Where does one host their site or service on the Internet? There are lots of choices, places and trade-offs to consider. David Smith joins John to walk through the options as we explore which is the right choice for different use cases. With David Smith and John Chidgey. Hosts we use: Digital Ocean CloudShards Soft Layer Linode Related Links: WordPress WordPress Optimisation Bible Blogger cPanel Softaculous Camel Tumblr SquareSpace NameCheap BlueHost Yahoo buys Tumblr Pocket Sized Podcast Episod...
Aug 12, 2014•2 hr 33 min
Since information could travel faster than the weather we've strived to predict the weather more accurately into the future. Joel Housman joins John to dig deep into just how hard weather prediction can be and why. With Joel Housman and John Chidgey. Related Links: Weather Forecasting Synoptic Scale Meterology Atmospheric Pressure Dark Sky: A Weather App To Keep You Dry (Review) Weather Data and Content Sources Numerical Weather Prediction Ensemble Forecasting Weather Balloons Monte Carlo (M...
Jul 30, 2014•1 hr 25 min
On the day following the launch of his new app Overcast, Marco Arment joins John to talk about coffee. We cover the history from the 13th century to present with brewing techniques and a bit about our personal journeys with that wonderful brown liquid. With Marco Arment and John Chidgey. Caffeine systematic name: 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione; aka 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine aka 1,3,7-trimethyl-2,6-dioxopurine Check out his new podcast playing app Overcast site and the [App Store L...
Jul 21, 2014•2 hr 42 min
Follow up (Part A) to Gambling Machines where I talk briefly about why I left Zero-Sum games out of the episode, how Italy is facing the similar problems with slot machines and insurance vs gambling. Thanks to Jordan, Nick, Andrew and Frank (from Italy). With John Chidgey. Related Links: New Comma 6A Slot Machine Rules Italy Rounders IMDB Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: LIFX: LIFX is a smart lightbulb that gives you previously unheard of control of your lighting. Each bulb is Wi-Fi...
Jul 20, 2014•7 min
Follow up (Part A) to Daylight Saving where we quickly touch on Seasonal Affective Disorder and whether Daylight Saving _actually_ contributes to it. Thanks for the feedback Andrew McAuliffe. With John Chidgey. Related Links: Circadian rhythm Daylight Savings: Not a Bright Time for All What is Seasonal Affective Disorder/Winter Depression? Seasonal affective disorder Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: LIFX: LIFX is a smart lightbulb that gives you previously unheard of control of your...
Jul 20, 2014•6 min
The Surface Pro 3 claims to be the best of both a laptop and tablet experience but in trying to compromise for both, new issues about its optimisation for either use case become evident. Myke Hurley joins John to dissect the Tablet Laptop category. With Myke Hurley and John Chidgey. TechDistortion Companion Article: Tablet Laptops You Can’t Fight The Physics Related Links: Center Of Mass Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Teardown MacBook Air 11" Mid 2013 Teardown MacBook Air Models A1237 and A1...
Jul 15, 2014•56 min
Jason Snell has been writing for 25+ years - the most recent two decades in the Tech space. We dive into how writing styles for tech have evolved recently, how to structure and focus your writing, understanding editors and having passion when you write. With Jason Snell and John Chidgey. Related Links: Four Different Types of Writing Styles News Style Jason Snell WikiPedia Page Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: LIFX: LIFX is a smart lightbulb that gives you previously unheard of ...
Jul 09, 2014•2 hr 33 min
Casey and John have done some development and engineering in a military environment that comes with its own set of unique restrictions and pressures. We explore the good, the bad and the downright annoying aspects but don't worry, it's not all bad. With Casey Liss and John Chidgey. Related Links: HFMOD - Better Late Than Never Classified Information TEMPEST MAC Filtering MAC Addresses The Need To Know Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: LIFX: LIFX is a smart lightbulb that give...
Jul 01, 2014•1 hr 7 min
Gambling is all about the odds of separating you from your money and todays gambling machines are making lots of it for the government. Ben Alexander returns to discuss the Pokies. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Related Links: Lotteries in Australia Gambling Pokies Revenue in Australia Slot Machine Music and Sounds The Impact of Sound in Modern Multiline Video Slot Machine Play (PDF) Slot Machines By Country The Gamblers Fallacy Slot Machines Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: L...
