outrage from Oculus' Kickstarter backers, including from Minecraft creator Notch, and the expectations that Kickstarter creates ...
57: Smorgasbord of Pronunciation
Follow-up on the complexity of computer science versus other fields: quotes and videos from MIT's SICP class (9:00–10:45).
The death of the iPad 2, the use of sapphire in Apple devices, sapphire versus Gorilla Glass, and the flexible LG phone.
Haunted Empire, the Jony Ive ...
56: The Woodpecker
- Follow-up on software complexity: The Mythical Man-Month, No Silver Bullet, the original Agile manifesto, and what Agile has become.
- What we found most useful from our computer-science educations.
- Marco's impressions of his new Mac Pro.
- External disks, PCI-Express SSDs, and cable management.
- John buys a home-theater AV receiver. (The newer version he didn't need)
- Stereo vs. surround speakers, and integrated vs. external subwoofers. (Marco's tiny, buggy amp and great speakers).
- After-show: Pono, ABX tests, mp3ornot.
Sponsored by:
- Transporter: A private cloud storage drive that you own and control. Use code ATP for 10% off any Transporter.
- Ting: Mobile that makes sense. No contracts, and pay only for what you use.
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code CRITICAL for 10% off.
55: Dave, Who Stinks!
- Follow-up on Final Draft and treating warnings as exceptions in production.
- Software methodologies. For real this time.
- Why don’t software development methodologies work?
- Evidence-based scheduling.
- Marco plugs FCModel, Casey plugs his Debug appearance, and John plugs bleeps and boops.
- After-show: CarPlay, and £1,600 audiophile Ethernet cables (via Dalton).
Sponsored by:
- In Flux: A new music album that explores the interplay between video games, music, and nostalgia.
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code CRITICAL for 10% off.
- Ting: Mobile that makes sense. No contracts, and pay only for what you use.
54: goto fail;
Wolfram Language.
The "goto fail" SSL bug and the chances that it was nefariously introduced by an NSA effort, possibly as part of their $250 million annual budget for such operations.
Apple's warrant canary.
Casey's and Marco's hard-to-find bugs and language misfeatures...
53: There’s Gonna Be Some Flapping
Follow-up on why Flappy Bird was successful.
Kieran Healy's excellent article with science.
John Gruber and Merlin Mann at SXSW '09.
Goofball Jones' anonymous criticism of John's "shtick", and John's defense including many links:
An explanation of John's "schtick"
Some p...
52: Necessary But Not Sufficient
Facebook Paper's gesture usability, in-app tutorial videos, and the design challenge of gestural interface.
RootMetrics testing real-world wireless speeds.
Despite constant effort to improve usability, what if computers just aren't for everyone? (There's a similar long-sta...
51: Maybe We’re Just Dinosaurs
The FiOS net-neutrality non-story and last summer's YouTube-throttling story.
More FU on iPads going pro, giant-tablet-desk ergonomics, trying to understand John's theory again, and a train analogy from Casey.
New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Bill Gates' new wildcard role,...
50: Disk Light Observer Effect
Follow-up on why an iPad "Pro" needs to be larger and why iOS is "better for people".
Can iOS add more power-user functionality without harming its simplicity or usability?
Whether Macs should ship with ARM CPUs, how such a transition would be challenging today, and whether...
49: Roamio and Siracusiet
Follow-up: Genius Bar employee reports of how most people deal with iCloud backups, photo backups, and storage limits, iExplorer for exporting iMessages.
iOS' storage model is a leaky abstraction.
Google may have wanted Nest for its smart-home project as well as the more ob...
48: Marco Bought Four
Follow-up: whether iMessage problems are widespread, reasons behind flattening the Mac Mini, and HDR TVs.
The storage costs of Casey's emoji.
Google buying Nest for $3.2 billion.
Ben Thompson on Google's business model.
Nest has over 200 employees, including many ex-Apple...
47: Better Pixels
Follow-up: IBM AS/400 (aka System i) and single-level store.
Marco's Retina theory.
PS4 and Xbone sales.
Trying to care about CES.
Who "needs" the Mac Pro? Justifying toys and improving quality of life with smart purchases.
Panasonic’s new LCD TVs compared to great TVs o...
46: A Compromised Machine
- Mac Pro follow-up: socketed CPUs and potential upgrades, and the benefits of only using stock Apple parts.
- Scoring Apple's performance on John's 2013 to-do list.
- Concerns about Apple's recent Mac apps, including iWork '13 and Messages/iMessage.
