Screen Testing
30 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago -Neil Studd and Dan Billing bring you a fortnightly movie podcast with a software testing spin. We'll be looking for bugs in the plot, and comparing how the films compare to real-life experiences we've faced in the world of testing!
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Episodes
Ep 28: The Social Network
September 16, 2020 06:20 - 1 hour - 102 MBWe’re joined by Jenna Charlton to discuss David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed Mark Zuckerberg biopic which straddles a very fine line between hero worship and cautionary tale. We talk about the pre-Facebook internet days of Angelfire and MySpace, how the movie mostly gets its tech correct for a change, and our real-life experiences with the privilege which the film displays. We get a bit serious in the middle as we unpack the overt misogynism on-display in the movie, discuss the impact ...
Ep 27: The Net
July 31, 2020 14:28 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBIt's time for another long-overdue dive into technology in 90s movies, as we go deep into the "not as bad as you heard it was" Sandra Bullock thriller, The Net. We investigate whether Jack Devlin has the skills required to be an international spy, whether the film merited the little-known sequel and TV series which it received, and whether Angela should be briefer in her emails when she's being pursued. As usual, there are tangents upon tangents, as we uncover the secret behind Neil's un...
Ep 26: Independence Day
July 03, 2020 22:31 - 52 minutes - 46.6 MBTrying to sync your episode with an immovable calendar date? Doing two recordings in one week? Suffering with kidney stones as well? It’s no problem for your favourite (perhaps) test-focused movie buffs, who are here to talk about a sci-fi classic which has an unmentionable sequel, despite the fact that Neil keeps mentioning it. Dan and Neil are your guides on a trip through that most traditional of holiday tales, featuring a weird mix of American bravado and hubris. The explosions are alm...
Ep 25: The Return!
June 30, 2020 21:08 - 49 minutes - 56.5 MBWhere have the last two years gone? Neil and Dan reunite as they attempt to quantify the many things that have kept them away from their microphones, whilst also focusing on some of the bigger issues of today (virulent or otherwise). As well as the many subjects of births, deaths, marriages and bubbles, we attempt to put a positive spin on COVID, discuss the ever-evolving impact of Black Lives Matter on historical media, and there's a rundown of the mixed bag which is the current UK box of...
Ep 24: Sully
June 01, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 83.5 MBWe're back from a brief hiatus with - unbelievably - a film which actually deeply relates to testing! We're joined by Mark Tomlinson, who brings his own experiences of dealing with the National Transportation Safety Board, to discuss a film about a remarkable moment of true-life heroism, and the decisions that we make in the heat of the moment. The events of the movie give us a chance to get into in-depth discussions about the challenges of testing within regulated industries, developing r...
Ep 23: Speed
April 06, 2018 09:42 - 42 minutes - 40 MBPop quiz, hotshot! You want to record a new podcast episode, but you also want a break from some of the darker plots that you've talked about recently. Plus, you're snowed-in at home. What do you do? Dan and Neil decide not to shoot the hostage, but to instead kick back with a discussion about Speed. In an episode recorded at the beginning of March (hence some timeline discrepancies and weird Oscar predictions), they find many parallels with Die Hard, and manage to work-in a surprising num...
Ep 22: The Silence of The Lambs
February 14, 2018 09:50 - 50 minutes - 49 MBWe return a little later than planned, as we discuss one of the greatest thrillers of our time, getting into discussions about psychology, interviewing, misogyny and gender politics, and appropriate occasions for purchasing FBI-themed cakes. We also salvage the best bits of our failed Oscars announcement episode, highlighting a few nominations that we hope will win big, and staking our reputations on a few predictions of our own. Miscellaneous Links: Ministry of Testing charity calenda...
Ep 21: La La Land
January 12, 2018 02:00 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBWe begin 2018 with a discussion of Neil's favourite film of 2017, and a worrying early revelation about Dan's general problems with musicals. But we persevere, and discover not only a few musical gems in Dan's closet, but also a shared appreciation for some of the plot elements in La La Land. Things get a bit philosophical and introspective as we dig into how we motivate ourselves (and others) when we (or they) suffer setbacks, how we tell our own stories about the world around us, taking ...
Ep 20: Best/Worst of 2017
December 14, 2017 02:00 - 58 minutes - 57.2 MBAs the year draws to a conclusion, Neil and Dan give a rundown of their favourite movies of the past 12 months, and highlight a few festive turkeys. The show notes are deliberately brief to avoid spoilers, but if you want to see the films which we discussed in YouTube trailer format, there are some playlists linked below. References: YouTube trailers: Neil's worst 10 films of 2017 YouTube trailers: Dan's films of 2017 YouTube trailers: Neil's top 10 films of 2017 Letterboxd: A...
Ep 19: Home Alone / Die Hard
December 08, 2017 02:00 - 59 minutes - 60.7 MBIn an episode recorded over the course of five hours, your hosts gather at Chez Neil for their own mini Christmas party, with a fine array of mince pies, cheeses and ales, as well as two of their favourite festive movies. The result? A fun and rambling journey which gets increasingly erratic as we continue. Both nursing sore throats and hangovers from previous nights' office parties, we nevertheless get to all of the important questions, such as why Hans Gruber owns a TARDIS on wheels, whi...
