Dan Q - The Podcast

The podcast that nobody asked for. Exclusively about things that only Dan Q cares about.

Give your eyes a break and stuff me in your ears! Each episode is an audio version of a post from my blog, so you can listen to me rambling on while you're driving, working, or even (eww!) at the gym.

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Episodes

WP Engine’s Three Problems

Published 2024-09-26

Duration 11:08

WP Engine’s Three Problems

Matt Mullenweg kicked off a battle of words between Automattic and the WordPress Foundation and hosting company WP Engine. Without weighing in on the legal aspects (IANAL), I've written up my thoughts.

2024 in Videogames

Published 2024-08-27

Duration 12:02

2024 in Videogames

With my busy schedule, I appreciate a video game that I can pick-up-and-drop at will and a prefer depth rather than quantity of content. This year, I've played and can recommend three games in particular - Horizon: Forbidden West, Thank Goodness You're Here!, and Tactical Breach Wizards.

So… I’m A Podcast

Published 2024-08-22

Duration 10:25

So… I’m A Podcast

As you might have already noticed, I started a podcast. Let's take a look (or listen!) into how and why I adapted my WordPress installation to double as a podcast host, and discuss what kind of content you're likely to find on it...

The Elegance of the ASCII Table

Published 2024-07-21

Duration 15:19

The Elegance of the ASCII Table

ASCII, a standard whose legacy defines to this day how most of the letters and numbers in your computer get encoded into ones and zeroes, is elegant and beautiful. Via lessons in computer history, punched tape, and typewriters, I'd love to share some of its logic with you.

A Pressure Cooker for Tea

Published 2024-07-09

Duration 5:15

A Pressure Cooker for Tea

I'm told that black tea brewed at 90℃ is bad, but brewed at 100℃ is good. What if we built a specialised pressure cooker that released tea into superheated water at, say, 110℃? Could that be... even better?

A Stupid Joke About Elephants

Published 2024-06-28

Duration 2:48

A Stupid Joke About Elephants

It was too hot to sleep, so I learned about how to differentiate species' of elephant from one another instead. And then I thought of a really, really stupid joke, which you now get to experience too...

Special Roads

Published 2024-06-20

Duration 7:19

Special Roads

Today I learned why some British roads have seemingly-unnecessary speed limit signs, e.g. "70" signs on something that appears to be a motorway.

Window Tax

Published 2024-04-28

Duration 8:11

Window Tax

Britain and the Netherlands both had window taxes at various times. But the social and architectural effects were quite different.

Announcers and Automation

Published 2022-12-01

Duration 4:24

Announcers and Automation

A friend of mine used to do railway station announcements and was so good that he could do it from memory. That job now belongs to a computer. And that's fine.