Abstractions

Justin Mayer & Dan Jacobson

Abstractions is a podcast about technology, software, hardware, and the Internet, and the way the ever-increasing layers of these technologies permeate every aspect of our everyday lives.

  1. 20H AGO

    All My Segues Are Broken

    Anna’s Archive backs up all of Spotify, users are vexed by icons in MacOS 26 Tahoe menu items, email-based authentication is on the rise, and Microsoft wants you to stop saying “slop”. 🔗 Links 2025 but depicted in gingerbread Enclose.horse game Robot kicks human (video) DuckDuckGo without “AI” answers Anna’s Archive backs up all of Spotify Hide the notification badge on the iOS Settings app Last Year on My Mac: Look back in disbelief It’s hard to justify Tahoe icons You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    44 min

  2. 12/24/2025

    You Are to Blame and Thank You

    Mozilla has a new CEO, Olmo 3 open-source LLM is released, Justin switches to Kagi for web searches, and Dan installs Unraid for network-attached storage. 🔗 Links Scooter: Interactive find-and-replace in the terminal SlopStop: Community-driven AI slop detection in Kagi Search Mozilla’s new CEO is doubling down on an AI future for Firefox Olmo 3 open-source LLM Unraid You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    34 min

  3. 12/18/2025

    Aerodynamic Turkey

    RAM prices rise precipitously, the “open source” moniker continues to be abused, Omarchy Linux reviews are in, and we take a first look at the Asus ProArt 6K display. 🔗 Links Size of Life The RAM Shortage Comes for Us All Sam Altman’s Dirty DRAM Deal ’Source available’ is not open source (and that’s okay) A Word on Omarchy DHH and Omarchy: Midlife crisis Asus ProArt Display 6K PA32QCV You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    48 min

  4. 12/11/2025

    Ramparts of Dissatisfaction

    Apple UI head Alan Dye leaves for Facebook, Apple removes our control over update notifications, and evidence leaks that OpenAI is planning to put ads in ChatGPT. 🔗 Links Losing Confidence (in Tech) This Time It’s Not Fatigue, But Disconnection OpenAI Preparing to Stuff Ads Into ChatGPT You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    45 min

  5. 12/04/2025

    Will It Into Existence

    Apple Intelligence uptake, needy programs, Google breaks YouTube links, solid-state drives slowly lose data, and mounting criticism of generative software. 🔗 Links Take on Me by A-ha turns 40 Song Exploder podcast episode 301: “Take on Me” Article on backstory behind “Take on Me” Take On Me music video (4K, YouTube) LibrePods: AirPods liberated from Apple’s ecosystem Needy Programs The unpowered SSDs in your drawer are slowly losing your data Microsoft Exec Asks: Why Aren’t More People Impressed With AI? Mozilla to add “AI” to Firefox The Mozilla Cycle, Part III: Mozilla Dies in Ignominy You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    49 min

  6. 11/26/2025

    Time-Traveling Ads

    Justin has a new toy, the creator of Mastodon steps down as CEO, Apple Podcasts now generates chapters, dynamic ad insertion plagues podcasts, and misguided folks force links to open in new browser tabs. 🔗 Links BTXETUEL 4-Key Mechanical Keyboard The “Vibe Coding Keyboard”: How I Made My Walk-and-Talk Setup Even More Awesome Helium web browser My next chapter with Mastodon The Peaceful Transfer of Power in Open Source Projects Chapters on Apple Podcasts Transcripts on Apple Podcasts Timed Links on Apple Podcasts You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    37 min

  7. 11/20/2025

    Charmingly Antiquated

    Valve announces new Steam video game hardware, Plex neglects its core user base, Canva makes Affinity Suite free, Nisus Writer may be moribund, and Nike announces robot shoes. 🔗 Links TextSniper I Hate Screenshots of Text Valve announces Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller Affinity Suite is now free Acorn is a great image editor for MacOS Graphite is an open-source, cross-platform, image editor (alpha) Nike unveils Amplify: world’s first powered footwear for running and walking You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    55 min

  8. 11/13/2025

    An Era in Middle Earth

    Large language models and command-line coding agents can expand programming horizons, and Bazzite Linux puts the fun back into playing video games on PCs. 🔗 Links The Art of Interacting Incorrectly (via Gina Trapani) Writing code with LLM agents OpenCode OpenHands Claude Code VibeTunnel Jeff Triplett’s List of Default Apps 2025 Games on Bazzite Linux Bazzite Proton DB Nvidia Shield Pro Sunshine Moonlight Fueran HDMI headless adapter / dummy plug WJESOG DisplayPort to USB-C cable (works with Apple Studio Display) You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space. Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.

    46 min
See All (41)

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Abstractions is a podcast about technology, software, hardware, and the Internet, and the way the ever-increasing layers of these technologies permeate every aspect of our everyday lives.

Information

  • Creator
    Justin Mayer & Dan Jacobson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Abstractions