Épisodes

  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

    A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
    Feb 27 2025
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2025/02/27/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built-by-becky-chambers/

    While I've been ill I read A Psalm for the Wild-built by Becky Chambers, which had been on my reading list for a while. It's a comforting and compelling story about purpose and identity in an environmentally-conscious utopia, and it's flipping awesome.

    00:00 Intro
    00:25 Micro-review of A Psalm for The Wild-Built
    05:20 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    6 min
  • God’s Adviser

    God’s Adviser
    Feb 6 2025
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2025/02/06/gods-adviser/

    When I was a young child I took part in a school nativity play, and was so insistent about picking holes in the theological inconsistencies implied by the script that I had to be expelled from the classroom. Here's how it went down.

    00:00 Intro
    00:23 Nativity Plays
    01:51 Adorable or Unbearable
    02:48 A Different Spin on The First Christmas
    04:17 The Meteor Strike of Bethlehem
    04:27 Adviser #1
    05:09 Theological Absurdity
    06:17 Biting on and not letting go
    06:51 Thrown out of class
    07:09 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    7 min
  • International Volunteer Day

    International Volunteer Day
    Dec 5 2024
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2024/12/05/ivd-2024/

    It's International Volunteer Day, and thanks to being on sabbatical I got to spend most of the day volunteering with Three Rings. I liveblogged everything I got up to in a series of notes to try to shine a light on what volunteering (in a developer/devops role) with Three Rings can look like; this post is a summary of all that liveblogging, plus a few extra thoughts.

    00:00 Intro
    00:31 International Volunteer Day
    02:31 Bugfixing mail merges
    04:08 Code reviews
    04:45 New server infrastructure
    06:16 Sorting the post
    07:09 Contact form improvements
    08:13 A new feature
    11:10 Sabbatical joy
    12:24 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    13 min
  • Stuck in a Lift

    Stuck in a Lift
    Nov 29 2024
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2024/11/29/stuck/

    About twenty years ago, I spent three hours playing I-Spy in a broken-down elevator. And in doing so, I learned two things about my friend Fiona.

    00:00 Intro
    00:25 Stuck In A Lift
    01:36 How to break/brake a lift
    02:08 Getting stuck in a lift with my friend Fiona
    03:35 What reminded me of this anecdote?
    04:03 A four hour wait...
    04:28 Discovering that Fiona is mildly claustrophobic
    04:51 "...something beginning with N."
    05:34 "...something beginning with S."
    07:03 Three hours later, and the arrival of our rescuer
    07:46 A second discovery about Fiona
    08:25 Karma
    08:36 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    9 min
  • Sadder Than Fiction

    Sadder Than Fiction
    Nov 16 2024
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2024/11/16/fiction/

    There's a short story that I tried on-and-off to write, but I've now given up on it. The concepts it makes light of all feel a bit too close-to-home, as conspiracy theorists increasingly migrate from the 'harmless nutjob' to the 'dangerous political leader' category.

    00:00 Intro
    00:43 Sadder Than Fiction
    01:38 My never-completed short story
    03:50 My influences
    04:37 My intentions
    05:05 How conspiracy theorists ruined my concept by making it not-funny-anymore
    06:52 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    7 min
  • How I Learned to Enjoy Pickled Onion Monster Munch

    How I Learned to Enjoy Pickled Onion Monster Munch
    Oct 24 2024
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2024/10/24/munch/

    I like pickled onions. And I like the vinegar flavouring and the onion flavouring from salt & vinegar and cheese & onion crisps, respectively. So I ought to like pickled onion crisps too. So why don't I... and can I rationally persuade my brain that it's wrong?

    00:00 Introduction
    00:26 I ought to enjoy Pickled Onion Monster Munch already, right?
    02:36 Restating the Theory
    03:23 Worst ASMR Audio You Ever Heard
    03:50 Results
    04:10 Outro
    04:31 Post-outro sounds of Dan continuing to eat a packet of crisps
    Voir plus Voir moins
    5 min
  • Firsts and Lasts

    Firsts and Lasts
    Oct 14 2024
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2024/10/14/firsts-and-lasts/

    I was listening to the bats flying silently above me while I watched the Perseids, the other month. When was the last time I was actually capable of hearing their echolocation? I simply can't remember, because it didn't feel significant at the time.

    00:00 Intro
    00:24 Firsts and Lasts
    03:47 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    4 min
  • WP Engine’s Three Problems

    WP Engine’s Three Problems
    Sep 26 2024
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2024/09/26/wp-engine/

    Matt Mullenweg kicked off a battle of words between Automattic and the WordPress Foundation and hosting company WP Engine. Without weighing in on the legal aspects (IANAL), I've written up my thoughts.

    00:00 Intro
    00:23 WP Engine & WordPress drama
    01:58 The three arguments against WP Engine: moral, ethical, legal
    02:27 Moral: don't take without giving back
    04:21 Ethical: don't exploit open source's liberties as weaknesses
    07:46 Legal: trademarks have value; don't steal them
    09:50 Summary of my opinion
    10:40 Outro
    Voir plus Voir moins
    11 min