190: Three Whys Later

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.

And, finally, we learn why John is still behind on his podcasts as well as why Merlin liked it better when podcasts were less…_professional_.

In our members-only bonus show: John has updates on _Half-Empty Nest Syndrome_.

[Sign up today](https://www.relay.fm/rd/join) to get lots of extra stuff and to support our program.

(_Recorded on Tuesday, August 23, 2022_)

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.

Sign up today to get lots of extra stuff and to support our program.

(Recorded on Tuesday, August 23, 2022)

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. 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