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PODCAST · technology

The Thing Is

Anywhere between 2 to 4 ex-Apple Store Geniuses shooting the breeze.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Feb 9, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. Institutional Coldness

    John, Stephen, and Mike just talk Apple: iMac, iPad, AppleTV, AirTag, and Epic's court case. Mailing an AirTag video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zpK-GBOz9A&t=6s

  2. V-12 F-1250

    Eli, Stephen, and Mike seamlessly flit between blockchain, solar power, computer power supplies, and Bitcoin.

  3. Natural Nip Length

    John, Eli, and Mike talk graphics cards, frame rates, and VR headsets.

  4. Hardly Daverson

    Coming out of a serious hiatus with a 5-man show. Eli joins John, James, Stephen, and Mike to talk YouTube, cars, TVs, and video games.

  5. It's Not Always Fair Like That

    Stephen and Mike talk a lot of Apple stuff and Mike totally whiffs the show notes.

  6. Just Tryin' to Get More Clown Outfits Out There

    John and Mike talk about, and ONLY about, games and the App Store. XCloud, Fortnite/Epic, and their battles with Apple. That's it. Nothing else. For almost an hour.

  7. Emergency TV

    John, Stephen, and Mike kick it off with some light headphone banter, move onto new iMacs and more Work from Home equipment opinions...all your favorite topics. Oh, and scrambled porn. Recommended: Succession, Doom Patrol, YouTube Not Recommended: Brave New World

  8. A Definite Hole

    John, Stephen and Mike talk bulk Mac packaging and managing, the business of drugs, how Netflix was, Mike's dumb AppleID issue, and being down with PPP.

  9. A Mat with Fidgety Stuff on It

    Stephen and Mike talk the same old mostly-Apple stuff: the "Big Twitter Hack," selling old MacBooks, phone sizes, in-box charging equipment, working from home forever, deploying Macs, and Hamilton.

  10. Oh God, Not Facebook

    As we face the insignificance of our established subject matter... John, Stephen, and Mike talk about WWDC, what it will bring and what it will be like, changing podcast apps and Apples rejection of hey.com from the App Store.

  11. Hot Hot in the Summer

    Editor's note: recorded May 28th, not ignoring the state of the world since then. #BlackLivesMatter Stephen, John, and Mike talk unlocking your phone with a mask on, iPad Pro 2018 vs. 2020, Android vs. iOS, and some media picks.

  12. Only the Algorithm Knows

    James, Stephen, and Mike get too hot to handle talking about Zoom, iPad Magic Keyboard, and Stevie's favorite pastimes: unlocking phones with AT&T.

  13. Kodi and the Ponybros

    John, James, Steven, and Mike talk Google Meats; disabled, subpar startup chimes; magical keyboards; and speccing a MacBook Pro or iMac. https://www.amazon.com/PONYBRO-Wireless-Keyboard-Raspberry-Notebooks/dp/B07VR5Y39T 65scribe - YouTube

  14. Especially in China

    Using iPads as laptops, schooling in shutdown, 'Snack Masks,' Nintendo Labo, and Apple Profile Manager

  15. Maybe We Were Misheard on the Revolution We Wanted

    Macs in the virtual workplace, Atlanta beltline talk, tigers, webcams, M.A.S.K., and desk mats. https://satechi.net/products/eco-leather-deskmate

  16. Nits on Nits

    John, James, and Mike talk about new Apple stuff, but keep coming back to the larger context into which that stuff was released.

  17. Special Nose Paper

    James, Stephen, and Mike go super-deep (too deep) on iPad multitasking, covering pandemics, malware, Chrome, and browser tabs along the way.

  18. It Knows We're Talking About It

    Mike and John talk Apple Maps, the Great Services Push, Apple TV+ show reviews, and streaming services

  19. Boners Every Direction

    John, Stephen, and Mike talk mostly iPads and calendars. Absolutely no liquid gets spilled during the making of this episode.

  20. Quakin' Me Out

    James, Stephen, and Mike offer a lot of nostalgic reminiscence about working at the Apple Store and only a little disparaging of religious sects that they know nothing about. Family Room Hitler: https://youtu.be/4WJr4u1rLzM

  21. It's All Great Until You Forget Your Pants

    John and Mike talk Tetris, encryption, forgetting your Apple Watch, talking to Google and managing devices at school.

  22. Are You Not Using Your Watch?

    Stephen and Mike do a tight 30 with some game-talk catching up, and all new talk of 5G, cellular service on Apple Watch, iMessage, and governments breaking into the iPhones of terrorists.

  23. Even if You Have the Mental Capacity, You Don't Have the Resolution

    John and Mike go on and on (and on) about games. Thrilling.

  24. It's a Lot Faster Than Me

    Just Stephen and Mike (and Mike sounds like crap) talking Apple with a hint of Sonos and Tesla.

