DaveMason.com
ComputerTalk with Dave Mason
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.
3,475 unique clips. Each clip appears in one section. Historical conversations, not current advice. Full episodes remain available separately by date.
1414 clips, strongest first.
The Novell lawsuit leads Dr. Dave to distinguish ordinary business competition from the responsibility a dominant operating-system maker has to provide application developers with essential technical information.
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Dr. Dave argues that unwanted software cannot be stopped only by cleaning one computer at a time or passing laws against actors outside the country. He follows the money to major advertisers and suggests that public consumer pressure could make funding intrusive advertising economically painful.
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Dr. Dave turns an unstable set of Windows icons into a clear troubleshooting lesson: reduce the variables, restore one item at a time and work patiently until the conflict reveals itself.
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Dr. Dave admits that he initially dismissed reports of people perceiving old CRT scan rates until a design-company client repeatedly identified hidden setting changes. Once the evidence showed the client really could see the difference, Dr. Dave stopped judging the complaint and adjusted the display beside him until it was comfortable.
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Dr. Dave corrects a claim from the prior week after many listeners tell him that the free software still exists. He admits that the page had changed and that his own impatience, rather than the company, caused the mistake.
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A guest's discussion of mission-critical systems prompts Dr. Dave's wry rule that nobody's data feels mission critical except one's own, and it is never important until it is needed. From his recovery work, he remembers people who thought a failed disk held nothing important until they recognized irreplaceable pictures or recent documents.
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While diagnosing a power-button problem, Dr. Dave describes the fine Teflon powder he carries among his consulting tools for a surprisingly common failure: a large plastic case button sticking even though the switch behind it still works. The tiny practical detail captures the hands-on improvisation of his repair work.
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Helping a caller simplify startup programs, Dr. Dave distinguishes disabling from deleting: if the purpose of an item is unclear, make a reversible change, observe the result and restore it if needed rather than erasing it outright.
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A reported grandmother’s unwanted browser content leads Dr. Dave to reassure innocent users and recall someone wrongly blamed on another show. The human point is avoiding shame and asking for help, not buying removal software.
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After joking about speech classes, Dr. Dave remembers a client whose singing and Toastmasters experience made communication look effortless. Dr. Dave says he becomes so excited about a subject that he can forget to slow down and present it in a way other people can understand.
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Dr. Dave objects to companies advertising a “free download” when the program is only a paid trial. He accepts their right to charge whatever they choose but calls deliberately confusing the customer dishonest and predicts that the reputation cost will outlast the initial sale.
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A refill cartridge fails after only about fifty pages, but Dr. Dave distinguishes a bad product experience from bad service because the store accepts his account and replaces it promptly without a fight.
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A processor-shopping question becomes careful explanation of hidden tradeoffs, memory and the legitimacy of paying for convenience. More than a product recommendation.
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Dr. Dave arrives at the show exhausted by another difficult week and compares his work in high technology crises with being an emergency room doctor. He is proud that the spreading worm did not stop a single client because his practice had prepared them in advance.
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Discussing the Kindle, Dr. Dave says he carries two laptops and tests a pile of devices because being “Dr. Dave” means he has to understand how they work before he talks about them—a small but revealing picture of his professional standards.
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Ray calls with an Internet-provider suggestion Dr. Dave has never heard. Dr. Dave thanks him and says one of the great things about doing the show is that when he does not know an answer, someone in the audience often does.
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After a caller supplies a printer reset tip, Dr. Dave and Evil Steve thank listeners for sending knowledge back into the show. Dr. Dave says no one ever stops learning in technology because the rate of change and volume of information overwhelm even manufacturers.
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After helping caller Alan, Dr. Dave explains that deep root-cause research is valuable only when the job requires it; sometimes the responsible choice is the efficient fix. He then recalls regaining his composure and methodically resolving two maddening jobs.
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Helping a caller who has walked five acres to a novice neighbor's computer, Dr. Dave says the first task is to assess where that user actually is and approach the problem at her level rather than expecting technical answers she cannot supply.
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While listeners worry about a security product changing hands, Evil Steve explains that Dr. Dave never throws out a recommendation casually, sometimes thinks it through too much and uses the products himself. His promise that they will take care of listeners even when a stopgap ends is unusually direct testimony about Dr. Dave’s preparation and sense of responsibility.
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Dr. Dave acknowledges that life is often unfair and that mature people have to choose which battles are worth pursuing. He then separates a caller’s support dispute from the practical task of diagnosing a complicated computer assembled from many vendors and explains why a factory restore may be the next useful test.
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Dr. Dave says he will not call a company's product bad unless he can support the judgment, then argues that true technical security must be balanced with a customer-centered understanding that protection is worthless if it gets too far in the way of using the computer.
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Jerry's nighttime calls and Teresa's Vista prompts lead Dr. Dave to the same balance: people tend to be too lax or too strict, and protection that never permits necessary activity is like a locked door that can never be opened.
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Dr. Dave argues that enthusiasm for every new product is not proof of technical knowledge. He describes clients who buy or download technology despite an uneasy feeling, explains how advertising can shape reviews and says that a technology expert should gain credibility by questioning products rather than promoting every new thing.
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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.
