The IT Guy Show

Eric Hendricks

Welcome to the ‘IT Guy Show’, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, expert advice, and engaging discussions. Whether you're a seasoned IT professional looking to stay ahead of the curve or a tech enthusiast eager to expand your knowledge, Eric has you covered. With a passion for simplifying complex tech concepts and a knack for making technology accessible to everyone, Eric creates an inclusive and welcoming space where listeners can learn, laugh, and connect. Tune in to 'Office of the IT Guy' and embark on a journey of discovery, empowerment, and endless possibilities in the ever-evolving world of technology. Don't miss out on the chance to join Eric and his special guests as they navigate the digital landscape, one episode at a time. Subscribe now and make the 'Office of the IT Guy' your new favorite tech destination!

  1. APR 28

    Episode 21: Ubuntu Community: Years of "Just Works"

    Teaching a Linux course will humble you fast, especially when your students ask about apt and you realize the last time you logged into an Ubuntu server was when you were still a sysadmin. That embarrassing moment is what sent Eric looking for someone who lives and breathes Ubuntu every single day, and it led him to Nathan, a two-decade Ubuntu community volunteer who has been running booths, moderating Reddit, and serving on the Ubuntu Community Council since the early days of the distro. This episode is less a technical deep dive and more a conversation about what makes Ubuntu different at a human level. Nathan walks through the early days of the community, the real relationship between Debian and Ubuntu, what it looked like to set up a booth with plastic tablecloths from Party City at SCaLe 6x, and why the "distro wars" online are mostly theater compared to the genuine camaraderie between open source contributors behind the scenes. If you have ever wondered whether Ubuntu is still the right distro for someone just getting started or coming back after years on other platforms, this episode will give you the honest answer from someone who has watched the community evolve for more than twenty years. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Special Guest: Nathan Haines.

    20 min
  2. MAR 31

    Episode 20: First Boot, First Inference

    In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with Damen Knight, CIQ Sr. Principal Automation Engineer, to talk about something every AI team knows but nobody budgets for: the hidden cost of configuring Linux for GPU workloads. Together they dig into why general-purpose Linux distributions were never really built for AI, what actually happens when you spend 30 to 60 minutes per node doing manual CUDA setup, and why a "pre-installed" stack and a "validated" stack are two very different things. From driver conflicts and framework dependency failures to the CIQ Linux Kernel (CLK) and NVIDIA authorization, this episode covers the infrastructure decisions that determine whether your AI program ships fast or gets stuck in configuration hell. Whether you're an ML engineer tired of fighting CUDA every time a kernel update drops, a sysadmin managing a growing GPU fleet, or a tech leader wondering why production AI is harder than it should be, this one is for you. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric CIQ Press Release: https://ciq.com/blog/rlc-pro-ai-is-here/ RLC Pro AI: https://ciq.com/products/rocky-linux/pro/ai/ NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit: https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-toolkit Chapters: 00:00 Stream start 00:50 Introduction 02:43 Sponsor: CIQ 04:08 AI at CIQ 06:02 State of AI 19:20 General-purpose limitations 31:37 RLC Pro AI 43:53 What's next in AI? 52:47 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

    53 min
  3. 11/18/2025

    Episode 18: Wayland and My eX-11 | The IT Guy Show 018

    In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric is joined by Linux content creator Brodie Robertson to dive into the display server drama of the decade: the end of X11 and the rise of Wayland. Together they explore the history of X11, its weird quirks, and why it stuck around so long, before unpacking what makes Wayland different, better, and sometimes frustrating. From screen tearing and window managers to PipeWire, gaming, and remote desktops, this episode covers the past, present, and future of the Linux desktop experience. Whether you’re a veteran sysadmin who lived through the xhost + days or a curious distro-hopper wondering why Wayland keeps breaking your screen sharing, this episode has something for you. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Connect with Brodie: https://brodierobertson.xyz/link_tree X Window System: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System Wayland Homepage: https://wayland.freedesktop.org/ Wayland Protocols Table: https://absurdlysuspicious.github.io/wayland-protocols-table Awesome Wayland: https://github.com/rcalixte/awesome-wayland Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Introduction 01:21 Brodie Robertson 04:45 What is X11? 11:56 What did X11 solve? 19:42 What is Wayland? 36:18 Full Wayland mode 44:52 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash Special Guest: Brodie Robertson.

