Shed Dogs

By the time you read this, the Barbie Movie bandwagon we’re jumping on with two emphatic feet will probably be collecting dust on a Hollywood back lot, but in this episode we respond in a big way to Susinn of Vancouver’s challenge back in Episode 169: see the movie, give our thoughts. We also take time to enjoy another round of KJ’s Snappers, and PJ and RJ compare their starkly contrasting notes o...

Podcasts are a lot like a stroll in the woods: one minute you’re wandering along soaking up the silence and sun, flowers and trees, and the next minute you’ve missed a step and find yourself worried about survival. In this episode, just like in the real world, we are going along enjoying Listener Mail after complaining about health care (as is our wont) when suddenly an idle reference to current p...

We are even more directionless than usual here, and we’re hoping the resulting unplanned conversations about the nature of light and heat, about the use of cookies and the practice of asking whether they’re acceptable, and about the concept of dark patterns in web design are both entertaining and educational. We also get to enjoy sharing listener mail with you, do a bunch of KJ’s Snappers, and tal...

We recorded our record 169th episode on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, and noting that fact led us to a conversation about the effects of nuclear bombing, levels of background radiation in several places, and the degree to which those effects are widely understood. But somehow we still managed to get to discussing the proposed Enhanced Games, the English Corner, and KJ’s very clever...

Continuing our trademark quest to gather and share knowledge with faithful listeners, in this episode we get a first hand review of KJ’s quest for deep connection and insight via Golden Teacher mushrooms, and of Rich’s first hand observed report on how the shell game scam works, direct from the mean streets of Paris. We also talk a bit about eSIMs and AirTags for those of you soon to jet off to th...

This time around the Dogs provide an uplifting (not) view on the state of the world with respect to climate. But we cheered up while hearing that KJ’s “Beachcomber” work is still paying residuals, that PJ had fun on Canada Day, that a pastoral setting accentuates the Pops, how East Van’s own English Corner is going, and whether VanDusen Gardens gets it done (it does). So, come on along with us and...

Rob of Saskatoon returns to join us on a gripping journey through RJ’s recent confrontation with his citizenship, and let’s face it, himself. We manage to make a couple of complete meals out of just the titles involved in that process before moving on to other things like what it was like for Rob and RJ and Mike of Rossland to come to Canada as Young Americans around 1970 (hint: discard the notion...

RJ’s revered elder brother and serial listener Rob arrives from Saskatoon and his current listening position at about episode 61 (or put another way, about two years ago in Shed history), joins us in the Shed to the excited joy of all three Dogs. Mayhem ensues, and listeners will want to focus as a fast paced hour of chatter and laughs and coffee takes us through the recovery of an iPhone 14 from...

Today you’ll learn (and tomorrow you’ll tell your friends about) the shocking new news about dental hygiene, and you’ll never believe what we tell you about sitzpinklers ! Remember, you heard it here first. As an antidote to that graphic conversation, KJ steers us into uncharted waters as he reveals to us his recent learning and future plans around Golden Teacher mushrooms. We get to share some fu...

Love, derision, amusement, anger, wonder, curiosity, satisfaction and many other emotions accompany a tour of snappers (with bonus words from Brett K. and RJ), medical news on Alzheimer’s and tooth brushing, robins nesting under RJ’s deck, and KJ’s fascinating recent stint in Ottawa. We get some positive news on Sun Life, which is PJ’s new friend with benefits, and tips, too, on how to decide whic...

This episode is more than just okay. In fact, we expect an avalanche of encomiums as we coin an all-new acronym while sharing a truck repair story that’ll singe hair (and find out that even the pros do dumb stuff now and then). It’s certainly egoism that leads us to think you’ll want to hear it, and egoism will decide if you do, not mere caprice. As usual we will cavil about the things that annoy...

Over the past few years we’ve said many times how much we appreciate, even love, the listener mail we get. Many times, the response to a segment generates more interesting conversation than the bit they’re commenting on. In this episode we have mail from Leigh of Courtenay (honourary weather Dog), Rustica of Portland, and Joanne of Rossland, covering, among other things, weather wardrobe, simple s...

Episode 160 continues our lazy-faire approach to content management, and we give you another wide ranging session where we just…well, we just enjoy ourselves. We begin with RJ lawyering up, and continue on as the Junos and the Oscars (again) pass under our watchful eyes. We then cover Uncle Tim’s birthday and a fond farewell to one of our high school teachers. Sue finds some stolen mail, and then...

