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.
Dr. Dave distinguishes demonstrating that Facebook profile data can be collected from putting the full dataset online, arguing that responsible research stops before possession becomes mass distribution and exposing the tension between privacy and platform revenue.
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Dr. Dave is fascinated by personal finance blogs that expose the exact discipline behind saving but alarmed by the risks of tying real names to detailed spending, assets and net worth. He and Evil Steve imagine using an alias or even treating the disclosure as a trap, illustrating an early tension between useful transparency and online privacy.
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A network drive that reportedly blocks common media formats makes Dr. Dave angry because lawful owners may need to store and share their own work, including the Computer Talk archive. He explicitly respects copyright while rejecting the assumption that a file format alone makes the customer an infringer, then returns to the idea that consumers can answer by refusing to buy.
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Dr. Dave acknowledges that even professionals can feel overwhelmed enough to disconnect from the Internet. He rejects that as an overreaction, admits there is no effortless answer and reassures ordinary listeners that a solution exists and they are capable of carrying it out with the right knowledge.
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Friedrichs says defenders had slowed the mass Internet worms of the early 2000s but attackers were moving toward deception that exploits people’s desire to trust. Dr. Dave calls the human factor one of his hardest consulting problems and continues the question after the break.
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Discussing Vista's User Account Control, Dr. Dave argues that repeated alarming prompts teach people to approve everything. He asks for more intelligent, proportionate warnings that distinguish serious risks from minor ones.
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A caller receives a document he cannot open, prompting one of Dr. Dave's practical etiquette rules. Before sending an attachment, check that the recipient has suitable software, keep the file no larger than necessary and say what kind of document it is so the person on the other end is not left guessing.
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Comparing flat interface trends in Windows 8, rumors about iOS 7 and his own Lubuntu experiment, Dr. Dave draws a distinction that captures his design outlook: he loves simplicity but not ugly simplicity. The discussion records his preference for technology that is efficient and understandable without looking unfinished or drab.
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Listeners are uneasy when Dr. Dave replaces a recommendation that had been dependable for years. Dr. Dave and Evil Steve compare the change to football free agency: people once expected a player or program to remain reliable for a whole career, but in the newer world they must keep reevaluating instead of depending on permanent loyalty.
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When Microsoft reports the highest raw number of cleaned infections in the United States, Dr. Dave distinguishes detections from prevalence and explains how product adoption and total computer population can change the apparent ranking.
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A caller seeking yet another utility for a failed installation is moving from problem to problem without solving the first one. Dr. Dave stops the spiral, carefully reconstructs what actually downloaded and what failed, and chooses a narrow manufacturer-specific next step rather than fighting a registry that may not be the cause.
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After describing industrial-control vulnerabilities, Dr. Dave steps back from the specific report and observes that the Internet’s extraordinary opportunities have grown alongside a dark side that demands protection and skeptical behavior.
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The RealNetworks and iPod dispute prompts Dr. Dave and Evil Steve to weigh consumer choice against the reliability benefits of Apple’s closed architecture.
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Dr. Dave challenges a Google engineer's reported promise that Chrome OS would eliminate malware, arguing that a new architecture may change or reduce attacks but cannot make them disappear, and compares the certainty to declaring the Titanic unsinkable.
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As online office tools emerge, Dr. Dave compares dependence on remote servers with the old mainframe model. He values being able to choose his own applications and keep his data with him, while acknowledging the Internet's usefulness.
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Dr. Dave observes that attackers imitate trusted update and security pages, turning yesterday’s protective answer into today’s lure and forcing users to verify the path to a remedy as carefully as the warning itself.
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Alan’s screen goes black and the computer smells like burned wiring. Dr. Dave explains that repeatedly powering on damaged equipment or swapping parts can spread the failure, checks the caller’s technical comfort and recommends limiting experimentation when the tools and experience do not match the risk.
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Dr. Dave separates understanding security from implementing it, then argues that confidence after a breach requires more than assurances: the organization must explain what failed and demonstrate how it has been repaired.
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Ray has two computers with the same motherboard, but only one crashes on video heavy web pages while using a screen reader. Dr. Dave uses the case to explain that machines from the same production batch can still differ in firmware and configuration, and that rare details sometimes become decisive.
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After criticizing Apple, Dr. Dave gives credit for offering DRM-free music even at a higher price. He says additional value can justify an additional charge, but the essential point is preserving the customer's choice.
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Dr. Dave pauses an unconfirmed breaking-news report and explains that immediate Internet information can be wrong, so the show will not continue discussing it without corroboration.
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Dr. Dave examines Microsoft's campaign to improve Windows Vista's reputation and rejects a brief demonstration on a professionally prepared machine as a substitute for ordinary ownership. The real test begins when someone brings the computer home, attaches an existing camera, printer, scanner and storage device and discovers what no controlled presentation exposed; the brothers turn that honeymoon-versus-marriage comparison into a candid joke about human flaws.
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Dr. Dave praises Vista’s address-space randomization as a serious security improvement while rejecting the claim that any operating system can permanently eliminate the need for protection. Attackers and defenders trade temporary advantages, so he advises listeners to wait and observe rather than rush to upgrade.
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Dr. Dave questions the promise that moving everything to large cloud providers frees people from responsibility. He does not pretend that running one's own servers is practical for everyone; instead, he asks what productive alternatives might preserve some control for people who are uncomfortable placing all of their data in other hands.
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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.