- AnandTech's Mac Pro review.
- The Mac Pro's 4K/Retina monitor situation.
- The iMac vs. the Mac Pro, and the hardware needs of developers.
- Why do John and Marco care so much about Retina?
- What the next big computer-hardware shift may be.
- After-show: our future as old men, saturating USB 3, and the often-neglected Mac Mini.
Sponsored by:
- OmniGraffle: Sketchy mockups or pixel-perfect designs for UX, UI, and diagrams.
- Hover: High-quality, no-hassle domain registration. Use promo code TECHBYCHANCE for 10% off.
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code MARCO for 10% off.
45: Give Up On The Retina Dream
- Explaining our podcast artwork.
- Facebook Likes in the App Store and ad-banner blindness.
- Dual-input displays and how they enable the 5120x2880 display that John and Marco want.
- Turbo Boost and the Mac Pro's CPU options.
- Using a laptop on a stand with an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
- The benefits of desktops and ECC.
- Mac Pro configurations for best value and future-proofing.
- Building separate gaming PCs, switching to iMacs, or trying to wedge PC gaming into Mac Pros.
- Mac Pro price stratification over time.
- Outlook 2011 for Mac complaints and John's multiple-selection-invalidation bug.
- Casey said some stuff at the end.
- Special holiday theme song by Jonathan Mann.
Sponsored by:
- Hover: High-quality, no-hassle domain registration. Use promo code ATP for 10% off.
- Warby Parker: Boutique-quality, vintage-inspired eyewear at a revolutionary price.
44: A Plague With Very Minor Effects
What if the new USB connector is too similar to Lightning? (John Gruber on Lightning)
Potential for 5120-wide Retina displays to overcome Thunderbolt bandwidth limits by using "dual-input displays"?
John's "quick" tips for TV calibration. (THX TV-calibration app)
"Rate Th...
43: Brilliance Enhancer
Accidental Fountain Screenplay: The Case of Liss by Joe Steel. (And Bionic.)
Desktop 4K/Retina resolutions hitting bandwidth limitations of Thunderbolt 2 and DisplayPort 1.2, and the Sharp/Apple non-news.
John's Squarespace-reseller idea already exists.
Why aren't iOS App ...
42: The Ultimate Vanity Search
FU on PrimeSense.
Apple's acquisition of Topsy and speculation on why.
Apple's possible difficulty in getting and keeping enough engineering talent, and how they might make bigger strides in web services.
Which group wears the pants in a company?
Marco's embarrassing FiOS s...
41: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
- David Chartier's clarification on Photo Stream limits.
- Space Monkey, Transporter, Box, and Xdrive.
- Results of John's Disk Utility repair survey. (John on Debug)
- Xbox One launch sales.
- Apple buys PrimeSense.
- Apple's potential expansion into the TV business.
- Penny Arcade's job posting, Marco's reaction, and the outgoing employee's description.
- Extended after-show: how we deal with criticism, trolls, and our own flaws when facing our audience.
Sponsored by:
- Warby Parker: Boutique-quality, vintage-inspired eyewear at a revolutionary price. Use coupon code ATP for free 3-day shipping.
- Ting: Mobile that makes sense. No contracts, and pay only for what you use. iPhone now available.
40: The Compliance Shark
Follow-up on Cisco VPNs on Mavericks and [photo backups] to SkyDrive on Windows Mobile Phone Series Metro Not-Metro Phone Windows.
Why enterprise software is so hard, and the barriers to entry for small companies targeting the enterprise market.
Game-console sales by gener...
39: Desperation Mode
- John's new Museum of Mediocre Reading Devices.
- The confusing Photo Stream limits, and all of these links in the show notes.
- Stephen Elop's If-I-Were-CEO Plan.
- A story about enterprise software.
- The four big assumptions about using enterprise software, why it's usually so terrible, and why big companies buy it.
Sponsored by:
- Transporter: A private cloud storage drive that you own and control. Use code ATP for 10% off any Transporter.
- Hover: High-quality, no-hassle domain registration. Use promo code ATP for 10% off.
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code ATP11 for 10% off.
38: Auto-Update My Parents
- Thanks to Jim Pierce for extending John's dog. (Also mentioned: AntiCrop, Glide)
- Everpix's failure and impending shutdown:
- Everpix's critical strategic error, and how tech business and funding strategies should resemble Puerto Rico game strategies).
- Revisiting the challenges of online photo storage and why Apple isn't offering something like Everpix with iCloud.