In this episode we go with a light touch on the editing. Those of you who have joined us in the Shed will recognize the ways time slips away, interruptions come and go, laughs are had. This time, we let our listeners hear nearly all of it!  We make our way through the Oscars, through a really bad movie, through Buddy’s endless antics, through giving KJ professional advice, through some b...

Last episode we saw Shed Dog art, heard great listener mail, and enjoyed hearing PJ and RJ rightly savaged by KJ’s impenetrable Snappers. At the danger of repeating ourselves, in this episode we see Shed Dog art, hear great listener mail, and enjoy hearing PJ and RJ rightly savaged by KJ’s impenetrable Snappers. On top of all that we, after having hopped around the multiverse, also get to marvel a...

This episode sees the Dogs reporting on trips to Calgary (KJ, for a month, for work) and Nelson (PJ, for a day, for fun in what ended up involving an artistic endeavour). We dabble yet again in thoughts of ChatGPT, and even talk a bit about a Tom Hanks movie that hardly anyone is likely aware of. But this episode also has us revelling in Listener Mail, and feeling grateful to get it...

Special guest Cam of Vancouver joins us for a second episode and he and RJ go deep on their foosball experiences: how they got into it, how it’s going, their results at a recent tournament in Portland, and the mental and emotional journey they’ve both been on. To our surprise, it’s a journey that nearly everyone has undertaken in different avenues in life, from interest, to participation, to compe...

In this episode of Shed Dogs, we sit down with Cam Burrows to talk about everyone's favorite AI language model, ChatGPT! Join us as we talk about Chad’s impressive adoption rate and its wide range of uses, from writing to customer service. We'll also dive into the controversy surrounding the product, including attempts to jailbreak the model and the legal implications of its use. Plus, we'll explo...

Thinking of renting a car? Heard any of the Hertz horror stories on your social media travels? RJ has his as-usual useful advice for doing business with the megalodon of motor vehicles, as well as any of the lesser fry. It could keep you out of jail! The Dogs also discuss escape rooms, melting keyboards, preparing old laptops for sale, and saving money when repairing them. Also in this e...

By now, many of you will have heard of ChatGPT. If you haven’t, you will before long, so here in Episode 153 you will find an opening round of info about this groundbreaking software, in advance of an in-depth interview with friend-of-the-show Cam, who makes extensive use of the product. It’s way too important to just call a Public Service Announcement, but knowing about it is worthwhile, seriousl...

Maybe it was all the talk about the long-forgotten Robson Zoo (and whatever happened to Charlie the Lonesome Cougar, anyway?), or maybe it was our conversation around the Trophy Town documentary on the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters, or possibly our warm reminiscence of this Christmas just past… But whatever it was, it led us to a long contemplation of the future, specifically the question of whethe...

PJ publicly announces his doddering phase as he struggles to come to grips with how much movies cost, while KJ and RJ happily discuss what they’re watching these days, and we all detail how movies will change when it’s us making them. In our ongoing quest to actually improve your life, RJ comes up with yet another golden PSA nugget on how to find your phone when you’ve taken that (not) i...

Our special guest this episode is Jenny of Rossland, with whom your Dogs went to school and generally hung out 50 or so years ago. We talk about what she’s been up to over the long past and will she will be up to in the near future (Ecuador!), and she helps us out with KJ’s Snappers and some bespoke Listener Mail as well. Anecdotes and arguments abound!  Links : Shed Dogs ; the...

Another afternoon in the Shed sees your Dogs coming to grips with a veritable shintangle of words and phrases in a KJ’s Snappers session. After he showed us the ropes we got a close-up tour of the ins and outs of renouncing one’s U.S. citizenship—this might be useful info for some listeners, so you’re welcome, it’s just what we do. Finally, we also got to read Listener Mail, a regular fa...

As they shelter in the Shed from unexpectedly wintry winter conditions, your Shed Dogs wander along and talk about some old stuff (like Star Trek and California Dreaming), some pseudo old stuff (like Mad Men) as well as some more contemporary themes: revelations from IOS 16, some thoughts on the business of weather, and of course dogs—specifically the easiest way to train them...