Christmas Party Invite

Step into the festive spirit as Ian and Ash invite you to join them for the first ever What A Lot Of Things Christmas party! 

After a remarkably productive year with 14 (soon to be 15) episodes released, the podcast duo are inviting listeners to a yet-to-be-determined pub in Ilkley on Wednesday, 18th December. Whether you want to join Ash's cheerful tirade against Figma and Christmas songs, share Ian's fondness for "Stop the Cavalry", or would simply enjoy raising a glass to the podcast's roots in Ilkley's scenic landscape, all listeners are warmly welcome. Just drop an email to [e-mail] and we'll let you know which pub and what time just as soon as we've figured it out.

Creators & Guests

Host

Ash Winter

Tester and international speaker, loves to talk about testability. Along with a number of other community minded souls, one of the co-organisers of the Leeds Testing Atelier. Also co-author of the Team Guide to Software Testability.

Host

Ian Smith

Happiest when making stuff or making people laugh. Tech, and Design Thinking. Works as a fractional CTO, Innovation leader and occasionally an AI or web developer through my company, craftscale. I'm a FRSA.

What is What A Lot Of Things: Tech talk from a human perspective?

Ash and Ian talk about interesting Things from the tech industry that are on their minds.

Ash: 00:00

There's two things I like to complain about, Ian.

Ian: 00:04

Really? Just two?

Ash: 00:06

Two. Well, Two... there are Two

Ian: 00:09

I feel we could count the complaints in what a lot of things, and it would come to more than two.

Ash: 00:14

Well, yeah. There are two main things I like to complain about.

Ian: 00:17

The three things I like to complain about.

Ash: 00:20

Number 1, Figma.

Ian: 00:22

I I know. I know.

Ash: 00:24

Yep. So the other day, I was looking at the notes that I took for my complaints about a Figma podcast, which is otherwise known as What A Lot of Things. Yes. And I thought I could turn those into a blog post as or maybe a talk. It's like I'm like, maybe I'm getting a bit obsessed with this.

Ash: 00:43

You know? Just need to dial it back a little bit. Or maybe just get it out

Ian: 00:46

of your system by doing it all.

Ash: 00:48

Yeah. That's true, actually. Yeah. I don't know if conference organizers want a general tirade against a particular tool. Maybe they do.

Ian: 00:56

You know? A tool owned by a large company with lots of money.

Ash: 01:01

Yeah. Yeah.

Ian: 01:02

That's that's what they want. They want to be sued by a large company with lots of money.

Ash: 01:07

So that's the first main thing that I like to complain about.

Ian: 01:10

Yes.

Ash: 01:11

And the second thing is Christmas songs.

Ian: 01:14

Who can blame you, Ash?

Ash: 01:16

Well, I guess the weird thing is is that since, like, the 19 seventies and with Slade and Wizard and the other Christmas songs, They just get played constantly in December, the same songs over and over again. And it's weird.

Ian: 01:33

Yeah. It is. I like one of them, though. Which one? Stop the Cavalry by Jona Louie.

Ash: 01:41

Yeah. It's a good one, isn't it? See, this is a thing. You have to like them, though, don't you?

Ian: 01:44

You don't have to.

Ash: 01:46

But okay. Maybe like is the wrong word. They're just they're part of Britishness.

Ian: 01:51

They're part of the fabric of October.

Ash: 01:52

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. So So I went for a swim today, and they were playing Slade.

Ash: 02:01

So here it is for Christmas in the in the pool. It's like, what is even going on here?

Ian: 02:09

I've I've that revelation has made me lost for words.

Ash: 02:15

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Ian: 02:17

I mean, I suppose it is December now.

Ash: 02:19

Yeah. Yeah. But I I feel like they slip into the into the rotation way earlier than that, but I try and keep away from them by not going to places.

Ian: 02:31

Not going anywhere.

Ash: 02:33

Yeah. Yeah.

