December 22, 2012
The December 22, 2012 Christmas broadcast combines an unusually personal piece of Computer Talk history with Dr. Dave's recurring belief that technology should remain under human control. Dr. Dave and Evil Steve replay a Christmas song recorded for the show by a young Abigail Prochnow, explain why useful cloud services should be paired with local access to important data and use 3D-printed cookies plus a Bill Gates and David Letterman story to argue for practical judgment instead of technological spectacle. Dr. Dave also considers cyber warfare and the future openness of the Internet, while Washington and Arizona sports provide a spirited second-hour opening. The preserved show ends early when Dr. Dave becomes ill and leaves the studio, a fact confirmed in both surviving renditions.
Proposed air date. The available recordings may not contain the entire broadcast.
More than one recording version is preserved for this date. They are kept separate to avoid playing the same material twice.
Listen to the preserved parts
6 parts, 62:09 total. All preserved transcript parts in this selection have been reviewed for content and sequence. Some original parts are unavailable or uncertain (source positions 7, 8). The available recordings are numbered from Part 1 for listening. The archive includes show breaks; this is not a verified uninterrupted recording. The air date remains proposed.
Part 1 of 6. Press play to begin.
Parts continue in order after you start playback. You can also choose a part below.
Recordings preserved for this date
Regular show: hour recordings
2 recordings · 68:53 total within this version.
Numbered positions are present in sequence. This alone does not prove the show is complete.
Regular show: segments
6 recordings · 62:09 total within this version.
The original recording order is uncertain.
Possible gaps in the recording sequence: 7, 8. These are possible gaps, not confirmed missing audio.