422: ‘A Monkey on a Rock’, With Stephen Hackett
The Talk Show With John Gruber
05/26/25
•134m
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Stephen Hackett, proprietor of 512 Pixels and co-founder of Relay (purveyor of many fine podcasts), joins the show. Topics include: IO (or if you will, io), the new joint venture of OpenAI and Jony Ive’s LoveFrom; the sheer fantasy of “Made in America” iPhones; and Fortnite’s return to the US App Store.
Sponsored by:
- WorkOS: The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS — free up to 1 million monthly active users.
- BetterHelp: Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp and get on your way to being your best self.
- Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code talkshow.
Transcripts: Unofficial but surprisingly good.
Links:
- Apple in China, Patrick’s spectacular new book.
- Patrick on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
- Excerpt from the book in the Sunday Times of London.
- Millions, Billions, Zillions, Brian Kernighan’s fun little book on practical day-to-day math.
This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.
Previous Episode
421: ‘The Ratchet of Flippancy’, With Craig Mod
April 30, 2025
•113m
Craig Mod returns to the show to discuss his splendid new book, Things Become Other Things. Other topics include creating with AI tools (including programming), social media permanence vs. ephemerality, and more.
Sponsored by:
- Dekáf Coffee Roasters: You won’t believe it’s decaf. That’s the point. 30% off with code: DF.
- Squarespace: Make your next move. Use code talkshow for 10% off your first order.
- Notion: Try the powerful, easy-to-use Notion AI today.
- WorkOS: The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS — free up to 1 million monthly active users.
Transcripts: Unofficial but surprisingly good.
Links:
- “Things Become Other Things”, Craig’s new book from Random House (!):
- Craig’s web page for the book — including tour dates.
- Random House’s page for the book.
- Purchase links:
- Craig’s home page.
- The Good Place — Craig’s write-up on designing and building (with Claude Code) his own custom Twitter-like ephemeral social network for members of his (fun, excellent) Special Projects website.
- Ulysses — Craig’s writing app of choice.
This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.
Next Episode
423: ‘Sewing Machine Repair Shop’, With Patrick McGee
May 29, 2025
•92m
Patrick McGee joins the show to discuss his must-read new book, Apple in China -- one of the best books about Apple anyone has ever written.
Sponsored by:
- Factor: Healthy eating, made easy. Get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box.
- Notion: Your notes, docs, and projects in one space.
- Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code talkshow.
Transcripts: Unofficial but surprisingly good.
Links:
- “Apple in China”, Patrick’s spectacular new book.
- Patrick on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
- Excerpt from the book in the Sunday Times of London.
This episode of The Talk Show was edited by Caleb Sexton.
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