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.
A reported spreadsheet conversion error in the Lehman and Barclays transaction becomes a clear lesson: sophisticated organizations make familiar mistakes, automation does not excuse skipped review and the person responsible must still check the work.
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Dr. Dave describes the challenge he sees as a working consultant: some organizations reject technology while others treat more technology as the answer without knowing why. He and Jane agree that neither extreme works; technology must be used in the right measure with management, people, risk and a clear understanding of the result it is meant to produce.
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Asked why he prefers one handheld operating system, Dr. Dave steps above the product comparison and gives his rule: he uses technology because it makes a person better, and if it does not, he does not want it. Efficiency and speed are valuable only insofar as they serve the user.
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Using early “evil twin” Wi-Fi hotspots as an example, Dr. Dave explains why security work is part of his profession but expresses sympathy for ordinary users expected to keep up with an endless stream of new risks.
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Dr. Dave reduces backup planning to a durable human rule: no matter how sophisticated the design, it does no good if it is so complicated that the person never uses it. The point captures his practical consulting style without depending on a particular product.
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While discussing a powerful malware-removal utility, Dr. Dave weighs a small risk of serious harm against the severe infections it can solve and explains why responsible advice sometimes means withholding a recommendation.
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Ransomware reports lead Dr. Dave back to a principle he says he has taught for decades: hardware and software cannot erase the human factor. Using connected technology requires some vulnerability and some personal responsibility; only unplugging entirely could remove behavior from the equation.
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Dr. Dave compares a sudden software-update demand with an old filling-station attendant insisting on an immediate repair. Legitimate maintenance can wait long enough to verify, he says; urgency itself is one of the signals that someone may be manipulating fear and human nature.
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Dr. Dave explains that a student cannot absorb every element on a computer screen at once. A good teacher identifies what matters now and what can safely be ignored, a principle Dr. Dave learned through his own relentless questions and later used when training clients.
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Caller Dan asks whether one printer can use its USB and parallel connections at the same time. Dr. Dave admits that he would have expected the setup to fail, but a client tried it successfully, leaving him glad he had not given an overconfident answer.
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After six corrupt transfer attempts and repeated changes of cables and controllers, Dr. Dave succeeds by using a different destination drive but says plainly that he still has no idea why the original combination failed.
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Comcast is said to disconnect unlimited-service customers at an undisclosed threshold, which reminds Dr. Dave of a Cox representative who could escalate a repair only after he repeated a secret phrase she whispered to him. His speed-limit analogy shows why customers cannot follow rules that providers refuse to state.
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Dr. Dave explains why he is withdrawing a recommendation from software that had worked reliably for years. He argues that redesigning a focused tool to include every product, feature and hypothetical need can turn an excellent program into bloated software that no longer does its core job well.
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Dr. Dave and Evil Steve explain that people have different tolerances for security work and may become more frightened after protective software starts showing them blocked threats. Dr. Dave describes the radio show’s role as helping listeners understand which concerns deserve action and which can be ignored.
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Dr. Dave reports that Sony abandoned a proposed charge for removing bundled trial software after one day of negative feedback. What excites him is the larger principle: direct, immediate public response can make markets more efficient and remind companies how important their customers are.
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An investigation into an online retailer’s shipping complaints leads Dr. Dave to a broader business lesson: advertising can create rapid success before a company has the service and fulfillment systems needed to handle the new demand.
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Dr. Dave admits feeling self-conscious about revisiting viruses, privacy and security every week, then explains that continuing real-world problems made the repetition necessary.
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When a client asks which iPad to buy, Dr. Dave pauses instead of naming a model. He asks whether the client wants an iPad or a tablet, what the device needs to accomplish and whether appearance or status is the real motivation; even that answer is acceptable when it is stated honestly.
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Comparing the new MSN Search with Google, Dr. Dave argues that Google’s clean, streamlined page beats a busy collection of advertisements and graphics. He treats the difference as a matter of product vision and asks competitors to learn from a better experience.
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A hacker conference exposing physical lock weaknesses leads Dr. Dave beyond the specific product. The Internet can spread bad information as well as good, but keeping a vulnerability quiet does not stop criminals from finding it; it can merely leave ordinary people ignorant and easier to victimize. Public disclosure, he argues, lets users understand where protection is weak.
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Asked why he likes the guests and products that appear on his program, Dr. Dave says the selection happens before airtime: except for unusually important major companies, he does not invite a bad product merely to fill a segment. He would rather spend the show on people and tools he believes actually work.
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Dr. Dave understands why manufacturers simplify settings to prevent accidental damage, but he objects when the same restrictions remove options from careful owners. People who research a change and bought the machine, he argues, should retain meaningful freedom to control it.
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After an overproduced keyboard-shortcut feature, the brothers laugh at how silly it sounds but defend the show’s method: dry, useful information becomes easier to enjoy when it is wrapped in entertainment.
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Gordon describes a browser error and banking-site loop, follows Dr. Dave's reset instructions during the call and reports that the error has disappeared before the answer is finished. Dr. Dave and Evil Steve celebrate the immediate on-air result as a fitting close to the show.
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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.