Jun 24, 2014•57 min
John and Guy English discuss software entropy as it relates to the User Interface and the code itself and explore if there's a way to stop it. With Guy English and John Chidgey. Related Links: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Entropy Second Law of Thermodynamics The Power of Customer Retention Microsoft Excel Excel v2.0 Screenshot Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Wet Frog Studios: Wet Frog Studios are an amazing App Icon and Logo Design company with a knack for understanding what y...
Jun 16, 2014•1 hr 9 min
Follow up (Part A) to Downloaded vs Streamed where we look into another big reason why Australian internet is so expensive beyond the lack of economies of scale. Many thanks to Alex Garner for the detailed feedback. With John Chidgey. List of Australian Undersea internet connections: Australia-Papua New Guinea-2 (APNG-2) - 1.13 Gb/s PIPE Pacific Cable-1 (PPC-1) - 2,560 Gb/s Australia-Japan Cable (AJC) - 880 Gb/s Gondwana-1 - 640 Gb/s Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN) - 2,600 Gb/s APX-East - 19...
Jun 13, 2014•3 min
Follow up (Part A) to Maximum Erasability where we touch on the size of the whiteboards and colours used and how that relates to usability and also a handy tip on erasing permanent marker marks using a dry-erase marker. Thanks to Nick Radcliffe. With John Chidgey. Support Pragmatic on Patreon
Jun 13, 2014•4 min
John is a proponent of downloading. Josh Centers is a proponent of streaming. Which is the one true, most efficient and economical solution? With Josh Centers and John Chidgey. Related Links: Streaming Media Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Wet Frog Studios: Wet Frog Studios are an amazing App Icon and Logo Design company with a knack for understanding what you need and delivering a great result quickly. Exclusive for Pragmatic listeners they have an offer of their App Icon and Logo...
Jun 09, 2014•1 hr 9 min
What is it about WhiteBoards that makes them so invaluable as a collaborative design tool? John is joined by Seth Clifford of Nickelfish to explore the reasons why. With Seth Clifford and John Chidgey. Related Links: Blackboards/Chalkboards Whiteboards Writing Slates Ballpoint Pen Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Wet Frog Studios: Wet Frog Studios are an amazing App Icon and Logo Design company with a knack for understanding what you need and delivering a great result quickly. Exclu...
Jun 02, 2014•1 hr 16 min
Understanding what is and isn't your core business is critical for success. Horace Dediu joins John Chidgey for a very special episode of Pragmatic where for once John doesn't do all the talking! With Horace Dediu and John Chidgey. Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Audible: Audible is the Internet’s leading provider of spoken audio entertainment, providing digital versions of tens of thousands of audiobooks for download to your computer, smartphone and MP3 player. Visit...
Jun 02, 2014•2 hr 31 min
Daylight Saving was introduced as a means of conserving energy but does it achieve that in any way? Do the benefits truly outweigh the confusion and frustration it causes? John and Myke Hurley go through the history and draw their own conclusions. With Myke Hurley and John Chidgey. Related Links: Daylight Saving Time Daylight Saving Time: German Wikipedia Translation Daylight Saving Time: Early Adoption and US Law Daylight Saving Time: Original Idea Stanford Magazine: What Did Daylight Saving Ev...
May 20, 2014•1 hr 1 min
Many people bandy-around the expression The Critical Path but what does it mean? The truth is that it's a part of Project Management and this phrase carries negative connotations for a lot of people but it's a tool to help us get to where we need to be. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. TechDistortion Companion Article: The Critical Path Project Management: Project Management Monroe Apples Gantt Charts: Gantt Chart Project Professional 2013 Primavera Gantt Project Gantt GAN format PER...
Apr 18, 2014•1 hr 1 min
Tackling two types of common cable, Speaker cable and HDMI cables. HDMI some obsess over gold plating; Speaker cable some obsess over OFC. Which is worth the extra money or are neither? Hardcore audiophiles may be upset by the contents of this episode. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Articles about the show: IPv6: An Unreachable Wall The MOD Tracker Scene Oxygen-Free Copper: OFC Cables Standard Cable Oxygen-Free Copper Skin Effect Gold Plating: Golden Rules (PDF) Mohs scale of hardness HDMI...
Apr 06, 2014•56 min
John and Ben tackle design consensus and dictatorship/auteur styles of design development. Is the dictatorship model better and if so what makes a good dictator? With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Related Links: Consensus Dictatorship Auteur Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Typeform: Typeform makes it easy to build and share beautifully designed online forms, combining human creativity with the power of modern, cross-device web technology to create new ways of asking questions onl...
