TechStuff is Thankful

is closed for the holiday. But considering I'm winding down my sixteen and a half year long run on tech Stuff, I thought instead I would do a timely episode to talk about thankfulness and the gratitude I feel toward the many people who have contributed to this show over the years. And yes, there will be a lot of overlap with that previous episode I did when I announced that I was leaving the show. But starting off, the first person I have to thank is Conall Byrne So.

and seven. Now, those of y'all who have been listening to tech Stuff for a while now know that ultimately this relationship between Discovery and how Stuff Works didn't work out, and Discovery would go on to sell how Stuffworks dot Com to another company called Blue Cora several years later. But none of that really matters here. So it was Connall who came to me and to my editor and my friend Chris Pollette and asked us if we would

consider launching a podcast focusing on technology. So Chris and I talked about it and we agreed, and Stuff was the result. Connell was willing to give writers and editors a chance to create shows and to grow those shows and shape them, even after we realized that using the

shows as a brand extension had limited success. Now by that, I mean the original concept for all the podcasts under the Stuff brand was to raise awareness for the website HowStuffWorks dot com because we weren't monetizing podcasts or anything like that at that point. But I'm sure you're all aware or at least suspect that most people aren't likely to take action on one platform after hearing about it

on a different platform. It's just tricky because you're not listening to the podcast while you're also on your computer on your browser. Keep in mind, this is two thousand and eight. This is before people were using their smartphones to listen to podcasts. Like, if you were listening to a podcast, you were using probably iTunes to subscribe to a podcast, and you would physically link your iPod to your computer and transfer new episodes over to your iPod

so you can listen to them. It was a pretty you know, clunky process at that point. And so if you're listening on your iPad or iPod rather not even iPad at this point, you're listening on your iPod and someone mentions, hey, go to this website HowStuffWorks dot com to learn more about it. Well, by the time you get in front of a computer again, you probably don't

remember to do that. So it was entirely possible for Connell to just pull the plug and say, you know, this was a good idea, but it's not working out for us and we're not making money. So let's instead use your time to write articles for the website. He

could have done that, but he didn't. He saw that there was still potential value for keeping the show going, and the shows did do really well, particularly Stuff You Should Know that became an early breakout success story in the podcast world and really resonate with lots of listeners. So we were getting lots of downloads. Even if it wasn't moving the needle that much on the website. It was clear that what we were doing was having some

residents out there in the world. So Connall, let us keep doing the shows.

How Stuff Works by that time had left Discovery and gone through a couple of other changes in ownership, and then over time he returned to become the head of Stuff Media, so there had been a separation for a while. But then Conall comes back and he takes the helm of stuff Media, which had split off from how Stuffworks dot Com. And not too long after that, I Heart acquired stuff Media, and Connall has played an important part in Iheart's digital strategy ever since. So I don't see

him that often anymore, at least at the time. I don't know if it's still true, but he didn't live that far from me. But I don't see him that frequently, but he does make time to chat with us old timers whenever we run into one another at company functions and such. And again, without Connell, there would be no Tech Stuff. So I am thankful very much for his initiative and his support of the show. I'm also deeply thankful for Chris Bollett, my former editor and co host

I went through. I went through a lot of editors while I was at hou Stuffworks dot Com. I don't know if that means I was a problem child or not.

they receive a piece from a writer. They mark up that piece and return it to the writer in order for them to make changes, like if something doesn't make sense, or if there needs to be more clarification or more detail, or maybe there's just a mistake that needs to be fixed. The editor returns into the writer and the writer makes the changes. But Chris would just change the dang thing himself, and he made my work better. And the same was true for the podcast. He made that better too. Most

of our recording sessions were lots of fun. We would sit across from each other that we would talk about tech and we would make some jokes and references. I would typically flip out over the fact that he had never seen the movie Jaws, which is my favorite movie of all time. He would talk about how he once used to do things like go on tour with the

Indigo Girls. It was a great time. Of course, Chris would eventually decide to change his career path and that meant leaving HowStuffWorks dot Com and the show, but Tech Stuff would not be what it is today without Chris Pollette's influence. I still have a promotional poster of the two of us, and it's hanging up on my home office's door. And yeah, so I see Chris every day I go to work because I see him.

a real state once Chris left. She worked very hard for about two years on the show before she decided she wanted to launch some shows of her own. She wanted to create a space for herself, not just be part of a space that other people had already created. And I fully respect that. So from twenty thirteen through most of twenty fourteen, Lauren did me a solid by co hosting the show once she left, things got a lot more challenging because it really was just me as

the host. I would reach out to my coworkers to occasionally show up as a co host, but you know, that was dependent upon people's availability week to week, and that was never a guarantee.

And that is a lot y'all. And I should say the all by myself part is a little deceptive. First, I don't really do all of this by myself. Even on episodes where I've chosen the topic, I have done all the research, I've written my notes up, and I've done all the recording. I don't do it all by myself. I mean I might even do a quick edit pass, but then I have to hand my episode off to super producer Tari, who has been with me for several

years now. And I've mentioned Tari many times over the years on this show, but she typically prefers to stay off microphone and out of the spotlight. So now I'm going to take some time to talk about my super producer. So Tari and I are a great team. I mean, it's just a fact. She is positive, she is silly.