    48 min
  4. 11/04/2025

    Episode 17: Reality-based Approach to LinkedIn Jobs

    Applying online and hearing nothing back? You’re not alone—and it’s not your fault. In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with Jeffry Ullman, job search coach and creator of the LinkedIn Job Search Masterclass, to break down what really works when trying to land your next role. Drawing on experience, strategy, and a wealth of practical tips from his two-part presentation series, Jeffry shares how to escape the resume “black hole,” optimize your LinkedIn profile, and build a personal brand that attracts recruiters and hiring managers. Whether you’ve been laid off, are actively seeking a change, or want to future-proof your online presence, this is the guide you’ve been waiting for. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Jeffry Ullman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffryullman Jeffry’s LinkedIn Strategy: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/avoid-black-hole-how-leverage-linkedin-find-new-role-ullman-mba Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Introduction 01:15 Meet Jeffry 03:54 Truth of Job Hunting 10:01 Job Hunting on LinkedIn 15:37 Getting Started with LinkedIn 23:45 LinkedIn Job Alerts 31:21 Fake Job Postings 38:54 Application Review 46:26 Jeffry’s Methodology 54:03 Closing thoughts 59:17 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash Special Guest: Jeffry Ullman.

    58 min
  5. 10/07/2025

    Episode 15: DevLife with Chris DeMars

    What happens when two nerds who love the community side of tech get together? A whole lot of stories, laughs, and insights. In this episode of The IT Guy Show, Eric sits down with his coworker Chris DeMars to talk about Developer Relations, technical advocacy, and what it really takes to support and empower devs in today’s fast-moving ecosystem. From browser wars to burnout, open source to on-stage nerves, it’s a real look at what fuels a career in DevRel, and how to avoid fizzling out. Oh, and maybe a few hot takes along the way. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Chris DeMars: https://chrisdemars.net/ DevRel: https://devrel.co/ Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:13 Introduction 01:32 Meet Chris DeMars 05:59 What is DevRel? 13:23 What makes a great DA? 24:04 Empathy in Tech 40:04 Closing thoughts Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Marah Bashir on Unsplash Special Guest: Chris DeMars.

    43 min
  6. 09/23/2025

    Episode 14: Life as a SysAdmin with Nate Lager

    The role of the system administrator has changed a lot in the last couple decades, but some of us are still proudly flying the flag. Eric sits down with longtime friend Nate Lager to talk about his career journey, lessons learned from the trenches, and what still excites him about tech today. We’ll cover everything from burnout to bash scripts, automation to authenticity. Whether you’re a new sysadmin, a grizzled graybeard, or someone who just loves nerding out about Linux and infrastructure—you’ll feel right at home. Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions. Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric Join our: Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org Connect with Nate: https://social.undrground.org/@gangrif https://www.linkedin.com/in/ironsysadmin/ Iron SysAdmin Podcast https://www.ironsysadmin.com https://www.youtube.com/@ironsysadmin SWB Crawler https://www.swbcrawler.com https://www.youtube.com/swbcrawler Hetzner Hosting https://www.hetzner.com/ BootC: Getting Started with Bootable Containers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf1xqjLeA9M Security: Configuring Sudo Access | Into the Terminal 62 https://www.youtube.com/live/rEdBkgKs4NA?si=UV43zA_Kss86hoia Chapters: 00:00 Stream Start 00:14 Introduction 01:36 Nate Lager 06:38 Starting in Technology 18:04 Technology Career 31:38 Moving to Red Hat 44:55 Jeep Guy 50:03 Lightning Round 55:53 Nate’s Advice 01:08:32 Wrap up Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency Photo by Thomas Jensen on Unsplash Special Guest: Nate Lager.

    1h 14m

About

Welcome to the ‘IT Guy Show’, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, expert advice, and engaging discussions. Whether you're a seasoned IT professional looking to stay ahead of the curve or a tech enthusiast eager to expand your knowledge, Eric has you covered. With a passion for simplifying complex tech concepts and a knack for making technology accessible to everyone, Eric creates an inclusive and welcoming space where listeners can learn, laugh, and connect. Tune in to 'Office of the IT Guy' and embark on a journey of discovery, empowerment, and endless possibilities in the ever-evolving world of technology. Don't miss out on the chance to join Eric and his special guests as they navigate the digital landscape, one episode at a time. Subscribe now and make the 'Office of the IT Guy' your new favorite tech destination!