The Other Stuff with internetVin

Matthias Wandel, an engineer, woodworker, and creator of the Woodgears channel, traces a lifetime of making things from a rural workshop to building modems at RIM. He and Yacine explore tinkering, dangerous DIY projects, early computer hacks, simplicity versus reuse in software, and how constraints shaped viral videos, hardware design, and a maker’s mindset.

HudZah (https://x.com/hud_zah) is someone exploring what it means, and what it takes, to operate at the edge of what is possible.In this conversation, we traced HudZah's path from Riyadh to Sri Lanka to Waterloo. A childhood split across three countries, shaped by rationed wifi, a single HP desktop, and the discovery that what you build on a computer can change the world around you. We talked about coding HTML on Notepad at ten, building soundboard apps that funded his own move to Canada, and what it's like to grow up in a place with no permits, no regulators, and no one telling you what you can't do.We explored the birth of esports through Half-Life mods, the machines behind the food we love, and a baklava maker in San Francisco whose irrational pursuit of quality you can taste in a single bite. We discussed how AI is collapsing the walls between disciplines, what that does to the identities we built around expertise, and why individual agency might be the only variable that matters now.This is a conversation about curiosity, permission, and what happens when the cost of crossing boundaries drops to zero.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Introduction00:03:38 Growing Up in Riyadh00:05:59 Saudi Shawarma and Broasted Chicken00:16:39 School in Saudi Arabia00:21:48 The HP Desktop and First Lines of Code00:25:55 YouTube Rabbit Holes and Gaming00:45:35 The Birth of Esports01:02:43 Valve's Employee Handbook01:05:12 Indie Games and Pure Pursuit01:06:05 Stardew Valley and ConcernedApe01:07:03 Moving to Sri Lanka01:10:34 SnapAPaper and Seeing Real Users01:13:47 Soundboards, Shopify, and Funding the Move01:27:38 Landing in Canada at 1701:36:25 AI and Collapsing the Distance Between Disciplines01:47:02 Identity, Expertise, and Permission Structures02:00:32 The Baklava Maker in San Francisco02:18:26 Machines Behind the Food We Love02:36:02 Frederic Tudor and the Ice King02:42:29 HudZah Flips the Interview02:49:05 Being a Parent—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_The music used during the introduction is "Sitting by the Lake in Zurich" by Sweatson Klank. Available on Bandcamp: https://sweatsonklank.bandcamp.com/track/sitting-by-the-lake-in-zurich

Ahmed Saleh, Steven Yuen, and Gabriel O’Flaherty-Chan of Falcon (https://falcon.so/). Falcon is a new design tool for curious designers. Their team is based in the West End of Toronto.In this episode, we explored the games, tools, and software that shaped each of us growing up, from Doom and Zelda to Macromedia Flash and KidPix, and how those early experiences rewired our understanding of what computers could be. We discussed Falcon’s approach to building creative tools: the idea that anything can be anything if you expose the right primitives, the concept of mutation as a design principle, and why the beginning of the creative process deserves far more attention than the optimization at the end. Along the way, Gabe walked us through ray tracing from first principles, demonstrated geometry nodes in Blender, and showed how Falcon can turn math into fire, visuals into audio, and signals into whatever you want them to be.We talked about why most design tools today are built around optimization rather than expression, the false thesis of simplicity, and how the dimensions of the tools we inherit quietly become the boundaries of what we think is possible.This is a conversation about software, self-expression, and how the tools we use shape the world we live in.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Intro00:01:42 Doom and id Software00:16:14 Open World Games00:36:05 Ray Tracing00:45:14 Blender Demo00:50:07 Early Web00:56:20 Macromedia Flash Era01:00:34 2Advanced01:10:52 KidPix and Expressive Tools01:21:03 Mutations in Design Tooling01:30:41 Node Editors and Falcon01:44:45 AI and Creative Tools01:49:59 Craftsmanship and Intent02:00:50 Worldview Over Technology02:09:03 Making Fire with Math02:17:28 Information Density02:28:40 Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_