I tend to be grouchy and cantankerous, and our interactions have become a source of entertainment for many of our coworkers because I will often get very grouchy toward her, she will smile and laugh it off, and everyone thinks it's the funniest thing.

was doing the podcast The Restless Ones. She can tell you stories about traveling to places like Chicago or San Francisco or Los Angeles with me, and I can talk about how the two of us rode the roller coaster on the Santa Monica Pear, though the version of that story depends upon which of us you ask, because she swears that I convinced her to do it, but my memory is that she wanted to ride the roller coaster,

so I agreed to it. Both versions of the story include the bit where she was praying to anyone who would listen while we were on the actual ride. Oh and they also had us go around the whole thing a second time, which came as a bit of a surprise to both of us. But more to the point, Tari is the person we all have to thank for tech stuff sounding as good as it does. She's the producer that handles everything once I finished recording, So my

metaphorical hat is off to Tari. And as I mentioned in that earlier episode where I looked back on the history of the show, I have had several other producers over the years. Ramsey Yunt was another great producer. Ramsey books some of the most interesting guests we've ever had on the show, including Steven Lisberger who directed Tron and Jess Royle and John Hilton who worked on the series

Stranger Things. Ramsey actively sought ways to mix things up on my show, which was always really nice, and like I said in that previous episode, there were lots of others to think. Right, there's Jerry, the producer best associated with stuff you should know, but she produced episodes and tech stuff as well. Tyler Klaang, who's here in the office today. He also produced several episodes. Matt Frederick and Noel Brown and Elizabeth Johnston and others have taken turns

sitting in the producer's chair over the years. I also need to thank all the producers who have stepped up to produce the show during those times when my producer needs to take a holiday or a sick day. That's one of the wonderful things about working not just at iHeart, but like throughout every iteration of the company I have worked for. I've done the same job, but the company has changed. It's that there's a real sense of teamwork and caring for each other and stepping in when extra

effort is needed. Thanks to everyone who ever did that to help keep the show going. All of them have touched the show in various ways, and I'm grateful to all of them. All Right, the love fest is not over, but we do have to take a quick break to thank our sponsors.

or to appear on the show. They also were incredibly nice to me whenever I would run into them at events like cees, because often I would be sent to ces by myself, and y'all, I don't know about you. I don't do so well when I'm all on my own. I get kind of lonesome and like you can be in a big crowd feel lonely, right like if you don't know anyone, that can be a very isolating experience.

And I found cees to be pretty dawn ding. But then I met Ias, and I met Shannon, and I met others like Tom Merritt and folks like that Brian Tong. These were people who were incredibly welcoming and friendly toward me, and even those who had been working in communication for years before I got started. They were generous with their time, their expertise, and their friendship in ways that mean an awful lot to me. And again, I think the show

benefited from that. I learned a great deal from these people, and I'm so thankful that they were so generous with their time and their skill and that they would agree to come on my little show and talk about tech. I highly recommend you seek out their work. If you like tech stuff, then look for stuff that Ias Actar and Shannon Morris and Tom Merritt are doing, because they can continue to make incredible content that is in and

around the tech field. And some of it is more product oriented, some of it is more sort of general news, but it's all phenomenal work. So thanks again to all of those wonderful people. I'm also thankful for our sponsors, so again, for the first few years of our show. If you listened to that earlier episode, you know, those first few years we weren't monetized. And it's no secret that without sponsors, without ads, without financial support, shows just

wouldn't exist. Every podcaster I know personally is really passionate about what they do, but that doesn't just pay the bills on its own. I wish it did, but it doesn't. So whether it's rent or mortgages, or food bills or college funds or whatever it might be, we all need to make a living, and sponsors and ads have created that opportunity, and we've had a lot of great sponsors

over the years. It's also meant that on occasion we end up being sent stuff to try it out, to make sure we're willing to voice ads or do a fully sponsored episode or an endorsement, and I can't tell you how thankful I am for that as well, Like these are companies that want to make sure that the people who are reading ads are actually fans of those products, and we've been incredibly fortunate to work with some really

thoughtful sponsors out there. Not long ago I talked about Sons and how that company had sent me products to try out. It's not lost on me how fortunate I am to be in that position. And I'm going to be real here, if I didn't already own a pair of sos Ace headphones that they have sent me, that would definitely be on.

so that they create a full sound system in my home. Anyway, Sorry, I don't need to get off on a tangent, but that's just a great example of working with a partner that makes really cool stuff and also supports the show and makes it possible for me to create the show. And I think there's some great synergy there. And it's tricky to do. It's tricky to do ads and sponsorships and endorsements in a way that's genuine and feels honest.

