In Beta

In Beta

In Beta is a talk show about tech culture, making open source software, and how mobile, social, and web apps are changing the world.

In Beta records and broadcasts live (see the schedule).

#39: Opaque Dome

March 6, 2013 at 3:30pm • 59 minutes

Gina & Kevin explain and critique TED and its unwieldy brand, along with Marissa Mayer and the Yahoo/work-from-home controversy.


#38: Aversion to Glass

February 27, 2013 at 9:00pm • 59 minutes

Dan Benjamin (standing in for Kevin) and Gina discuss why Sergey Brin says smartphones are 'emasculating', Google Glass, the lives of promiscuous likers and favoriters, and how many people it's possible to truly follow on social media.


#37: Speak Designers' Language

February 20, 2013 at 9:15pm • 56 minutes

Special guest Saleh Esmaeili joins Kevin and Gina from Dubai to discuss his newly-released Android app Carbon, what it's like to build a Twitter client around API limitations, his take on Holo, and what Google has to do to attract more great design talent to Android.


#36: Yoga Pose Calibration App

February 13, 2013 at 4:00pm • 48 minutes

Gina & Kevin ponder what's so great about Mailbox, the supposedly inbox-fixing Gmail/iPhone app. Related: does it pay to aim much, much higher with your projects?


#35: Hammers of the Beards

February 6, 2013 at 7:00pm • 51 minutes

Kevin and Gina discuss the point and the pitfalls of teaching yourself how to code using online tutorials. Then, onto what it's like when people who have large audiences decide to turn your GitHub repository (or any published work) into a punchline.


#34: Vine Voyeurism

January 30, 2013 at 10:00pm • 52 minutes

Gina & Kevin dig in on a recurring topic: is Android only big because it's cheap? And can developers work with cheapness, or sometimes around it?

(Note: the audio quality is not the best on one channel, due to a recording error. We're sorry, and it won't happen next week.)


#33: Internal Resentfulness Meter

January 23, 2013 at 6:15pm • 57 minutes

Kevin discusses his firsthand experience with the pitfalls of volunteering your time and tech skills for a worthy cause. Gina covers why the benefits of code review--and in general, peer review--outweigh the time it takes and potential for humbling feedback.


#32: Men Who "Like" Sexism

January 16, 2013 at 9:30pm • 50 minutes

Facebook's new Graph Search and what it really does and does not accomplish, for users and for businesses. Also: how to actually help non-profits and groups that struggle with tech.


#31: Oh, Look! Charts!

January 11, 2013 at 4:00pm • 1 hour 1 minute

Fresh back from Las Vegas, Kevin reports on Apple's influence at CES 2013, the Pebble smart watch, and how the Lightning connector's limitations might mean more Bluetooth and NFC compatibility. Then, Gina discusses why analytics apps that present a dashboard of charts aren't that useful.


#30: The Continual Cocktail Party

January 2, 2013 at 2:30pm • 60 minutes

Gina & Kevin resolve to be sensible about "Going Paperless in 2013," and get deep about the overly optimistic, cocktail-party-esque nature of social media, especially for creators.