Episode 412: A Hobo in a Cartoon

DISCUSSED: Gong Hei Fat Choy!; follow-up on the FaceTime bug and the complexity of getting bug and security reports from normals; the weirdness of bug-finders demanding a bounty; Merlin is fascinated to learn about "combinatorial explosion" and how it helps to explain why power-cycling fixes stuff; why you should always blow the dust out of the plug; recent examples of how restarting just fixes stuff; Merlin logs out of email apps and recommends an iOS calendar app; a case for killing OAuth where you don't need it; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener question about whether podcasts can be "evil."

Links for this episode:

How to say Happy New Year in Chinese, just in time for Chinese New Year | Metro News
How a teenage 'Fortnite' player found Apple's FaceTime bug — and why it was so hard to report it
[53:35] Apple goes to war with Facebook and Google — The Vergecast — Overcast
Combinatorial explosion - Wikipedia
In mathematics, a combinatorial explosion is the rapid growth of the complexity of a problem due to how the combinatorics of the problem is affected by the input, constraints, and bounds of the problem. Combinatorial explosion is sometimes used to justify the intractability of certain problems.
2019 Super Bowl was the least-watched in a decade - MarketWatch
Super Bowl Ratings Hit 10-Year Low In Patriots’ Win | Deadline
Boring Game Plus New Orleans Rebellion Leads to Ratings Drop - The New York Times
Diagnosis and Management of Supernumerary (Mesiodens): A Review of the Literature
Bug Reporting - Apple Developer
Blow the dust out of the connector – The Old New Thing
Here's the trick: Don't ask "Are you sure it's plugged in correctly?"If you do this, they will get all insulted and say indignantly, "Of course it is! Do I look like an idiot?" without actually checking.Instead, say "Okay, sometimes the connection gets a little dusty and the connection gets weak. Could you unplug the connector, blow into it to get the dust out, then plug it back in?"
Calendar 366 by n.spektor - For Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch & iPad
The Dropout Podcast - ABC Radio
Good QA Joke
Olivia Colman — David Tennant Does a Podcast With… — Overcast
David Tennant talks with Olivia Colman. Stories about The Crown, The Favourite, Broadchurch and more. If you’re easily offended, there are some swears.
Merlin Mann's subscriptions
Merlin Mann's podcast subscriptions
Big Star - "September Gurls" (1974) - YouTube
Brought to you by:

Honeybook (So get started at HoneyBook.com today, and use promo code BACKTOWORK for 50% off your first year).

Hullo Pillow (Visit hullopillow.com/backtowork to learn more).

DISCUSSED: Gong Hei Fat Choy!; follow-up on the FaceTime bug and the complexity of getting bug and security reports from normals; the weirdness of bug-finders demanding a bounty; Merlin is fascinated to learn about "combinatorial explosion" and how it helps to explain why power-cycling fixes stuff; why you should always blow the dust out of the plug; recent examples of how restarting just fixes stuff; Merlin logs out of email apps and recommends an iOS calendar app; a case for killing OAuth where you don't need it; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener question about whether podcasts can be "evil."

Links for this episode:

How to say Happy New Year in Chinese, just in time for Chinese New Year | Metro News
How a teenage 'Fortnite' player found Apple's FaceTime bug — and why it was so hard to report it
[53:35] Apple goes to war with Facebook and Google — The Vergecast — Overcast
Combinatorial explosion - Wikipedia
In mathematics, a combinatorial explosion is the rapid growth of the complexity of a problem due to how the combinatorics of the problem is affected by the input, constraints, and bounds of the problem. Combinatorial explosion is sometimes used to justify the intractability of certain problems.

2019 Super Bowl was the least-watched in a decade - MarketWatch
Super Bowl Ratings Hit 10-Year Low In Patriots’ Win | Deadline
Boring Game Plus New Orleans Rebellion Leads to Ratings Drop - The New York Times
Diagnosis and Management of Supernumerary (Mesiodens): A Review of the Literature
Bug Reporting - Apple Developer
Blow the dust out of the connector – The Old New Thing
Here's the trick: Don't ask "Are you sure it's plugged in correctly?"If you do this, they will get all insulted and say indignantly, "Of course it is! Do I look like an idiot?" without actually checking.Instead, say "Okay, sometimes the connection gets a little dusty and the connection gets weak. Could you unplug the connector, blow into it to get the dust out, then plug it back in?"

Calendar 366 by n.spektor - For Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch & iPad
The Dropout Podcast - ABC Radio
Good QA Joke
Olivia Colman — David Tennant Does a Podcast With… — Overcast
David Tennant talks with Olivia Colman. Stories about The Crown, The Favourite, Broadchurch and more. If you’re easily offended, there are some swears.

Merlin Mann's subscriptions
Merlin Mann's podcast subscriptions

Big Star - "September Gurls" (1974) - YouTube
Brought to you by:

Honeybook (So get started at HoneyBook.com today, and use promo code BACKTOWORK for 50% off your first year).

Hullo Pillow (Visit hullopillow.com/backtowork to learn more).