It's not the most straightforward path for everybody. But I've been so lucky that the sponsors I've worked with have been such a good fit. And also to that end, I'm deeply thankful for our sales team here at iHeart. So one thing that has been consistent for many years at the Stuff Media House Stuff Works at iHeart is that we've had a policy that allows us, the podcasters, to actually decide which partners we want to work with and which ones we would rather not work with. Pull

back the curtain a bit. This is behind the scenes, but this is how the sausage gets made. We have a project management tool where sales will upload new opportunities and we call it vetting. We're vetting the ad opportunities.

So as the host, I would go in onto this tool and I would see, Oh, you have an AD opportunity with company X, and you would read up on company X. You'd read up on what the ad was about and what messaging they wanted to give, and then you would decide, Okay, am I happy to voice an AD for this company for this product, or maybe you know, do an endorsement, in which case they were going to send me whatever it is they make and I get to try it out and then give my honest opinion

about it, or maybe even a fully branded episode. Sometimes that was a case, but whatever it was, I would get the chance to say yes or no, and.

an ad for. Well, the whole reason why I'm able to do that is because the company supports me in that approach, and I have a sales team that is really understanding when it comes to that. Sometimes it can be frustrating for them because they might be a big sales opportunity. But if I say no, I say no, and they don't, you know, really push back on that. Occasionally they might ask for more information just so that they understand, so that they don't bring opportunities that are

a waste of time to me. Right, they'll know like, oh, well, that's not even bother asking Jonathan about that because it's not a good fit. We'll go somewhere else. Ultimately, all of these decisions are made to serve three purposes in my view. Purpose one is to support the show to earn money that allows the show to continue. Purpose two is to bring things that I believe in as parts of the ads for the show, so that you, the listeners, have an opportunity to hear about something that I think

is legitimately pretty cool or interesting or useful. And so hopefully if you are in need of whatever that company provides, it's enough for you to say, oh, let me go try that.

with the show and what I want to accomplish. So yes, I get it from those of you who find ads to be disruptive or distracting, but you know, it is a requirement if we're going to have the show unless we put it behind a paywall. And I don't like that idea very much. Some shows can do that and no shade on them. It just never felt like the right approach for me, so I never pursued it. There were opportunities to look at subscription based models, but I

didn't really want to do it that way. So I am very thankful to all the sponsors out there who allowed me to keep doing this show year after year. And there's one other group that I'm thankful for, and then I'm going to have to talk about. But before I get to that, let's take another quick break to thank those sponsors again. Gosh darn it, I just talked about how thankful I am. Well, let's prove it be right back.

my office at home. I remember getting cool wire art sculptures from a listener who took metal wire and twisted them into different figures and sent them to us. The heck One listener once built me a custom ukulele out of hardware supplies and even included an acoustic piezoelectric pickup on the ding dang darn thing. That's insanely cool. But whether I've met you or not, whether you've reached out or just listened to the show, I'm so incredibly thankful

for you. Way back in the old days when Chris and I were first sitting down to record the show back in mid two thousand and eight. We had no idea if anyone was going to listen. For months when we started podcasting, we didn't know if anyone was listening. We didn't have any insight into the analytics, you know, as far as we knew, we were just talking into microphones for a couple of hours each week, and then the file would go off into the void and that would be it.

that's stung, but it was important. I'll never forget the events. Surf, one of the pioneers of the Internet, one of the architects for the Internet, who was one of the big contributors for TCPIP. He wrote to me to explain how wrong I was about some stuff in a very nice way. I don't want want to come across and say that he was being rude.

Once upon a time, tech stuff had a fairly active social presence. You know, we still do have a Facebook page. I just haven't really touched it very much in years. Same with Instagram, Twitter, also the same. If I'm being totally honest and vulnerable, it's because I reached a point where being active on social media was taking such a taxing effect on my mental health that I needed to stop doing it. And I didn't have anyone else to handle the social accounts for the show, so they kind

of died. And that's sort of send number one. With podcasting, you know, if you're doing a good job with podcasting, one of the things you want to do is create a space for your community so that your community can connect with one another as well as to connect with you. And I didn't really have the mind share to do that over the last several years, and yet people still listened.

And when I made the announcement that I was stepping away from the show, several people have found creative ways to reach out and let me know what the show

has meant for them. And that is beyond remarkable because again, I haven't made it easy to do that, and the fact that people still took the effort to find ways to get in touch with me and let me know that says a lot about the impact the show has made, which makes me feel great because obviously I don't get up and just talk it to a microphone just because it's my job. I do it because I really believe in it and I have a real passion for it, and so to hear people respond well to that it

means the world to me. So for all of you out there who have listened, whether it's to just one episode or one hundred episodes or, bless your heart, a thousand or more episodes, what are you doing but no, thank you? It really means the world to me. And we've still got new episodes of the show coming out between now and when I step away in January of twenty twenty five, so I'm looking forward to chatting with you. Then hopefully we'll get a few special guests on for

some of those episodes. That's what we're working on now. In the meantime, I hope you are all happy, healthy, and surrounded by your loved ones.