- Answers to the last listener questions about John's Mavericks review.
Sponsored by:
- Hover: High-quality, no-hassle domain registration. Use promo code ATP for 10% off.
- F-Sim Space Shuttle: A highly-realistic simulator of the space shuttle’s approach and landing in unprecedented detail and accuracy.
37: A 3,000-Word Digression
Some light Mac Pro waffling and the red one.
iOS 7.0.3's new crossfade animations in "Reduce Motion" mode.
Little tidbits and windows into the life of John Siracusa buried in his OS X Mavericks review.
Noodling John with random questions.
Dragon Drop and Cocoapods don't su...
36: A Weird One
- The John Siracusa Mavericks review is up!
- Apple's event, the presenters' pacing and enthusiasm, Casey's bag of hearts, and yet another showing of the dots video.
- The Retina MacBook Pro update.
- The Mac Pro base price, CPU options, and speculation on SSD pricing.
- The iPad Air, Retina iPad Mini, iPad 2 (LOL), and iPod Classic.
- Apple's prod of free software.
- John's high-level summary of Mavericks and recommendation on upgrading.
- Listener homework: Read the review before next week's episode.
Sponsored by:
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code ATP10 for 10% off.
- Hover: High-quality, no-hassle domain registration. Use promo code ATP for 10% off.
35: Sea-Level Executives
- Ebook-publishing woes and trying to coordinate a specific release date.
- Apple hiring the CEO of Burberry to head their retail division, and the Louis Vuitton logo.
- The challenges of retail leadership.
- Touch ID impressions after a weekend of heavy use, and whether you should keep your phone secure for other people's benefit.
- How Touch ID could be used in Macs, and whether ARM MacBooks would be worth the transition costs.
- Speculation on next week's product announcements.
- Where a potential 12" Retina MacBook Pro could fit in the lineup.
Sponsored by:
- Transporter: Your own private cloud-storage drive. Get $50 off with discount code ATP50 through November 11.
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code ATP10 for 10% off.
34: Made The Dot Smaller
- Siri expectations and unreliability in popular culture.
- Can Apple ever dramatically improve their web services, and how much pressure do they feel to do so?
- The sorry state of online payment processing before Stripe, and improving the current sorry state of money transfers (especially in the U.S.) with services such as Dwolla and Square Cash.
- The Mavericks GM.
- Drawbacks of a Readability-like model for paying podcast producers in Overcast, and Instacast's 2012 rejection for Flattr integration.
- Different priorities for podcast playback and management.
Sponsored by:
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use promo code ATP10 for 10% off.
- Audible: Over 150,000 downloadable audiobooks. Get a free audiobook with a 30-day trial.
33: A 30-Minute Skip Button
When we expected the Mavericks GM (recorded two hours before this).
Apparent new E5-1680 Mac Pro in Geekbench and what CPU tradeoffs to expect in the new Mac Pro.
Speculating on the new Mac Pro's fan noise, rotating cable management, and intended desk location.
FU on John'...
32: It Doesn’t Bother Me
- Casey's exclusive new iPhone 5S.
- Low stock levels of the gold 5S and Apple's potential motivations.
- How good the iPhone 5 (and therefore the 5C) still is today.
- John's review of iOS 7.
- Locking your kitchen.
- Marco's upcoming podcast app, Overcast, as announced at XOXO 2013, and why he preannounced it.
- The parallels between Portland and the Hofbräuhaus.
- John's logarithmic-scrubber idea. (and Marco's logarithmic calendar)
- Dr. Drang on parallax.
- Post-show Neutral: the F80 M3/M4 specs.
Sponsored by:
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use coupon code ATP9 for 20% off in September!
- Ding: Dead-simple time tracking for freelancers and small teams. Use promo code ATP for a 90-day free trial.
31: Swimming In 16 GB Gold
- Casey goes to an Apple Store.
- FU on SnappyCam, Synology and ZFS, and the likelihood of a new Mac filesystem.
- The 16/32/64 GB iPhone capacities may be overstaying their welcome.
- Each host's planned iPhone upgrades.
- How to get an iPhone on launch day.
- Long Island Lexus trim.
- Who's fabbing the A7? Intel? Probably not.
- iOS 7 adoption stats so far from Mixpanel and _DavidSmith.
Sponsored by:
- MailRoute: Hosted spam and virus protection for email. Use promo code ATP for 10% off for the life of your account.
- Squarespace: Everything you need to create an exceptional website. Use coupon code ATP9 for 20% off in September!