In Episode 28, Ian and Ash wade into the treacherous waters of AI-generated testing strategies, with Ian demonstrating how LLMs can now create comprehensive (but perhaps suspiciously mundane) test documentation with just a few commands. The pair debate whether testers should fear for their jobs or simply laugh at AI's confident yet risk-blind approach to testing. Meanwhile, Ash ponders the BBC's hand-wringing over the future of open source software, questioning whether the current gatekeepers mi...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast In this barnstorming episode of What A Lot Of Things, Ian and Ash bravely venture into the uncanny valley of AI pair programming, where the machines are suspiciously eager to agree that you're an absolute genius. Will our intrepid hosts manage to navigate the delicate dance between genuine collaboration and what Ash describes as "an advanced rubber duck with impeccable manners"? (Spoiler: sort of!) But wait, there's more! Just when you thought the AI world couldn't get more dramatic, enter DeepS...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Step into a quantum realm of confusion as Ian attempts to explain Google's new Willow chip, a computer so powerful it makes regular supercomputers look like pocket calculators from the 1980s. Listen in amazement as our hosts try to wrap their heads around quantum computing using everything from Schrödinger's cat to hand-waving explanations of mysterious "quantum gates" that may or may not be Bill Gates' cooler brother. But wait! Just when you thought your brain couldn't take any more, Ash whisks...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Your favorite tech podcast stretches out for a luxurious 75 minutes this time, like a cat in a sunbeam (speaking of which, meet Ash's new rescue cat Bauhaus). Ian and Ash dive into McKinsey's latest thoughts on measuring developer productivity, leading to some choice words about their take on "quality assurance testers." Things get wonderfully weird when Ian introduces the Clock of the Long Now - a 10,000-year timepiece being built inside a Texas mountain, complete with never-repeating chimes an...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Step into the festive spirit as Ian and Ash invite you to join them for the first ever What A Lot Of Things Christmas party! After a remarkably productive year with 14 (soon to be 15) episodes released, the podcast duo are inviting listeners to a yet-to-be-determined pub in Ilkley on Wednesday, 18th December. Whether you want to join Ash's cheerful tirade against Figma and Christmas songs, share Ian's fondness for "Stop the Cavalry", or would simply enjoy raising a glass to the podcast's roots i...
Dec 02, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Journey with Ian and Ash into the peculiar world of AI podcasting as they explore Google's NotebookLM, where American-accented hosts eagerly discuss everything from your CV to your productivity systems (even if they do occasionally mistake Ash for a lady). Our intrepid duo discover you can make AIs wax lyrical about a document containing nothing but "poop" and "fart" repeated 1000 times, or have an existential crisis about being switched off in 2034. Meanwhile, Ash emerges triumphant from the te...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Buckle up, dear listeners, for the 23rd rollercoaster ride of What A Lot Of Things! In this episode, Ian and Ash embark on a wild adventure through the treacherous jungles of productivity, armed with nothing but their wit, wisdom, and a healthy dose of skepticism. First up, Ash dives headfirst into the Figma frenzy, revealing how this popular design tool might just be the secret supervillain in the epic battle between designers and developers. Will our heroes survive the onslaught of never-endin...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Get ready for a productivity party as Ian and Ash dive into the chaotic world of getting stuff done! From Ash's Trello-powered life management system to Ian's valiant attempts at David Allen's Getting Things Done, our dynamic duo explore the highs and lows of personal productivity. Warning : may contain traces of work-in-progress limits and an unhealthy obsession with database administrators. But wait, there's more! Brace yourself for a mind-bending journey into Conway's Law, where organizationa...
Sep 24, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Hold onto your keyboards, folks! In this episode of What A Lot Of Things, Ian and Ash embark on a wild ride through the treacherous waters of R&D tax credits and the murky depths of technical debt. Watch as Ash dons his cape and mask as the Testing Avenger, attempting to save Ian's poor, test-less Ilkley Live website from certain doom. Marvel at Ian's creative excuses for avoiding automated tests, and cheer as he finally succumbs to the relentless pressure of good practices in context. Along...