Ep 18: Rocky (LIVE!)
November 17, 2017 02:00 - 46 minutes - 61.4 MBYo listeners! Another conference means another live episode, as we join you from backstage at TestBash Philadelphia, to talk about Rocky, the only film that we could realistically talk about (despite special guest Keith Klain's best attempts to pitch ludicrous alternatives). In an episode which isn't sponsored by Ministry of Testing (despite how much it might seem like it is), we discuss some of our favourite TestBash talks, demonstrate some terrible impressions, discuss what the film can ...
Ep 17: Shaun of the Dead
November 03, 2017 11:05 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBCome get some! We're talking about Edgar Wright's first film in the Cornetto trilogy, and looking into our own experiences versus the film's portrayal of friendship, house-shares, and relationships. Plus, there's a zombie outbreak, so there's that. We analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Shaun's zombie survival plan, and how our own plans might differ. We also debate the issues which rage within Shaun's group, applaud the level-headedness of the female sidekicks, and discuss whether thr...
Ep 16: GoldenEye
October 20, 2017 02:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBWell, it was inevitable. A trawl through Neil's favourite Bond movie results in an unprecedented level of pedantry, fact-checking and conversational rabbit-holes, as we lean particularly hard into the uncomfortable elements of the movie, including inappropriate remarks in the workplace, the enigma of Boris, and unconvincing love stories. There's plenty to celebrate though, as your presenters explore their respective histories with the Bond series, the novels, and the GoldenEye 007 game on ...
Ep 15: WarGames
October 06, 2017 00:00 - 1 hour - 71.4 MBAfter finally overcoming the communication problems associated with talking to the other side of the world, we're joined by Mike Talks for a discussion about WarGames, the film that did for the 80s what Hackers did for the 90s, yet somehow without feeling anywhere near as dated as the latter. It's an enjoyable film with plenty to celebrate, and plenty of relevant discussion points including how humans interact with artificial intelligence, and the many obvious security vulnerabilities tha...
Ep 14: Yes Man
September 15, 2017 02:00 - 1 hour - 80.3 MBThis week, we "embrace the possible" as we chat to Leigh Rathbone about Yes Man, a Jim Carrey romantic comedy which tells the somewhat-real-life story of Carl Allen, an unconfident recluse who is encouraged to say "yes" to more things in his life. We talk to Leigh about how Yes Man inspired him to do the same with his testing career, and the opportunities that opened up for him when he did this. There are discussions about work-life balance, the responsibility of employers to help with mai...
Ep 13: Commando
September 01, 2017 02:00 - 1 hour - 80.9 MBIt's time to LET OFF SOME STEAM as we look at one of the finest examples of the 80s action movie genre. Arnie's on a mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter, while Neil and Dan are on a mission to constantly over-think every situation in the film. Amongst all of the crazy one-liners, explosions and deaths, we study John Matrix's mission, his requirement-gathering skills, and bemoan his poor password security. On the other side of the fence, we look at villain Bennett's seeming love for hi...
Ep 12: Hidden Figures
August 18, 2017 06:11 - 1 hour - 80.9 MBThis week, we're honoured to be joined by Angie Jones and Ash Coleman to discuss one of the most important films of recent times, Hidden Figures. It's a heartwarming tale of three women overcoming terrible systemic prejudices, though it's bittersweet as we talk through how many of its stories are still prevalent today. Our guests take us on a deep-dive through some important cultural talking-points, including how we educate children about race issues, how feminist movements tend to favour ...
Ep 11: The Circle
August 04, 2017 02:00 - 44 minutes - 39.7 MBIn an episode best summarised as "it seemed like a good idea at the time", Neil and Dan attempt to get their teeth into Netflix's recent high-profile tech offering, The Circle, starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, only to find there's very little meat on those plot bones. It's light on spoilers (as there's not a lot to spoil), but we envision a story which might have been, had they decided to actually include character arcs, plot developments and meaningful conclusions. We keep ourselves ...
Ep 10: Whiplash
July 21, 2017 01:00 - 1 hour - 93.8 MBIn a long-awaited episode, Dan and Neil are joined by special guest Christopher Chant to discuss the Oscar-winning picture Whiplash, a film which tells the story of the relationship between budding jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) and his tutor Terence Fletcher (JK Simmons), and how their worlds collide in a quest for perfection. In a deep and serious episode, we share information on coaching and mentoring techniques that we have observed and used, exchange thoughts on how to moti...
Ep 9b: Doctor Who - Jodie Whittaker reveal
July 19, 2017 16:51 - 26 minutes - 25.2 MBWe interrupt our regularly-scheduled programming to bring you our first emergency broadcast! Hot on the heels of our discussion of The Deadly Assassin comes the announcement of the new Doctor, with Jodie Whittaker becoming the first woman to play the show's leading role. In an episode where Neil and Dan spend most of their time agreeing with each other for a change, we delve into the inevitable social media outrage, discuss the reasons why the announcement points to an exciting future, bem...
