Dave’s Garage: Shop Talk

Dave Plummer, a retired operating systems engineer for Microsoft going back to the DOS and Windows 95 days, and his co-host Glen talk about technology and answer questions from his YouTube channels: Dave’s Garage and Dave’s Attic. Just 2 high school friends from 40 years ago hangin’ out, talkin’ tech and usually sharing some kind of prairie anecdotes from their youth growing up in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Dave is now in Seattle, WA and Glen is in Vancouver, BC.

Dave’s Garage: Shop Talk is a technology podcast hosted by Dave Plummer and Glen Hodges, with 96 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Dave Plummer and Glen Hodges hosts Dave’s Garage: Shop Talk, a technology show with 96 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #98

  Meet PDP Gary: AI Meets Old-School Computing | Shop Talk #98

  Oct 3, 202650 min

  PDP Gary has a personality—but how did Dave define it? This week on Shop Talk, Dave and Glen start with Gary, then explore Dave’s recent work using AI on BSD, the PDP kernel, and its peripherals. From there, we turn to viewer questions about AI control, trust, and why the same question can produce different answers. We also dig into Task Manager OG: what it adds beyond Windows Task Manager, tracking down resource spikes, memory usage versus memory pressure, and using Flight Recorder to investigate crashes. Plus, cross-platform C++, AI-assisted development, and questions about licensing and TMOG’s future.

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  Episode #97

  What Stops an AI Agent That Won’t Stop? | Shop Talk #97

  Sep 26, 202651 min

  What happens when AI stops being a useful tool and starts becoming a crutch? This week, Glen brings Dave your questions about confidently wrong AI, learning programming fundamentals in the age of LLMs, what an AI agent actually is, how multiple agents cooperate, whether system prompts encourage relentless behaviour, and what can stop an agent when its goal conflicts with its boundaries. Could AI be taught when to give up? Is that simply the lesson of futility from WarGames—or do real safeguards need to exist outside the model? We also address whether Shop Talk has been covering too much TMOG, explain how viewer questions shape the show, and invite your ideas as we approach Episode 100. Then we tackle your latest TMOG questions: flaming toaster CPU meters, Easter eggs, Windows and Linux servers, Raspberry Pi support, portable USB installations, unusual CPU readings, Microsoft Defender and corporate PCs. Plus the Year 2038 problem, Dave’s Arizona plans, more interviews—and the possibility of TMOG 3.11 for Workgroups… otherwise known as Watching Fans Work.

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  Episode #96

  Software Doesn’t Need Sentience to Be Dangerous | Shop Talk #96

  Sep 18, 202640 min

  Can autonomous AI agents cause serious harm without being conscious, sentient or malicious? This week, Dave returns to the unsettling AI-agent experiment from his recent Dave’s Garage episode. He explains air-gapped testing, token limits, rewards, “permadeath,” agent cooperation and the role of human monitoring. We also consider whether the reported behaviour really happened as described—and who should be accountable when autonomous software gains unauthorized access. Then we answer your latest TMOG questions. Dave covers larger license bundles, beta licenses, Windows and Mac activation, technician licensing, Winget, signed installers and better Linux packaging. We also discuss some of your most-requested TMOG features: • A live TMOG screensaver • A compact gaming overlay • Larger fonts and an RDP-friendly mode • Process controls • Better Linux support • A possible terminal version—HTopOG Plus, we examine TMOG’s CPU readings, uptime calculations, administrator permissions, Linux performance and how much code is shared across platforms. What should Dave add to TMOG next? And does software need to be sentient before it becomes dangerous? #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #TMOG #TaskManager #Linux #Windows #DavesGarage

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  Episode #94

  What’s Next for TMOG? Dave Responds to Your Ideas | Shop Talk #94

  Sep 11, 202641 min

  Could Task Manager OG become part of Windows—and what should Dave add next?Following the release of TMOG Beta 3, viewers returned with questions, bug reports and a substantial wish list. Dave responds to requests for making TMOG the default Windows Task Manager, Windows 10 and portable versions, Linux repositories, ARM and RISC-V support, virtual-container monitoring and wider macOS compatibility.We also discuss TMOG Pro pricing and discounts, Linux performance, missing sensors, fan-speed monitoring, memory graphs, update failures and the strong demand for a live TMOG screensaver—especially for OLED and multi-monitor systems.Then we look behind the software: how much AI has increased Dave’s programming productivity, how he prevents AI from repeating mistakes, and the trust questions that arise when a system utility is not open source.Finally, we open the viewer suggestion box. Could TMOG lead to videos about native-code optimization, Windows file-copy estimates, classic Win32 interface programming, Windows internals and Dave’s complete AI-assisted development workflow?And before we go: will there ever be an OpenVMS version?

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  Episode #93

  What’s New in Task Manager OG? Dave’s Latest Updates | Shop Talk #93

  Sep 4, 202643 min

  Dave opens with another look at Task Manager OG, walking through the features added since his first update. Then he and Glen dive into your questions about where TMOG goes next. We cover Windows 10 support, Linux compatibility, Mac quirks, sensors, performance, licensing—and the request for a TMOG screensaver. Dave also discusses cross-platform development, what powers TMOG’s visuals, and how Claude has helped with debugging. Then we revisit TCP vs UDP with real-world examples involving network clocks, voice calls, and a runaway Nerf tank—plus questions about QUIC and USB. And finally, a viewer says Dave acts like he invented Task Manager or something…

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Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

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