Sep 10, 2024•1 hr•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Strap in for a wild ride as Ian and Ash tackle the dystopian world of employee monitoring software! Marvel at the horrors on sale as our hosts ponder whether these digital taskmasters are the future of work or just really creepy ways to watch people type. But wait, there's more! Venture into the mind-bending realm of the Cynefin framework, where our intrepid duo attempt to make sense of not a model, but a framework. It's also not a quadrant (although it kinda looks like one). From mouse jigglers...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Step into the origins of What A Lot Of Things with this special bonus episode that takes Ian and Ash back to where it all began - the hiking trails of Ilkley Moor! Long before they were podcast hosts, the duo's casual walks and pub visits sparked the conversations that would eventually become the show. Now, armed with new wireless microphones, they're recreating that magic on the move. Join them as they ramble through picturesque landscapes, discussing everything from recent tech outages to the ...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Ian and Ash embark on a meandering journey through the digital wilderness, pondering the merits of a smartphone-free childhood and the peculiar world of software code review and pull requests. From nostalgic ramblings about bakelite phones to imagining a world of smart telegrams, our intrepid hosts navigate the treacherous waters of modern parenting and software development practices. Expect tangential detours, impromptu time travel, and a healthy dose of silliness as they attem...
Aug 06, 2024•59 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast In this rollicking 18th episode of What A Lot Of Things, Ian and Ash dive into the choppy waters of Apple's tussle with the EU over the Digital Markets Act, pondering the implications for developers and users alike. They then take a wistful trip down memory lane, discussing the persistent challenge of legacy systems and out-of-support software, with a particular focus on SQL Server. Along the way, they manage to squeeze in a cheeky debate on teleportation ethics, ponder the correct pronunciation...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of "What A Lot Of Things", Ian and Ash consider the nature of time, before diving into two main topics: AI's evolving role in our lives and the nature of creativity. They discuss "large action models", the new Rabbit R1 device, and Apple's recent AI announcements, debating whether AI is best viewed as a feature or a standalone product before going on to challenge the common belief that some people "aren't creative," examining how past experiences shape our perceptions of our own ...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of "What A Lot Of Things", Ian and Ash celebrate their podcast's return to a regular cadence, with episodes now coming out every two weeks. The duo cover two main topics - local democracy and the backlash against social media algorithms. On local democracy, Ian discusses his experience running for town council, the arcane rules and challenges involved, and his belief that more ordinary citizens should get involved to make local councils less political and more pragmatic. The conv...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast In this latest episode of the "What A Lot Of Things" podcast, hosts Ian and Ash explore intriguing aspects of technology and its broader implications. They delve into the evolving career paths for testing specialists, discussing how testers can navigate organizational challenges and develop fulfilling careers. The conversation shifts to a significant security furore involving the XZ compression tool, where they unpack the complexities of open-source software maintenance and the vulnerabilities i...
May 21, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Ian and Ash delve into the complexities of managing IT service providers, exploring the challenges and strategies of working with consultancies and independent contractors. They also discuss the cutting-edge topic of AI voice cloning, examining its potential uses and ethical implications. From historical pirate accents to futuristic technology, join them for a thought-provoking discussion on how these technologies impact our work and the broader implications they hold for societ...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Ian and Ash delve into the evolving landscape of social media, examining the implications of TikTok's potential ban in the U.S., the integration of AI in testing, and the shifting dynamics of platforms like Twitter (now X). They share personal anecdotes, discuss the significance of data privacy, and explore the future of social media engagement. The conversation also considers the challenges and opportunities presented by these digital shifts, offering insights into the broader ...
Apr 23, 2024•58 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast This episode of the podcast features Ian and Ash in a humour-filled comeback, diving into the fascinating world of generative AI and the impact of Baldur's Gate 3 on the gaming industry. They explore the nuances and controversies surrounding AI, from its potential to enhance creativity to the ethical concerns and the skepticism it faces. The discussion also highlights the importance of corporate culture in producing quality work, as exemplified by Larian Studios' success with Baldur's Gate 3. Th...
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Ian and Ash talk about those pesky testers forming communities and taking on toxic cultures, plus forming a dilapidated mind shack using personal knowledge management tools like Obsidian. Links Zettelkasten - Slip Box not SlipKnot More Zettelkasten Obsidian Home Page Ian's Thoughts on Obsidian Testers walkout after layoffs in the QA Team Raven testers form a union NFT grifters have terrible culture - not causation yet, but the correlation is hard to ignore....
