Episodes

  • Wikipedia @ 25: Yousuf Karsh

    Wikipedia @ 25: Yousuf Karsh
    May 21 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/05/21/wp25-yousuf-karsh/

    Wikipedia is 25 years old today, and in celebration of that I found my way via a Mercurial crater to the article about Yousuf Karsh, one of the most-important portrait photographers of the 20th century.

    00:00 Intro
    00:20 Wikipedia's 25th Birthday
    01:03 Karsh (crater)
    02:33 Yousuf Karsh
    04:40 Karsh's life
    06:36 Outro
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    7 mins
  • Wikipedia @ 25: Necker Island

    Wikipedia @ 25: Necker Island
    May 20 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/05/20/wp25-necker-island/

    Today, thanks to Wikipedia, I learned a lot about a miniscule Hawaiian island with an interesting cultural and archaeological history... after I found my way there from a random page about a hip hop album!

    00:00 Intro
    00:34 Wikipedia's 25th Birthday
    01:08 Here & Now (Pop Shuvit album)
    02:06 Pop Shove-It (the skateboarding trick)
    04:38 A history of skateboarding technology and tricks
    07:50 Mākaha, Kāne’āki Heiau and other heiau
    09:04 Necker Island
    12:13 Outro
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    13 mins
  • Wikipedia @ 25: Lake Baikal

    Wikipedia @ 25: Lake Baikal
    May 19 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/05/19/wp25-lake-baikal/

    Today's random Wikipedia article was about a kind of seal that lives only in Lake Baikal in Siberia, which turns out to be a really, really big lake. Like: it's got about a fifth of the world's fresh water in it; that's how big it is!

    00:00 Intro
    00:21 Wikipedia's 25th Birthday
    01:03 Baikal Seals and Lake Baikal
    03:11 Omul and Raskolotka
    03:52 Baikal Deep Water Neutrino Telescope (BDWNT)
    05:15 Outro
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    6 mins
  • Wikipedia @ 25: Yo-Yo

    Wikipedia @ 25: Yo-Yo
    May 17 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/05/17/wp25-yo-yo/

    This year is Wikipedia's 25th birthday, and as part of the celebrations I learned who Marcus Koh is... but that wasn't remotely as interesting as learning about the long history of the yo-yo!

    00:00 Intro
    00:28 Wikipedia's 25th Birthday
    01:12 Marcus Koh and the yo-yo
    02:09 The long history of the yo-yo
    03:10 An Ancient Greek wine-drinking party
    05:20 Ancient Greek yo-yos
    05:47 The modern yo-yo
    06:50 The Eskimo yo-yo and other articles
    08:15 Outro
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    9 mins
  • Wikipedia @ 25: Rail transport in Indonesia

    Wikipedia @ 25: Rail transport in Indonesia
    May 15 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/05/15/wp25-rail-in-indonesia/

    Wikipedia is celebrating its 25th birthday, and today I'm celebrating by discovering what the Argo Wilis is, along with a dive into a rabbithole about rail transport in Indonesia!

    00:00 Intro
    00:25 Wikipedia's 25th Birthday
    01:18 Rail Transport in Indonesia
    07:00 Outro
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    7 mins
  • Wikipedia @ 25: Wesley Merritt

    Wikipedia @ 25: Wesley Merritt
    May 14 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/05/14/wp25-wesley-merritt/

    Wikipedia is celebrating its 25th birthday, and somehow as a result I ended up reading about Wesley Merritt, who was the shortest-lived Governor-General of the Philippines!

    00:00 Intro
    00:25 Wikipedia's 25th Birthday
    01:24 Colonial History of the Philippines
    02:55 Wesley Merritt
    03:57 Prelude to the Spanish-American War
    05:09 What caused the USS Maine to sink?
    06:26 Declaration of War
    07:13 The (Mock) Battle of Manilla
    09:00 Aftermath
    10:03 Outro
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    11 mins
  • Nostalgia, Music, and Computers

    Nostalgia, Music, and Computers
    Jan 15 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/01/15/nostalgia-music-and-computers/

    It turns out that I get nostalgic about technology in the same way as I get nostalgic about music. Here's some things that take me right back to being nine, eleven, thirteen and fifteen years old.

    00:00 Intro
    00:24 Nostalgia, Music, and Computers
    00:46 When I hear "Dawnbreaker", I feel like I'm nine years old...
    05:13 When I start a new Ruby project, I feel like I'm eleven years old...
    07:45 When I hear "In Yer Face", I feel like I'm thirteen years old...
    13:23 When I see a personal Web page, I feel like I'm fifteen years old...
    17:34 Wrapup and reflection
    18:02 Outro
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    18 mins
  • Why I Am So Tired

    Why I Am So Tired
    Jan 9 2026
    Based on an original blog post at: https://danq.me/2026/01/09/why-i-am-so-tired/

    After dusting off and modernising a joke I first read in a chain email from 1996, I can tell you conclusively that the reason that I'm tired is because I'm overworked.

    00:00 Intro
    00:32 Why I'm So Tired
    01:59 That leaves...
    02:14 History of the joke
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    3 mins