The What To Know Show

All Book Invitations Computers Career Education Fun
August 9, 2020

What To Know About the Bowflex Maxtrainer M7

Have you given up on ever getting in shape? A detailed review of the Bowflex Max Trainer M7 — combining stair stepper and elliptical, burning calories 2.5 times faster than treadmills while being gentler on joints. 11 workout programs, 14-minute high-intensity sessions. More

Fun
August 6, 2020

What To Know About Slacklining

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries in people over 65. Your balance gets worse as you get older. Studies have proven that balancing on one foot can help. Eye forward, toes forward, smile, hands up and loose, smile. More

Fun
March 13, 2020 · 7 min read

What to Know About Toastmasters Virtual Meetings

To prevent overwhelming our health care system, we are practicing physical distancing to slow the spread. A comprehensive guide to conducting Toastmasters meetings online using Zoom, with role-specific instructions for greeters, timers, evaluators, and vote counters. More

Career
November 30, 2019

What to Know About Social Media

It's easier than ever to stand up and be heard. It's harder than ever to stand out. You can create content on your own platform and distribute it everywhere. Curated alternatives to Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. More

Computers
October 4, 2019 · Updated March 23, 2021

What to Know About Multi Factor Authentication

Something you have, something you know, something you are. SMS as a second factor is now considered worse than no second factor at all. Recommends authenticator apps and USB security keys like Yubikey. More

Computers
September 20, 2019

What to Know About The Pragmatic Programmer

If you make your living programming, The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master is for you. DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), DAMP (Descriptive And Meaningful Phrases), and why developers spend ten times more hours reading code than writing it. More

Book Invitations
September 19, 2019

What to Know About Clean Code

What is clean code? Why does it matter? Robert Martin's seminal work on agile software craftsmanship. The way to go fast is to keep the code clean. Shortcuts create technical debt through bugs and maintenance problems. More

Book Invitations
September 19, 2019

What to Know About Test Driven Development

When your life depends on computer code, how reliable do you want that code to be? Kent Beck's book on writing tests before implementing code. The distinction between unit testing and class testing — focus on behavior, not implementation. More

Book Invitations
September 19, 2019

What to Know About The Clean Coder

What is a clean coder? Robert Martin's book on professionalism in programming. A professional takes a disciplined approach to self education. Could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries, frustration and wasted time. More

Book Invitations
September 19, 2019

What to Know About Refactoring

What is refactoring? Safely changing small bits of code to make a better, more readable program. Martin Fowler's 1999 classic. Extract Method, Move Method, Simplifying Conditional Expressions, Rename. Comments should explain WHY, not WHAT. More

Book Invitations
September 16, 2019

What to Know Professional Programmers Playlist

Pete's Professional Programmers Playlist. What does every successful tech company have in common? Google, Apple, SOTI. They all invest in their people. Recommendations for Clean Coder, Pragmatic Programmer, TDD, Refactoring, Clean Code, Scrum, Toastmasters, Don't Make Me Think. More

Book Invitations
September 16, 2019

What to Know About Mental Models

Is it possible to learn better ways of thinking? ABSOLUTELY! Shane Parrish's The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts. 100+ mental models, Farnham Street, Charlie Munger wisdom on acquiring worldly wisdom. More

Book Invitations
September 16, 2019

What To Know About Toastmasters

If Alexa speaks with more vocal variety than you do, you might want to join Toastmasters. Meadowvale Toastmasters Club 585043, Thursday 6:30 pm meetings, table topics, prepared speeches, and Peter's 20-year journey. More

Career
April 22, 2019

What To Know About Gen IV Power

Generation IV nuclear power advantages compared to renewable limitations. Nuclear futurist Mark Schneider's work. 3 million annual fossil fuel deaths. A 10,000 year uranium supply projection. More

Education
May 4, 2018

What To Know About Scrum

Scrum — The Art of Doing Twice as Much in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland. OODA loop, Deming cycle, 3-9 person teams, 15-minute daily standups, the healthcare.gov $2B failure example, happiness retrospectives. More

Book Invitations
May 4, 2018

What To Know About The Laws of Lifetime Growth

The Laws of Lifetime Growth by Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura. 10 Laws of Growth including making your future bigger than your past, learning greater than experience, gratitude bigger than success. A 1-hour read. More

