190: Three Whys Later

Reconcilable Differences

We learn why John is still behind on his podcasts as well as why Merlin liked it better when podcasts were less…"professional."

This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

• Sourcegraph: Universal Code Search. Move fast, even in big codebases. Try it now.
• Doppler: Sync environment variables at scale.

Links and Show Notes:

Things kick off with a brief debate on whether using things wrong makes you a hacker.

In Follow-Up, John has updates on that announcement about dropping a device in a plane seat, and Merlin expresses skepticism about announcements in general.

Then, there's some updates related to the prior discussion of performance reviews. Believe it or not, quantifying the unquantifiable is even more difficult than it sounds.

In our members-only bonus show: John has updates on Half-Empty Nest Syndrome.

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(Recorded on Tuesday, August 23, 2022)

Credits

• Audio Editor: Jim Metzendorf
  
• Admin Assistance: Kerry Provenzano
  
• Music: Merlin Mann
• The Suits: Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley

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Jay Leno on “water landing”

Sully

Racial Disparities in Performance Evaluations at The New York Times

Liz Ryan's Twitter thread about 360s

Chesterton's Fence

Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking

Nonce Forms: What They Are and How to Write Them - Writer's Digest

Procedure word - Wikipedia

The word "REPEAT" should not be used in place of "SAY AGAIN", especially in the vicinity of naval or other firing ranges, as "REPEAT" is an artillery proword defined in ACP 125 U.S. Supp-2(A) with the wholly different meaning of "request for the same volume of fire to be fired again with or without corrections or changes" (e.g., at the same coordinates as the previous round).

AVID POWER Tire Inflator Air Compressor, 20V Cordless Car Tire Pump with Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, 12V Car Power Adapter, Digital Pressure Gauge : Automotive

Merlin now owns two of these.

Jay Leno on David Letterman (July, 1987) - YouTube

This is the "water landing" bit Merlin still somehow remembers 35 years later.

No Plan Survives First Contact With the Enemy – Quote Investigator

In conclusion, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder deserves credit for the words he wrote in German in 1871.

Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America's First National Park