Tommy Trinh (@tommytrinh) is a co-founder of New.In this episode, we explored Stewart Brand's pace layering diagram and the slow-moving forces underneath everything – culture, myths, values, and the narrative structures that have been recurring throughout the history of humankind. We kept finding the Epic of Gilgamesh in places we didn't expect: anime, wrestling, video games. From there we traced the evolution of games as a medium, from early first-person shooters to souls-like difficulty to simulators to AI-generated worlds, and what each genre reveals about why people play.The last stretch of the conversation was about something harder to name. We shared how things have started to feel uninspiring, how it feels like we're in a state of limbo between how the world used to work and whatever comes next. The meta is too visible, media feels formulaic, and the thresholds that used to structure our sense of what's possible have quietly dissolved. What is even unknown anymore when an LLM can explain anything? Does the value of direct experience go up as the baseline of what's virtually accessible rises? What are the new thresholds? How do you posture yourself within a shift you can feel but can't fully articulate?This is a conversation about the stories we keep telling, the games we keep playing, and what becomes worth pursuing when the map has been filled in.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Introduction00:02:23 Pace Layering & Myths00:15:13 The Epic of Gilgamesh00:25:46 GoldenEye & id Software00:41:48 The Neo Geo00:57:38 NBA Jam & Def Jam01:02:13 Wrestling is Anime01:19:53 Souls-like01:30:38 Simulators & Realism01:47:28 AI in Games02:05:48 Death Stranding & Kojima02:15:40 Yellowknife02:32:03 Searching for New Frames02:52:00 Baselines & Thresholds03:01:15 Frequency, Intensity, & Speed03:06:38 Nostalgia & Primitive Technology—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_

Andrew McLuhan (@amicusadastra) is a poet, artist, and punk-rocker.In this conversation, we spent over three hours on five words: the medium is the message. Andrew explained why his grandfather saw the medium as an environment rather than just an instrument, and why environments shape us most when we’re not paying attention to them. We talked about the miracle of language—how one person can push sounds out of their mouth and another person can understand them—and how each new technology quietly redefines what it means to be human.We explored figure and ground, oral versus literate culture, the shift from mechanical to electrical ages, and why hip hop and punk rock share the same irreverent impulse. Despite everything, Andrew is an optimist. He sees the beauty around him. He also brought homemade maple syrup from his farm and we discussed whether shawarma was the medium or the message.This is a conversation about media, perception, and how we might not always be aware of the things changing us.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Introduction00:04:30 Prince Edward County & Main Duck Island00:07:10 The Marysburg Vortex00:16:50 What Does “The Medium Is The Message” Actually Mean?00:36:24 The Smartphone Exercise00:44:26 Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man01:08:56 Buckminster Fuller & Interdisciplinary Thinking01:25:56 Marshall’s Journey to Cambridge01:43:06 Why This Work Matters01:51:53 AI, Privacy & Feeding Context to LLMs02:00:17 Media Ecology vs Media Literacy02:08:12 Making Maple Syrup02:23:44 Sandwiches as a Medium02:34:35 The Polydicks & Punk Rock02:45:51 Wu-Tang & Poetry02:53:42 Leaving Literacy Behind03:06:08 The Future of Technology—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_

Aidan Gomez (@aidangomez) is a computer scientist, co-author of the seminal paper ‘Attention Is All You Need,’ and the CEO of Cohere.In this episode, we discussed his upbringing in the cabin his grandfather built in Codrington, a small town North of Brighton, and the values that were instilled in him through his family. We explored his path from Codrington to his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, emailing Geoffrey Hinton, and joining Google Brain where he co-wrote the paper on transformers.We discussed how he met his co-founders Ivan Zhang and Nick Frosst, and his insights on what it means to build a meaningful, successful company in Canada. Aidan shares his conviction about what is at stake—for Canada and for the world at large.This is a conversation about family, values, and what it means to live with conviction.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Intro00:03:10 The Malleability of Toronto00:11:06 Growing Up in Codrington00:13:50 The Story of Aidan Gomez’s Family00:27:23 Introduction to the Internet00:30:39 Values and Work Ethic00:35:46 University of Toronto’s AI Scene00:40:48 Emailing Geoffrey Hinton00:42:16 Google Brain00:45:15 Dropout: A Simple Way to Prevent Neural Networks from Overfitting00:49:48 The Beauty of Research00:54:24 One Model to Rule Them All00:59:54 Meeting Ivan Zhang and Nick Frosst01:04:00 The Birth of Cohere01:06:56 Twitter Influencers and Alex Friedland01:11:48 Being the CEO01:12:51 Building for Canada01:15:01 Three Fundamental Ingredients of Building a Company01:21:39 Working with the Canadian Government01:24:39 Reflexivity in Canada01:36:22 What Is Evil?01:42:40 The Role of AI in the World—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_

Steph Ango (Kepano), designer and CEO of Obsidian, walks through a life of making from Winamp skins to furniture and software. He explores linked-note design, Obsidian features like Bases and sync, his piano-learning app Capiano, and why constraints and craftsmanship fuel deep learning. Plus a detour into his perfected deluxe chocolate chip cookie.