Book Invitations
May 3, 2018

What To Know About Mastering Bitcoin

Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos. The Byzantine generals problem, Bitcoin vs blockchain distinction, mining and consensus, encrypted keys, Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper, O'Reilly Publishing. More

Book Invitations
March 2, 2018

What To Know Before You Open a Banana

Multiple banana-opening methods: neck snapper, back snapper, flick method, wringer/twister, and the monkey/upside-down method. Demonstrated by Oneisha, Lori, and Annie. More

Fun
March 2, 2018

What To Know Before You Swing a Kettlebell

Safety guidelines — no pets or kids nearby. Weight recommendations: women 25-30 lbs, men 35 lbs/16 kg. Proper form using hips and glutes, not arms. 10 sets of 10 reps in 10 minutes. Arm twists, figure-eights, uppercuts, crush curls, juggling. More

Fun
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Blockchain

Bitcoin vs blockchain distinction. Satoshi Nakamoto's Byzantine generals solution. Immutability, 100% availability since creation, consensus without central authority. International remittance: 5-9% Western Union fees vs blockchain. More

Computers
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Win Bigly

Win Bigly by Scott Adams. Trump prediction analysis, linguistic kill shots, oversimplification as persuasion, anger as a signal of successful persuasion. First audiobook purchase honoring Adams' recovery from spasmodic dysphonia. More

Book Invitations
March 2, 2018

What To Know About The Happiness Equation

The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha. Want nothing + Do anything = Have everything. 9 secrets including: 90% brain processing vs 10% circumstances, appreciation, purpose, flow states, gratitude journaling, acts of kindness. More

Book Invitations
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Abusing Grace

Abusing Grace by John Coyne. A 1930s-1940s Brudenell Ontario memoir. One-room schoolhouse with 30 students, wood-burning stoves, horse and buggy transport, party-line phones, folk remedies. Communities: Cormac, Wilno, Killaloe, Eganville, Barry's Bay. More

Book Invitations
March 2, 2018

What To Know About 12 Rules For Life

12 Rules For Life: An Antidote To Chaos by Dr. Jordan Peterson. Brilliant clinical psychologist from Harvard. Archetypes, metaphysics, nihilism, postmodernism. Individual responsibility and discipline. Freedom through discipline. More

Book Invitations
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Passwords

Password manager recommendation, 16+ character passphrases, haveibeenpwned.com checking, KeePass/Dashlane/LastPass comparison. 50% of people reuse passwords. Browser password generation criticism. More

Computers
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Job Openings

200+ resumes received for a single role. Attention to detail matters. The Van Halen M&M test principle. The John Podesta phishing attack example. "How you do anything is how you do everything." More

Career
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Condominium Management

If you're involved in the management of a condominium this episode is for you. Ontario's Protecting Condominium Owners Act, ACMO courses for RCM designation, ~1,000 RCMs vs 10,000 condo corporations. 4 mandatory courses, 2,000+ pages. More

Career
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Bitcoin

I've been asked about Bitcoin a lot this year. 14-fold 2017 price increase, Mt. Gox failure ($670M+ losses), 1,000 individuals controlling 50%, no FDIC insurance, Metcalfe's Law network effects. 21 million cap, 2140 completion date. More

Computers
March 2, 2018

What To Know About How To Fail At Almost Everything and Still Win Big

How To Fail At Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams. MBA, Dilbert creator, systems vs goals framework, talent stacking concept, daily processes over end results. Personal energy, affirmations, attitude, humor, happiness, diet, fitness. More

Book Invitations
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Learning C# Programming

An overview of C# for desktop and Xbox applications. If you make your living programming, or want to start, here's where to begin with one of the most versatile languages in the industry. More

Computers
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Letterkenny

The Crave TV show Letterkenny. Peter grew up 10 minutes from the show's real-world location. A love letter to small-town Ontario humor and culture. More

Fun
March 2, 2018

What To Know About Kettlebells

Practical guidance on kettlebell use. Start with the basics, focus on form, build from there. A companion to the kettlebell swing and deadlift episodes. More

Fun
March 2, 2018

What To Know About the Kettlebell Deadlift

The kettlebell deadlift — the foundation movement before you swing. Proper hip hinge mechanics, grip, and progression for beginners. More

Fun