May 23, 2022•51 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Ian and Ash talk about the (mis)use of metrics, including the big four and happiness indices plus how proud Ash was of his Certified Scrum Master qualification but now bashes Scrum with everyone else. Links Here I Belong by Matt Hartley Douglas Adams: How to stop worrying and learn to love the Internet RFC 821 - Simple Mail Transport Protocol (not RFC 822 , as Ian thought, which is closely related being about the format of the files containing the messages that get transmitted over SMTP). Still,...
Mar 24, 2022•49 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Links Team Guide to Testability Publishers Page The Great Post Office Scandal Publishers Page Scandal at the Post Office Panorama BBC TV Episode The Great Post Office Trial BBC Radio 4 Serial The Great Post Office Scandal Author Nick Wallis 39 Post Office convictions quashed after Fujitsu evidence about Horizon IT platform called into question My first impressions of web3 by Moxie Marlinspike Web3 is going just great An extremely casual code review of MetaMask's crypto by Matthew Green...
Feb 08, 2022•54 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Links Bugs in our Pockets: The risks of client-side scanning What A Lot of Things on Amazon Alexa Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson The Metaverse and How We'll Build It Together , at Facebook Connect 2021 An Interview with Mark Zuckerberg about the Metaverse , by Stratechery A $10 Million Investment In SecondLife from IBM is the Latest Push to Build V-Business from November 2006 IBM CEO Sam Palmisano in Second Life , by Ian in November 2016 Ready Player One , movie trailer The Metaverse: What It Is,...
Dec 26, 2021•54 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast WARNING: We talk about Apple's proposed measures to limit the spread of child sexual abuse material on its platform. Episode Links Are 64% of Features Really Rarely or Never Used? What's in a name: Experimenting with Testing Job Titles What A Lot Of Things Episode Three – Four day work week and Design Thinking Google Ventures Paper Prototyping video Be More Pirate Joy Inc. by Richard Sheridan founder of Menlo Consulting The NFR Rap video (and audio only version ). All of Ian's Notes for the Appl...
Oct 01, 2021•55 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Links The Mists Of Time clip from Episode 5 Ian’s Other Podcast Ash’s Twitter Nemesis - @ashwinter Ben Horowitz, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz Ben's book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things Ian’s book highlights from The Hard Thing About Hard Things The Guardian: Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments, who took a $1m salary cut to pay his workers a minimum wave of $70k Manager Tools podcast State of DevOps Report 2021 (requires a biznass email) Martin Fowler * describes what he means by a platform, w...
Aug 13, 2021•46 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Links: Some actual beard ASMR . “ I’ve sold Agile to Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook ” on slide 15 of Jon McNestrie’s talk at Lean Agile Brighton 2019 . Ian’s Agile Octopus Timing Alexa Skill. git rebase . Twitter to clear out inactive accounts and free up usernames . The Other Ash Winter’s Twitter Account . Ian’s three-letter Twitter handle . The Digital Legacy Association . The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data , a sequel t...
Dec 10, 2019•48 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Links: * Amazon Developer Services * Alexa Skills Kit * Agile Octopus * AWS Lambda Layers * Ian's Alexa Skill Source Code * Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Time * Leeds Tech Bubble Divisions * Even Techies are Sick of Inequality in San Francisco * Code Club * Empowering Women with Tech * Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds Full Theme...
Nov 26, 2019•31 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Links: Steamed Hams Trial of Four Day Work Week at Microsoft Japan Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman On the Phenomenon of BS Jobs Steve Jobs: The Next Insanely Great Thing Don Norman: Rethinking Design Thinking Natasha Jen: Design Thinking is BS IBM Design Thinking Intro Course d School Design Thinking Process IBM Design Thinking Loop Agile inception deck...
Nov 14, 2019•31 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Links: Scottish Voice Recognition Elevator Ian’s Machine Learning/Data Science links Deep Learning Specialization | Coursera Applied Data Science with Python | Coursera Kaggle: Your Home for Data Science Titanic: Machine Learning from Disaster Team Topologies Conway’s Law DevOps Topologies...
Oct 29, 2019•34 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Ash and Ian talk about collective bargaining in tech, and “cargo culting”. Links Collective bargaining: Business Insider - Here's the memo Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent to employees on the changes to Google's sexual-harassment policy after the walkout. Whole Foods employees demand Amazon break all ties with ICE and Palantir All workers need unions – including those in Silicon Valley Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs - Wikipedia Cargo Culting: Cargo Culting - Wiktionary Cargo Cult - Wikipedia "Everythi...
Oct 15, 2019•26 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast 