  25. You Just Paint That as Everyone Else's S**t

    James "Boogie" Wallace joins Stephen, John, and Mike to discuss one, and only one thing: The Talk Show with John Gruber: 'Maximally Thin,' with Special Guest Casey Johnston. https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2019/11/19/ep-269

  26. A Self-Solving Problem

    The whole gang turns out to talk ticket prices, AirPods Pro, John's router: https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R8000P.aspx , Steve's vision: https://soundcloud.com/thenextweb2/steve-jobs-talk-1983-center , and General Magic: https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com

  27. It Picks Up Boats Sometimes

    A tight 44 minutes with Colin, Stephen, and Mike talking everything from earthquakes to exercise, AT&T to craigslist.

  28. There's Always a Place Between Two Holes That'd Be Perfect

    Stevie and Mike. All in on new glass+steel rectangles.

  29. What Do They Cost the Second Time?

    Colin, John, and Mike go Stevie-level deep on Apple— Without Stevie!

  30. Are You a Cop?

    Siri, Heme, Hige, Dank Memes, Crotchety Old Men, and Rock'n'Roll shirt sizes.

  31. Italian Snakes

    John, Colin, Stevie and Mike talk about beer, Italian heritage, near beer, iOS security, Square Cash card, B keys, pepperoni, and more!

  32. I'm Gonna Be Seen as the Worst Person in the Universe

    Not much Apple talk this week, but the Democratic primary field gets thinned to just three lucky winners. Also Mexican/Tex-Mex food; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; and board games.

  33. Relocated Items

    Stevie, John and Mike talk about some guy named Russ and a bunch of Apple stuff. This Episode of The Thing Is is brought to you by Zeal. Zeal: I Just Made it Worse!

  34. Your Equilibrium Doesn't Know How to Orientate

    The first ever episode of The Thing Is without Stevie, and it starts without Mike: Colin and John talk Rock'n'roll and Public enthusiasm; Mike joins to talk MacBooks, the environment, Space History, and Ric Flair fighting sharks.

  35. I'm Procreating Right Now

    More China (really just griping about air travel), new MacBooks, Jony's departure, Ghostbusters pinball, beta OSes, and Stevie's unreceived new old camera.

  36. Fighting the Fattest Cop

    We hit some listener favorites like storage and the woes of corporate IT culture, Mike talks about getting to China with exceptionally bad audio and Colin makes a surprise appearance at the end.

  37. Super Boner Jamz 9

    Follow-up on Colin's iMac situation, media formats, digging in deep(er) on iMac storage, Sam Elliot, the dark underbelly of the Jetsons and looong flights.

  38. Girl, You Need to Flip That Switch

    A long one, really deep on WWDC. No non-Apple talk here. Colin was sick and John was available.

  39. Timid, Self-Driving *bleep*

    Fusion Drives, Android Phones, China, Facial Hair, and lots of Bleeps

  40. God's Got a Lot of People Trying to Impress Him; You Gotta Stand Out Somehow

    Talking about the Panic Playdate, lawn maintenance, and pinning money to one's shirt on a birthday

  41. Cybernetic Mesh

    A lot of Apple, just a little mayonnaise, Vegas, parenting, and more mayonnaise.

  42. Force Quitting Apps is Connected to Nazis

    Elevators, New York City, the plague of force quitting apps, bedbugs, and TV commercials

  43. Horribly Monotonous, Boring Stuff

    iOS apps moving to the Mac, Apple's new services, and Stevie's podcast habits. Colin's reverse pick: Pet Semetary Stevies picks: Do By Friday and Roderick on the Line

  44. Pump It Out of the Hole Instead of Shoveling It

    Bees, Eyes, Scripting, old iPads, new Mac Pros, and holes, both shit- and black-

  45. Super Volcanoes Don't Give a Sh*t

    Mike, Stephen, and Colin talk about jobs, Macs, Macs at jobs, Macs at schools, dads and iPads, software update and Apple Music gripes, nuclear annihilation segueing very abruptly into talk about a $90 iMac stand/dock thingy, Texas pro-Israel law, Georgia earthquakes, something subduction zones,...

  46. Deep and Nerdy

    In a real change of content, Colin joins Mike and Stevie and they talk about having a podcast, what little Mike knows about allergy shots, doctors and the relationships with them, the Sentinelese, vermin infestations, artisanal bindles, the Rat King, homeownership, pizza rolls, and a glimpse…

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  47. More Chaotic and Less Controlled

    Apple ID passwords, complaints about the new iPad Pro, Stevie goes really deep on some smart HDMI switch, AppleTV vs. Roku, right to repair advocation.

  48. Don't Be a Fool!

    Stevie's new watch, details of semiconductor design, sleep tracking, waking up, Stevie's iPad situation and general financial responsibility, Stevie's mass storage addiction, AirPod battery life (dirty little secret), and a great big cliffhanger ending! Recommendation: Stephen: The Patriot Season…

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Anywhere between 2 to 4 ex-Apple Store Geniuses shooting the breeze.

HOSTED BY

Produced by Mike Reynolds

CATEGORIES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Thing Is have?

The Thing Is currently has 79 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is The Thing Is about?

Anywhere between 2 to 4 ex-Apple Store Geniuses shooting the breeze.

How often does The Thing Is release new episodes?

The Thing Is has 79 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to The Thing Is?

You can listen to The Thing Is on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
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