Ian: 02:34

As Ash becomes more and more hermit like through the months of October November.

Ash: 02:40

In in in Australia. So because as Gwen's Australian, she's like, I've this is a new thing. Other countries don't have this strange array of music, which is just repeated over and over and over again.

Ian: 02:53

You mean they don't have our rich musical heritage?

Ash: 02:55

Something like that. Yes.

Ian: 02:59

That sounds much less annoying.

Ash: 03:01

Yeah. Yeah. So they're the 2 main things that I like to complain about at Christmas. So you can imagine Christmas day with me is a joy, complaining about the music. And then once I've got into the Christmas spirit, then the Figma complaints start coming out.

Ian: 03:16

So why are we here, Ash?

Ash: 03:18

I don't know, Ian. No. I do know.

Ian: 03:21

Well, I hope you know because you wrote it I did. On the board.

Ash: 03:24

I wrote it on the board. I just had some fairly intense Christmas negotiations where me and Ian say things last time we got together. And then when we actually got together to do the thing, we're like, well, what did you mean by that?

Ian: 03:35

Yes. It turns out that our clarity is less than we might Yeah. We might like.

Ash: 03:40

Yeah. And, unfortunately, I've got my back to the board now.

Ian: 03:44

So you wrote on the board pub Pub. Not recorded

Ash: 03:50

Not recorded. Figma Figma. Lots of fake Figma banter.

Ian: 03:55

Ilkley

Ash: 03:55

Yes.

Ian: 03:56

And 18th.

Ash: 03:58

Okay. So all of those things, what do they have in common?

Ian: 04:01

I would say that what they have in common is they describe the What A Lot of Things Christmas party. Exactly. Who are we inviting, Ash? Anyone. Which is subtly different for everyone.

Ash: 04:19

Yeah. Absolutely. Oh, dear listeners.

Ian: 04:23

I think we should rearrange those into a order that makes them more comprehensible for for people. And so what what we mean is that we are going to pick a pub in Ilkley and go to it on the evening of 18th December, which is a Wednesday. If you're a listener to What A Lot of Things, which obviously you are because you're listening to What A Lot of Things Oh, right. Okay. Then

Ash: 05:01

If you could hear this.

Ian: 05:03

Then we invite you on the 18th December to come to the pub with us in Ilkley. Bring your things as long as one of them is Figma. Yes. Because

Ash: 05:13

But one of them will be Figma.

Ian: 05:14

That's what Ash wants to talk about. Yeah.

Ash: 05:16

It's all I talk about.

Ian: 05:18

So yes. Come and celebrate with us. We're feeling quite happy because this year we've released at 14, and it may even become 15

Ash: 05:30

Yeah.

Ian: 05:30

Of our 25 episodes.

Ash: 05:33

Which is pretty incredible, really.

Ian: 05:35

Well, considering that the other 9 took basically 5 years to to release.

Ash: 05:43

Oh, 5 good years, though, weren't they?

Ian: 05:45

They were. Yes.

Ash: 05:45

Yeah. But still, that's quite the, it's quite the productivity for

Ian: 05:53

For us. For us.

Ash: 05:54

Yes. Definitely. So, I think we could be we we're entitled to a celebration Yeah. We are. Of a great year for a lot of things.

Ian: 06:02

And it would be brilliant if any of you at all could come. Yeah. We know that Ilkley is quite far away for some people.

Ash: 06:13

But it's part of the podcast.

Ian: 06:15

It is.

Ash: 06:16

So I think it's the the place to host it.

Ian: 06:20

So if you would like to come, email us at [e-mail] to let us know, and then we will email you back when we've figured out what pub and what time. Okay? So that was the purpose of this episode in order to invite you to our Christmas celebration of What A Lot of Things here in Ilkley, 18th December 2024. Be there or be somewhere more sensible.

Ash: 06:53

Yeah.

Ian: 06:54

So we hope we'll see you then. Bye bye.

Ash: 06:58

Bye bye.