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Merlin admits to almost watching something on TV and encourages John to talk him out of buying a new laptop. John has concerns about dander diamonds, and Merlin briefs John on the mechanics of modern version control.\n\nThis week\u2019s first topic is **self-driving cars** and how soon they\u2019re likely to be ready, as they say, for prime time. John cannily revisits his Parameters of the World and, no, he doesn\u2019t need your damned telemetry.\n\nLater, you'll find The Spoiler Slot filled with a spoiler-heavy discussion of the 2016 movie, ***Arrival***. If you haven\u2019t seen the film yet, be sure to bail out before the spoiler horn is deployed at (1:13:13). [Watch it. It\u2019s good.]\n\nMerlin pulls a pretty dramatic turnaround but still has some beefs, while John has very strong opinions about whether one character might be a monster. Merlin has no difficulty choosing the saddest line in the movie.\n\n(_Recorded on Tuesday, February 28, 2017_)