Unfortunately for Jason Thompson

September 7, 2024·1 hr 7 min·5 clips

Mike Hurley reveals his personal connection to St. Jude: his best friend's son Josiah is a patient whose life was saved there.

The cold open is setup chatter, and it has a real problem at the center. One host is trying to pin down an irritating Mac audio issue: the MixPre only behaves if macOS is already pointed at it before Audio Hijack starts recording. The reply is almost comically steady. The USB Pre-2 has been running for 11 years because, once it is set up, it mostly leaves everyone alone. That is the vibe of the episode. Gear matters, sure, but it earns affection by getting out of the way and letting the show, the work, or the day continue. The computer talk works the same way. The M2 MacBook Air gets love because it is the everyday machine that handles ordinary work without constantly asking to be noticed. There is a nice kind of restraint in that praise. It is not the biggest setup, and it is not the recording and editing machine, but it nails the carry-it-everywhere job. The M1 MacBook Pro gets a different case: iMac Pro-level usefulness in a laptop that can land at a park picnic table, a library, or Wegmans. The nostalgia stays practical. Beautiful screens and expensive desktops still have their place, but portability changes how a computer feels when serious work can move with you. One host keeps correcting the timeline, half-remembering whether the M1 MacBook Pro arrived for him in 2020 or 2021 before admitting the exact year is less interesting than the shift itself. The end gets sincere. A St. Jude and Relay fundraising appeal closes the episode, with the Blackcastathon set for September 20 from noon to midnight Eastern. The ask is plain: donate if you can, keep checking StJude.org slash Relay, and expect the long live YouTube event to be part fundraiser, part endurance act.

As heard by us

A sharp, affectionate tech chat about reliable audio gear and the Macs that made work feel portable again.

Analog(ue) turns everyday technology talk into a warm, precise argument for gear that gets out of the way. The opening detour through XLR interfaces, Audio Hijack, macOS input settings, and the stubborn reliability of the USBPre-2 sets the tone: practical, nerdy, and irritated…

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Why you'd press play

Your criteria for a great laptop probably stop short of 'works at Wegmans.' These two go there.

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