Welcome to the lab.

This week on Systematic, I spoke with Jay Miller, a developer advocate for Elastic, and a guy who “builds stuff to help people who build stuff build stuff.” Which is a descriptive, albeit circumspect, way to say he makes cool stuff. He’s also one of the few Black developers I’ve had the pleasure of talking to on Systematic, a thing I’d like to make less rare.

This week’s Overtired has the topic list in the title: “A Disturbing B-12 Social Media Sex Cult Injection.” We navigate from dietary supplements to sex cults to radicalizing people via algorithms. It’s not necessarily a line, as I’m wont to switch topics very abruptly, but it does all relate in some manner, if you try hard enough. I have no intention of ever being good at sticking to a theme.

Find all the episodes at systematicpod.com and overtiredpod.com, and be sure to subscribe! My ability to keep the shows going is dependent on my ability to secure advertisers, which is in turn dependent on subscriber numbers. Getting yourself counted in my download stats (and maybe checking out the sponsors now and then) is all you have to do to support either or both shows!

This is actually a double — well, quadruple — update. I missed the summary last week, so you get four at once. Four high quality, like-new podcasts, for the low, low price of $0.

Let’s start with Systematic. On episode 241 I had Tyler Hall on. He’s a Mac and iOS developer who has consistently created amazing software, always with the purpose of solving a problem he himself has, but crafted in a way that makes them accessible and useful to many others. In some ways I think of him as a kindred spirit, so it was great to chat with him.

On episode 242 I spoke with the delightful Alex Cox. They co-host Two Headed Girl and Do By Friday, and I’ve been a fan of theirs for a few years now. We caught up and dove into a discussion about gender, bipolar disorder, and virtual reality, among other topics. It was an excellent conversation.

Meanwhile, episode 208 of Overtired was titled “More Things to Not Talk About at Dinner” and basically serves as a guide to topics that should generally be avoided at family gatherings. Unless your family is just down for anything. Veganism, politics, religion, we hit ‘em all.

On Overtired 209 we stuck more to drugs, mechanical keyboards, and Microsoft Excel, though we did dip again into politics. How can you not right now? We recorded this one pretty early in the morning and that actually seemed to make it even more energetic. Guess us insomniacs are good morning people.

I’d also like to mention that I’ve started a Discord server for Systematic and Overtired listeners. There’s already a great community forming there, and I’d love it if you joined us!

Find all the episodes at systematicpod.com and overtiredpod.com, and be sure to subscribe! My ability to keep the shows going is dependent on my ability to secure advertisers, which is in turn dependent on subscriber numbers. Getting yourself counted in my download stats (and maybe checking out the sponsors now and then) is all you have to do to support either or both shows!

I’ve been a bit light on the blogging this week. My energy level is pretty good, but most of my time has gone into podcast editing and guesting on other podcasts. I guess I’m a podcaster? That doesn’t sound quite right, but I’ll keep trying to figure it out.

This week on Systematic, my guest was Jared Rodriguez, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, teaching in the department of gender and race studies. It was his second appearance, and a timely one to discuss racism in the context of current events. Conversations with Jared are always enlightening, and I love his energy.

Over on the Overtired, Christina and I recorded unexpectedly early, which meant even more off-script than usual. It turns out that, given no prompts or bullet points, we do exactly what we always do… nerd out about mental health and mass media. I do enjoy our shared love of television. My mom said no good would come from hours of watching the boob-tube, but I’m trying to make the best of it.

Find all the episodes at systematicpod.com and overtiredpod.com, and be sure to subscribe! My ability to keep the shows going is dependent on my ability to secure advertisers, which is in turn dependent on subscriber numbers. Getting yourself counted in my download stats (and maybe checking out the sponsors now and then) is all you have to do to support either or both shows!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Patrice Brend’amour on Systematic #239 this week. Last time Patrice was on Systematic (2014), she was living as a man, and has since transitioned to being a proud, transgender woman. I’ve always supported trans people, but have been hesitant to ask a lot of questions I assume are stupid of trans the people in my life. Patrice gave me a chance to ask them with openness and understanding, and I learned a lot.

Meanwhile, on Overtired #206, Christina and I started with our “mental health corner,” in which we talked about depression, both in the context of my bipolar disorder and in the broader world of clinical depression. Of course, we soon moved on to mechanical keyboards, Schitt’s Creek, and our favorite audio books, closing with a bit of debate over the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Spoiler: she was a hero, but not perfect. Because nobody is.)

Thanks to ExpressVPN for sponsoring both shows this week. If you want secure, private internet browsing with the added benefit of circumventing geographic restrictions on streaming services, ExpressVPN is the #1 rated choice. Check it out with my exclusive link, expressvpn.com/systematic, to get three months free with a one-year plan.

Find all the episodes at systematicpod.com and overtiredpod.com, and be sure to subscribe! My ability to keep the shows going is dependent on my ability to secure advertisers, which is in turn dependent on subscriber numbers. Getting yourself counted in my download stats (and maybe checking out the sponsors now and then) is all you have to do to support either or both shows!

I had a frank discussion about my bipolar disorder with Christina on Overtired this week. We eventually moved on to an in-depth discussion of the benefits of VS Code, which might seem like a strange transition, but you’ll be amazed how effortless we make it seem. Before it was all over, we also got into cable management for nerds and somehow managed to ignore Taylor Swift completely for a week. I’m not complaining, this was more up my alley. I’m also really proud of the Sleep Quality Index episode image — topical and nicely executed. Good work, Brett.

Over on Systematic, I had the pleasure of welcoming Rabbi Eric Linder back. The conversation ranged from leading a congregation during the age of Zoom to home music and his Klezmer band, with some fun talk about Mac and iOS and how they play into both of the aforementioned topics.

Find all the episodes at systematicpod.com and overtiredpod.com, and be sure to subscribe! My ability to keep the shows going is dependent on my ability to secure advertisers, which is in turn dependent on subscriber numbers. Getting yourself counted in my download stats (and maybe checking out the sponsors now and then) is all you have to do to support either or both shows!