loader from loading.io

The One About The Unfortunates

The Important Thing

Release Date: 12/01/2025

The One About The Important Thing show art The One About The Important Thing

The Important Thing

One hundred episodes. For this occasion, years in the coming, Lyle and Rands talk about the thing itself — the nuts and bolts of the podcast, including how the robots now do an alarming amount of the work, what a hundred episodes taught us, and why we use the “The One About…” naming convention. 🎁: the show has a home at . Deep-link a favorite or just scroll through a hundred episodes of history. Stuff that came up: , where this show has been recorded since the We Are Netflix days , now staffed by a helpful jobs robot named Floyd , the Infocom classic Floyd is named after , the...

info_outline
The One About the Pro Leisure Circuit (Again) show art The One About the Pro Leisure Circuit (Again)

The Important Thing

In our 99th episode, Rands is back on the Pro Leisure Circuit — infinite time, a suspicious amount of Arc Raiders, and no wind in the sails — and we wrestle with what actually motivates a person when the engine of work goes quiet. The usual suspects: , absorbing ten-hour days like it's a job — 35,000 leaders, 7,000 a week , John Gruber's one-person media entity , who started McDonald's in his fifties , where Lyle's daughter learned she didn't want to animate for a living , Lyle's decade in the state of California Related Important Things episodes:

info_outline
The One About The Joy of Bots show art The One About The Joy of Bots

The Important Thing

In our 98th episode, we list the things we've been building with our robots and figure out who we're really yelling at when it all goes wrong. Mentioned, referenced, or obsessed over: , the Infocom game that gave Floyd his name Related Important Things episodes:

info_outline
The One About In Real Life show art The One About In Real Life

The Important Thing

In our 97th episode, we talk about how much more we learn in person and why the last 10% of anything is the most important part. Things we mentioned: Related Important Things episodes:

info_outline
The One About ARC Raiders show art The One About ARC Raiders

The Important Thing

In our 96th episode, Rands goes deep (perhaps too deep) on ARC Raiders, an extraction shooter where trust is the real currency. Mentioned, referenced, or obsessed over: Related Important Things episodes:

info_outline
The One About Exercise (Again) show art The One About Exercise (Again)

The Important Thing

In our 95th episode, we again talk about the value of exercise. Lyle paddles an outrigger, Rands used to play hockey, but now he bikes, and we compare peak heart rates. It's a thriller.

info_outline
The One About The Unfortunates show art The One About The Unfortunates

The Important Thing

In our 94th episode, we talk about when Rands goes unhinged and why that is cathartic. Then, we talk about the plight of enterprise software users and why they are so unfortunate.

info_outline
The One About Fully Formed Humans show art The One About Fully Formed Humans

The Important Thing

In our 93rd episode, we wonder aloud about free will, children, and what makes a good ice hockey team.

info_outline
The One About Productivity (Again) show art The One About Productivity (Again)

The Important Thing

In our 92nd episode, we talk about the ongoing battle with productivity tool swirl. Again. 

info_outline
The One About Founder Mode show art The One About Founder Mode

The Important Thing

In our 91st episode, we talked about Founder Mode long after everyone else had moved on.

info_outline
 
More Episodes

In our 94th episode, we talk about when Rands goes unhinged and why that is cathartic. Then, we talk about the plight of enterprise software users and why they are so unfortunate.