Ep 9: Doctor Who - The Deadly Assassin
June 30, 2017 05:00 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBIn our first venture into the world of Doctor Who, guest Andrew Morton adds to Dan's expertise (and Neil's ignorance) to unpack a Fourth Doctor story which has vibes of The Manchurian Candidate and The Matrix (with a bit of a whodunnit and a courtroom drama in the middle). Plus there are fisticuffs! We take a reverential look at some of the series' tropes, including The Doctor's skill at hiding behind things, the speed at which cliffhangers are negated, stilted deathbed monologues and a vi...
Ep 8: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
June 16, 2017 07:00 - 1 hour - 89.3 MBNeil and Dan get their teeth into the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One, a prequel to Episode IV which is steadfastly doing its own thing, complete with retconned Death Star powers, penis-tentacled monsters and sarcastic droids. In a midichlorian-free episode, we discuss whether the Imperials should have discovered the Death Star's fatal flaw, how workplace politics can hinder us from achieving our goals, the nature of Chirrut Imwe's Force-like abilities, and the merits of...
Ep 7: Hackers
June 02, 2017 05:00 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBHACK THE PLANET! Your regular hosts Neil (aka Integer Overflow) and Dan (Shoe_Gazer) are taking over the airwaves with special guest Matthew Bretten (Mr Null) to pull apart the most 90s film of all-time. We analyse the visuals, the clothing, the soundtrack and the tech, all of which help to make Hackers a hundred times better than Swordfish. To keep our critical eyes sharp, we debate whether curiosity was really their only crime, whether the hacks still hold up today, and whether the recyc...
Ep 6: Swordfish
May 19, 2017 05:00 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBIn a Screen Testing first, we take a guest's love for a movie and weaponise it against them. It's no holds barred as (alongside Mark Winteringham) we unravel the film which gathers everything that you love about hacker culture, and adds Vinnie Jones and blowjobs. There's explicit language from the start, as we wonder why John Travolta's character loves to spoil the ends of movies, we compare Gabriel to a demanding product owner, we crowdfund an interesting (but potentially libelous) reboot...
Ep 5: Nerve
May 05, 2017 05:00 - 53 minutes - 55.5 MBAre you a watcher or a player? We're joined by Gem Hill to discuss last year's teen psychological thriller, Nerve. It's a deadly (and somewhat cheesy) technological game of truth or dare, available to stream now on Netflix. We discuss the game within the movie, the weird pockets of fame within social media, teen cliques, and how effectively the film manages its portrayal of hackers, the dark web and open-source software. We also deal with our usual array of distractions, including the un...
Ep 4: Ex Machina
April 21, 2017 05:00 - 57 minutes - 55.7 MBHow do you measure humanity? We go deep into spoilers for Ex Machina as we recap Bluebook's work to produce a robot that can pass as a human. In a reference-filled episode, we talk about the challenges of passing (or manipulating) a Turing Test, we debate the ethics of creating sentient machines, and compare the "planning/interview/debrief" structure of the film against how we approach our testing sessions. As we proceed, we get distracted by discussions about the capabilities of helicop...
Ep 3: Star Wars Holiday Special (LIVE!)
April 07, 2017 06:00 - 33 minutes - 34.8 MBRecorded live with guests at the TestBash Brighton Open Space on Saturday 25th March 2017. Expect some occasionally dubious sound quality, and some strong language, as we try our best to unravel the story behind the Star Wars Holiday Special. We focus on the "requirements" and the various different audiences for the show, wondering whether any of them would have been impressed that the previous summer's breakout sci-fi hit had been watered-down into a variety show format. There are thoug...
Ep 2: Father Ted - Speed 3
March 24, 2017 06:00 - 46 minutes - 49.4 MBIt's our first (and possibly not our last) visit to Craggy Island, as we take apart arguably the finest episode of Father Ted, in which our heroic priests do battle with a randy milkman and a bomb on a milkfloat. Discover how every mishap in the episode is a direct result of Ted's inability to communicate clearly, join our contest to find the best use for a brick, we analyse the priests' five possible solutions to the bomb problem, and learn which joke Neil took 19 years to get. Among ou...
Ep 1: Deepwater Horizon
March 10, 2017 07:00 - 56 minutes - 58.8 MBJoin the Screen Testers' first full-length episode, as we discuss the Berg/Wahlberg movie which inspired the podcast. It's a disaster film with a uniquely testing twist, as we analyse the events that led up to the catastrophe. We investigate the culture of miscommunication, debate how we know when testing is completed, the importance of quality in a safety-critical environment, and how false positives/negatives can blight automation. Along the way, we'll debate foreshadowing, alarm clock p...
Ep 0: Introductions
February 24, 2017 20:08 - 23 minutes - 24.7 MBIt's introduction time: join Neil and Dan as they take you through a potted history of their experiences with testing, movies, and podcasting. Learn about Arnie's movie debut; the episode you'll never hear; and discussion on the statute of limitations for spoilers. Hear it before it gets awarded the Golden Poddy™! Podcasts that we name-checked that are undoubtedly better than ours: Testing in the Pub Let's Talk About Tests, Baby How Did This Get Made? Bad Puns and Machine Guns James B...