Mar 30, 2014•50 min
Follow up (Part A) to The Internet Makes It Even Better with a paid alternative to iFTTT Zapier; Replacing LogMeIn with TeamViewer (still has a free tier alternative); and DRM on Internet Connected Devices. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Support Pragmatic on Patreon
Mar 23, 2014•8 min
John tackles the Stuxnet virus intended to disrupt Uranium Enrichment in 2010 in Iran and in the process explores what SCADA is, how to purify Uranium and of course, the anatomy of the Stuxnet worm. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Related Links: SCADA W32 Stuxnet Dossier (PDF) ISIS NuclearIran › Nuclear Sites › Natanz Gas centrifuge Uranium Atomic number Federation of American Scientists :: How a Centrifuge Works SCADA History (DOCX) Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Typeform: T...
Mar 23, 2014•1 hr 6 min
Follow up (Part A) to The Worlds Most Popular Camera where we look into printing photos and when SLRs will still have the edge but are destined to still be a niche product. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Support Pragmatic on Patreon
Mar 23, 2014•15 min
Follow up (Part A) to Cause And Effect with more detail on the Aeroperu crash courtesy of listener Dean Lombard. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Related Links: The Black Box: All-New Cockpit Voice Recorder Accounts Of In-flight Accidents: Malcolm Macpherson Support Pragmatic on Patreon...
Mar 19, 2014•6 min
Follow up (Part A) to Passion Over Academic Proof where we clarify that yes we still need Universities and Colleges and discuss several readers comments. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Support Pragmatic on Patreon
Mar 19, 2014•37 min
John critiques the Artemis pCell, a lengthy article about how pCell might work and walks through the key pieces to understanding if this is real life or is this just fantasy; and whether Steve Perlman is the right man to make this dream a reality. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Blogs mentioning the show: Pragmatic — Future Commentary My Podcast Listening Circa January 2014 - ChrisHubbs.com Max Melzer on Podcasts PodUnion Kyle Bavis — Am I wasting my time organizing email? A study of email ...
Mar 16, 2014•2 hr 58 min
When asked to, or need to use someone else’s software code in your project it’s not always a clear cut choice how to approach it. Do you extend or recode? John and Ben explore the pros-cons and put forward some practices to reduce the potential damage. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Support Pragmatic on Patreon Episode sponsor: Typeform: Typeform makes it easy to build and share beautifully designed online forms, combining human creativity with the power of modern, cross-device web technol...
Mar 08, 2014•49 min
The iPhone has disrupted the consumer photography industry and is the most popular camera in the world. But is it the best camera? John explores the limitations of using the iPhone as your only camera, drawbacks of a DSLR and how accessories can help. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. TechDistortion Companion Articles: The Worlds Most Popular Camera Review of the AtoB iPhone Camera Grip Related Links: Pragmatic Episode Survey Review: Apple iPhone 4S (16GB/32GB/64GB) Flickr: Camera Finder Appl...
Feb 23, 2014•1 hr 6 min
John and Ben discuss ways to take reasonable but meaningful safety precautions in the workplace, and around the home. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Related Links: Russell Energy Meter Common Questions About Flame Resistant Clothing The Story Of Charlie Morecraft Top 5 causes of accidental home injury deaths Ionization vs Photoelectric Smoke Detectors Information About Confined Spaces: Confined Spaces Confined Spaces: Is 19.5 Percent Oxygen Really Safe? Top Gear: Bolivia Special Effects of...
Feb 16, 2014•1 hr 28 min
John and Ben discuss SSDs, data transfer bottlenecks and the evolution of PC data storage architectures. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Bus Communication: Parallel Communication Industry Standard Architecture Advanced Technology Attachment Parallel ATA Serial ATA 8b/10b encoding Conventional PCI PCI Express Memory: Non-Volatile Memory Field Electron Emission Hot-Carrier Injection Tunnel Injection Flash Memory Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor MOSFET Flash Memory Interface Tutorial Introduc...
Feb 09, 2014•1 hr 10 min
Follow up (Part D) to The Battery Problem where John addresses some more follow up about Flywheels as a form of energy storage, the challenge of disposing of or recycling dead solar panels in 40 years and realistic expectations of DC efficiency. With Ben Alexander and John Chidgey. Related Links: Flywheel Energy Storage Drag High-temperature superconductivity Leidenfrost effect Flywheels: Reinventing the wheel | The Economist Solar System Design – Tech Distortion Recycling Methods for Used Photo...
Feb 02, 2014•26 min
