The official archive of all available ComputerTalk with Dave Mason radio shows. Spend some time with Dave. Listen to a full show or explore clips by topic.
ON AIR
Clips by topic
3,475 unique clips. Each clip appears in one section. Historical conversations, not current advice. Full episodes remain available separately by date.
Consulting Philosophy
1414 clips, strongest first.
Buy flexibility, not a team identity · Proposed air date:
A future math and science teacher approaches a laptop purchase as a choice between opposing Windows and Mac camps. Dr. Dave rejects prejudice in either direction and recommends maximizing options that may matter a year later. He explains that the show mocks people whose identity depends on a brand, not the computers themselves, and tells the caller to make a rational rather than emotional decision.
Callers will be treated with respect · Proposed air date:
Dr. Dave and Evil Steve say screening still matters but rudeness does not, contrast bad experiences elsewhere and promise that callers to their show will not be attacked or made to feel foolish.
Check a program before putting it on the air · Proposed air date:
When a caller begins to describe his new encryption program, Dr. Dave stops the promotion without dismissing the caller and asks for the details by email first. He offers to examine it and possibly invite the developer back only after the show can understand what it would be endorsing.
Choose the best tools instead of one suite · Proposed air date:
Asked about installing a utilities suite, Dr. Dave explains that he prefers choosing independent tools from different vendors. The approach offers flexibility to replace one component when something better proves itself and avoids accepting weak functions merely because they are bundled with a strong one.
Choose the computer that fits your world · Proposed air date:
A college-bound caller asks whether to choose a Mac or a PC. Dr. Dave says the decision should account for what classmates, colleagues and the professional environment use, then explains that even a free operating system carries costs in learning and compatibility because every choice has a price.
Choose the system that fits the real world around you · Proposed air date:
Asked whether to move from Windows to Mac and then Linux, Dr. Dave starts with the caller's environment: coworkers, friends, clients and the kind of work that must get done. He warns that enthusiasts can lose sight of ordinary users, then describes his own balance—little patience for fiddling when productivity matters, but real delight in tweaking technology when time allows.
Computer security is a responsibility · Proposed air date:
While returning to a caller’s privacy concern, Dr. Dave compares computer ownership with driving a car and explains that people must take reasonable protective steps or ask an expert for help.
Creativity when an old computer is cornered · Proposed air date:
Roy's Windows 98 machine cannot see its floppy drive, CD drive or external disk, leaving normal repair routes blocked. Dr. Dave acknowledges the complexity, suggests one carefully labeled long shot and says a hard case with no obvious exit demands creative thinking rather than more random replacement.
Dave refuses a simple Mac versus PC formula · Proposed air date:
Caller Tom asks for a numerical comparison between PowerPC and Pentium systems. Dr. Dave openly says he has no reliable reference or exact factor, explains that the judgment remains subjective and distinguishes raw performance from the Mac’s easier setup experience.
Dave researches the French spell checker · Proposed air date:
Woody's mail program insists on checking English as French even while showing an English setting. Dr. Dave says he does not know, investigates during the break and returns with a possible incompatibility and update instead of disguising uncertainty.
Dave will not endorse what he has not tested · Proposed air date:
When Ray asks about a security product Dr. Dave has not evaluated, Dr. Dave refuses to invent an answer merely to sound knowledgeable. He says he will withhold his approval until he has tested it himself.
Decide how important the data is before recovery · Proposed air date:
Barbara asks about photographs and documents on a failed drive, and Dr. Dave begins not with a sales pitch but with the value of the memories to her. He warns that well meaning experiments can make recovery harder, explains that a drive described as dead may have several different problems and closes with his no evaluation fee and no data, no fee policy.
Define your environment before you buy · Proposed air date:
Answering caller Jack’s questions about laptop displays and features, Dr. Dave repeatedly begins with how and where the computer will actually be used. Brightness, viewing angle, performance and price matter differently in different environments, so he says the first step is to define the result the buyer needs.
Devices can become unreliable before they stop working · Proposed air date:
Dr. Dave explains that a modem does not always fail cleanly: it may keep appearing functional while becoming intermittent and difficult to diagnose. He recommends having the provider test the device remotely rather than assuming that equipment either works perfectly or is completely dead.
Do not blame the brand without the cause · Proposed air date:
Caller Julie condemns Dell after being told her computer is shot. Dr. Dave validates her frustration but refuses to blame the brand without knowing whether the cause is software, power, a switch or another component, then recalls two identical client computers whose matching parts failed two years apart.
Do not guess with a caller’s computer · Proposed air date:
When Alan assumes a missing installer file belongs to Windows, Dr. Dave slows the diagnosis down, asks what changed and separates the actual warning from the caller’s guess. Concerned that a small radio misunderstanding could leave Windows unable to start, he asks for the details by email so he can provide the procedure in writing.
Do not panic; investigate the warning · Proposed air date:
A security program flags the caller's credit-card website, and Dr. Dave refuses both blind trust and panic. He calls it a likely false positive only after the caller checks the secure address and domain, recommends reporting it and contacting the institution, and openly says there is no perfect technical sign that removes the need for personal diligence.
Do not slam somebody without the facts · Proposed air date:
Caller Todd says Microsoft rejected software he believed was legitimate. Dr. Dave outlines possible explanations but explicitly refuses to accuse the original seller without all the facts, keeping his conclusion hypothetical and directing the caller to verify it.
Comparing Windows 8, Android and WebOS, Dr. Dave asks whether a supposedly modern interface actually makes an ordinary task easier. If placing a phone call or reaching a familiar tool takes several more steps, he says glitz has displaced efficiency rather than improved the experience.
Every computer becomes custom · Proposed air date:
Unable to reproduce a caller’s software failure, Dr. Dave refuses to take an unsupported shot in the dark. He explains what he tells new clients: even two identical computers from the same production line become meaningfully different within minutes of being used.
A caller’s concern about a locally built machine leads Dr. Dave to explain that even nominally identical factory computers vary, making sound components and a trustworthy vendor more important than the word homemade.
Every failed drive is an individual case · Proposed air date:
Roy asks whether his son's Mac drive and costly installed software are truly lost. Dr. Dave refuses false certainty, warns that repeated attempts can worsen a compromised drive, distinguishes unique data from replaceable licensed software and recommends exhausting the vendor's obligations before paying for recovery.
Experiment without risking the machine you need · Proposed air date:
Bob asks about running 64-bit Vista on a spare computer. After their friendly teasing, Dr. Dave explains that people have different requirements and that an informed experiment can make sense on a toy machine even when the same decision would be unwise on a work-critical system.
How Dave decides when to warn listeners · Proposed air date:
After caller Mark reports that the disputed update works for him, Dr. Dave explains that he does not treat every isolated failure as a product defect. He compares repeated installations, his own experience and wider user reports, then warns listeners when even a modest percentage could represent an enormous number of people.
Browse by year, then month, to find the episodes from that month.
442 proposed broadcast dates, plus 2 undated entries. Dates are based on archive filenames and may be approximate. Some broadcasts survive as separate parts or incomplete recordings.
