Merge Conflict

497: Turning Machine Code into C with AI

January 12th, 2026  |  51 mins 9 secs

In this episode James and Frank dive into the practical realities of using AI in everyday development—arguing that AI shines in brownfield (existing) code because it respects your architecture, while greenfield work rewards iterative prompting. They unpack model quirks: context-window limits, hallucinations, and why trying different models matters. The heart of the show is Frank’s nerdy delight: feeding a 64KB EEPROM through a disassembler and having Sonnet decompile it into readable C, exposing a PID autopilot and hardware checks—proof that AI can accelerate reverse engineering and embedded work. Along the way they share hands-on tips (trim and clean context, use disassembly first, tweak prompts), and fun examples of AI-generated icons and AppleScript. A must-listen for devs curious how AI can supercharge real projects.

491: Gemini 3.0: AI's Leap in UI Design?

December 1st, 2025  |  50 mins 56 secs

Join us as James and Frank delve into the fascinating world of AI-driven UI design with Gemini 3.0, exploring its creative capabilities and potential to revolutionize aesthetics. Discover the latest AI model advancements, including GPT-5.1 and Codex, and gain insights into real-time trace debugging and distributed programming. Plus, we tackle the evolving landscape of Integrated Development Environments, AI tool integrations in Visual Studio Code, and cutting-edge developments in robotics and virtual reality. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of AI, design, and technology.

374: The AI Behind Airport Security

September 4th, 2023  |  52 mins 34 secs

After 16 hours of being in the air with 2 layovers and multiple rounds of security checks, James and Frank sit down to talk about the lagging advancements in airport security and specifically how AI is having an impact.

510: AI Agents: Claws, Copilot, GUI vs CLI Debate

April 13th, 2026  |  47 mins 15 secs

James and Frank dig into the messy world of AI agents—Claudes, Copilots, “claws”—and why now is the wrong time to over-box these tools. They debate GUI vs. CLI futures, explain when AI should be invisible and baked into workflows, and warn about AI-produced “slop” and long-term maintenance. Plus, James’ Light Phone/e-ink experiment adds a practical take on simplicity and real-world tradeoffs.

Merge Conflict 99: Inclusive App Design & Seeing AI with Saqib Shaikh

May 28th, 2018  |  39 mins 17 secs

accessibility, android, apps, brail, inclusive, inclusive design, ios, seeing ai, touch, uwp, visual studio, windows, xamarin, xamarin.forms

We got to sit down with the legendary Saqib Shaikh, Team lead for Seeing AI, to talk about creating inclusive software for everyone. Saqib also shared insights into how Seeing AI was created and where it is going next.

358: Google I/O 2023 Recap - AI 🤔, Dark Mode 🎉

May 15th, 2023  |  40 mins 32 secs

android, android studio, dotnet, google, google i/o, google io, pixel, xamarin

It's conference season and Google kicks off things with lots and lots of AI at Google I/O 2023. We break down the latest happenings from the main keynotes including new Android Wear APIs, Pixel folding devices, AI infused Android Studio, Android 14, WebAssembly goodies, and so much more including AI.

232: AirPods Max, Apple Fitness+, and AR/VR Indoor Cycling

December 14th, 2020  |  42 mins 48 secs

airpods, airpods max, android, apple fitness, home cycling, ios, services, xamarin

December surprise from Apple with some brand-new products and services dropping just in time for the holidays. Frank and James take a quick dip into Apple's new headphones, before heading into the world of home fitness and possibilities for app developers.

254: AirTag Development

May 17th, 2021  |  41 mins 10 secs

airtag, android, apple, eddystone, ibeacon, ios, xamarin

Apple AirTags are here, and Frank is ready to do some programming with them... but can he? What are Apple's mysterious APIs that should work with this wonderful device do?

495: 2025 Wrapped - The Official Year of AI Development

December 29th, 2025  |  1 hr 24 mins

James and Frank unwrap 2025 as the Year of AI Development, covering new models, the rise of agents, and editor integrations like Copilot in VS Code that changed how developers write and maintain code. You’ll hear practical takeaways—how next-edit, local models, RAG/vectorization and app‑on‑demand sped prototyping, slashed maintenance time, and why the hosts think the AI boom has legs into 2026 despite looming uncertainty.

451: Mac mini dongles & AI?!?!

February 24th, 2025  |  36 mins 51 secs

AI, USB dongles, more AI, and more dongles? What is even going on this episode?