Episode notes
Matt records from the wrong continent and explains how he taught his computer to be a 1950s television. Ben guesses his way to the secret of the colo(u?)r burst and wins today's podcast.
Podcast
Two's Complement
Ben Rady & Matt Godbolt · Tech & Science · English
Ben Rady and Matt Godbolt (creator of Compiler Explorer) talk software engineering, compilers, performance, C++ and developer tooling.
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11 Sep 2026 · 44 min
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Ben asks a question that violates Betteridge's law. Matt rediscovers the joy of coding like a caveman on a plane with no WiFi.
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15 Aug 2026 · 38 min
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14 Jun 2026 · 32 min
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Ben sets out to learn Rust by only reading it, while Matt wonders if you can learn to land a plane from a book. Also: is snark a portmanteau?
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25 May 2026 · 44 min
The Rabbit Was Always There
Ben asks what happens when you curl google.com, and Matt peels back HTTP until the rabbit turns out to have been in the hat all along. Then a USB hub stages a dramatic intervention.
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11 Apr 2026 · 49 min
Speed of Thought
Ben has stopped talking to Claude directly. Matt hasn't opened his editor in days. They try to work out whether this is fun, programming, or a very expensive slot machine.
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9 Mar 2026 · 46 min
Measure Twice, Optimize Once
Ben asks a simple question about performance and Matt talks for 46 minutes. The one true use case for linked lists is revealed, and a part three is threatened.
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14 Feb 2026 · 45 min
How Fast Is Fast?
Ben interviews Matt with a deceptively simple question: make my program go fast. 44 minutes later, robot dogs are falling over, Grace Hopper's wire makes an appearance, and Matt still hasn't gotten the job.
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