Satish Kanwar (@skanwar) is an entrepreneur, a geek, and a friend.In this episode, we explore what it means to come up in Scarborough, build something from nothing, experience a life changing exit, and still hold onto your original intentions. Along the way, we get into community as a force multiplier, how scenes form, how identify shifts under success, why culture needs new stories to move forward, and we did a saag taste test from some joints across the Greater Toronto Area. It's a conversation about ambition, memory, and the pressure of becoming who you hoped you'd be.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Opening Notes00:03:15 Periscope and the Evolution of Live Streaming00:08:15 Satish's TEDx Talk00:13:00 Community, Scenes, and Building Jet Cooper00:20:45 Early Shopify's Office as a Cultural Hub00:25:25 Jet Cooper's Offices Throughout the Years00:32:45 Shopify Acquisition00:40:00 The Shopify Ottawa Office00:43:49 The Acquisition Process00:51:05 Hiring the Toronto Scene00:56:55 What Happened to the Scene?01:03:59 Saag Taste Test01:18:04 Exploring Indian Food in the GTA01:21:30 Kensington Market's Indian Food Density01:37:01 Chef Rick Matharu01:42:40 internetVin Reflects on His Toronto Tech Week Talk01:55:35 Cultural Storytelling in Canada02:04:33 Reflexivity, Ambition, and How Stories Become Realities02:14:15 How Do We Glitch the System?02:21:10 Personal Growth and What Money Changes—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_

Alex Danco (@Alex_Danco) is a writer and editor-at-large at Andreessen Horowitz whose work centers on gift culture, crowds, and how shared beliefs shape real-world outcomes.In this episode, we explore the deep mechanics of how people coordinate, why crowds form, how narratives drive behaviour, why perception becomes reality, and how leadership is ultimately the art of getting people to think differently about themselves. We talk about reflexivity, the psychology of scenes, the role of gifts in opening people to new ideas, and how cities and cultures transform when the right stories take root. It’s a conversation about how groups move and how meaning spreads.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps00:00:00 Opening Notes00:04:18 The Last Decade Before the Internet00:09:47 Reflexivity: When Perception Creates Reality00:28:23 Crowds and Power00:37:06 Human Evolution and Adaptability00:41:55 Betting on Yourself00:56:43 Gift Culture and Information Transfer01:11:44 Legitimacy01:15:52 The Development of Scenes01:31:18 A Gift for Alex Danco01:38:30 The Toronto Big Bang01:56:50 The Narratives of Toronto02:08:31 The Power of Gift Giving in Startups02:14:27 Creating High Signal Environments02:17:40 The Role of Capital and Mentorship in Toronto’s Startup Ecosystem—The Other Stuff Podcast: https://otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: https://x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: https://instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠https://x.com/internetvinNewhttps://x.com/newsystems_https://instagram.com/newsystems_

Daniel Kuntz (https://x.com/dankuntz) is an artist, designer, and award-winning engineer. He is currently working on a keychain-sized digital companion known as The Little Guy.The Other Stuff is hosted by internetVin⁠, filmmaker and entrepreneur and possibly the most curious man on Earth. Produced by New.—Timestamps(00:00:00) Intro (00:05:40) The Little Guy and Digital Companions (00:24:55) Design Philosophy and Iteration (00:47:06) McDonald's Fries and Universal Quality (01:03:23) Supply Chain, Semiconductors, and Taiwan (02:00:32) Place, Perspective, and Buckminster Fuller (02:24:55) Ted Nelson's Theory of Virtuality (02:38:50) Apple's Evolution and the iPhone Revolution (03:00:59) AI, Natural Language, and the Future of Interfaces (03:10:14) Escaping the Digital World—The Other Stuff Podcast: otherstuffpod.com YouTube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0osV4LBB6zLfDk-KDV9FtDg7y0bJ3AWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kImmU1R1DYTeM1AKZRWkx?si=2feeadb93ad4419fApple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-other-stuff-with-internetvin/id1828762531Twitter: x.com/otherstuffpodInstagram: instagram.com/otherstuffpodinternetVin ⁠x.com/internetvinNewx.com/newsystems_instagram.com/newsystems_