Best Construx Podcasts (2025)

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S1 E18: The Hidden Nerd Within – Mega Construx, Mini Painting, and Frisbee Golf with Brandon Bullough 50:33

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1d ago50:33

50:33

Send us a text In this sibling showdown, James is joined by his “younger, cooler, and allegedly more handsome” brother, Brandon Bullough. They dive deep into Brandon’s hidden (but undeniable) nerdiness—from his Halo Mega Construx obsession and miniature painting hobby to his disc golf deep dive. Whether you’re curious about the decline of Mega Blok…

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#59 Total Project Quality 58:28

1M ago58:28

58:28

Total Project Quality, Construx's course on how to insert quality throughout a work effort, hasn't always gotten the traction it deserves. Why not? In this podcast, we examine the subject of quality and our (perhaps poorly-named) Total Project Quality seminar. Join Construx's Steve Tockey, Earl Beede, and Mark Griffin as they Inspect & Adapt the To…

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S1 E17: Star Wars Deep Dive, Sneaker Hustles & Getting Pistol-Whipped for Jordans?! 1:10:53

1M ago1:10:53

1:10:53

Send us a text In this jam-packed episode of The Nerd Nexus, host James Bullough is joined by brother-in-law and certified Star Wars mega-nerd Thomas Walton for a wildly entertaining ride through fandom, footwear, and one unforgettable Facebook Marketplace deal gone wrong. From growing up on the original Star Wars trilogy to obsessing over Clone Wa…

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S1 E16: Stitching Stories: The Art of Jonathan Hallett 56:01

2M ago56:01

56:01

Send us a text From Captain Planet to Hereditary, High School Musical to Spider-Punk Stitch, storyboard artist and cartoonist Jonathan Hallett has seen—and drawn—it all. In this episode, James sits down with the creative powerhouse behind StitchToons.com, FastStoryboards.com, and Cartoonist.MyPortfolio.com to talk about breaking into animation, dra…

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#58 Team Organization 54:47

2M ago54:47

54:47

We develop software primarily on teams, but how do you develop the teams? Construx's Mark Griffin and Earl Beede Inspect & Adapt the different ways you can organize your development team. They look at the pros and cons of different approaches and even offer some help for when you're stuck with a team organization that isn't the best.…

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S1 E15: Sports Nerds, Rivalries, and the Gospel of the Homie Invitational with Josh Erickson 1:05:44

3M ago1:05:44

1:05:44

Send us a text What happens when a die-hard Cowboys fan and a lifelong Niners sympathizer sit down to talk sports? A surprisingly heartfelt and hilarious conversation that blurs the lines between traditional nerd culture and sports fandom. In this episode, James is joined by his friend Josh Erickson—a self-proclaimed sports nerd—to explore how spor…

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S1 E14 - Mysteries, Magic & Mastering the Market with Ben Brown 1:57:39

3M ago1:57:39

1:57:39

Send us a text In this mind-bending episode of The Nerd Nexus, James welcomes magician, AV tech wizard, and negotiation nerd Ben Brown! 🎙️✨ From conjuring Coke bottles and setting wallets ablaze to tactfully talking your way to a better salary, Ben shares stories and strategies that blend the mystique of stage magic with the science of persuasion. …

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#57 Risk-Based Testing 52:56

3M ago52:56

52:56

How should you spend your always-limited testing resources? Is one part of the product more important to test than another? Construx's Steve Tockey and Earl Beede join host Mark Griffin in looking at one approach to answering those questions: risk-based testing. Steve and Earl look at how to do risk-based testing along with its pros and cons.…

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S1 E13: Chaos, Cards & Clogged Nozzles 30:39

3M ago30:39

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Send us a text With no guest this week, James takes you on a solo journey through his latest geeky adventures. From roguelike potato mayhem and Old West outlaws to 3D printer disasters and obscure Pokémon knockoffs, this episode is packed with updates, opinions, and surprises. Plus, hear about a front-row seat at a Utah Hockey Club game, and a retu…

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S1 E12: Fandom Fusion: Mythology, Pokemon, and Star Trek 1:02:17

3M ago1:02:17

1:02:17

Send us a text In this episode of The Nerd Nexus, we’re joined by Chellie Bowerman—partner in crime to past guest Marshall Bowerman! A lifelong Star Trek fan and a passionate creator, Chellie has crafted her very own Pokémon region, and she’s here to share all the details. From the inspirations behind her designs to the creative process that brough…

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S1 E11: Shane Adams: Crafting Fandoms, One 3D Layer at a Time 1:23:37

4M ago1:23:37

1:23:37

Send us a text In this episode, James sits down with Shane Adams to discuss two of his greatest passions: barbecuing and 3D printing. Shane shares his love for cooking, particularly his experiences with smoking meats on his Traeger grill, and how barbecuing has become a personal expression of creativity. The conversation then shifts to Shane's worl…

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S1 E10: Disney Magic, True Crime, and Collecting Hobbies with Amy Hallett 1:04:47

4M ago1:04:47

1:04:47

Send us a text Join me, James Bullough, as I chat with the incredible Amy Hallett—Disney superfan, true crime enthusiast, and collector of all things nerdy! We dive into her deep love for Disneyland (where she’s a two-time honorary citizen!), the thrill of solving murder mysteries, and the never-ending cycle of picking up new hobbies. Plus, Amy giv…

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S1 E9: The Collector of Hobbies: A Star Wars Deep Dive and More 1:08:11

4M ago1:08:11

1:08:11

Send us a text After a brief hiatus, The Nerd Nexus is back with a special guest—Tyler Esmay, a self-proclaimed "collector of hobbies." In this episode, we explore the ever-expanding world of Star Wars, from the impact of the Expanded Universe to ranking the trilogies and debating what went wrong with Episodes 7, 8, and 9. Tyler and James also disc…

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#56 Product Visions to Product Roadmaps 54:09

4M ago54:09

54:09

In an earlier webinar, Construx's Earl Beede took on many organizations that create product visions with phrases like, be the world's best ‘x’ or dazzle our customers. Not bad ideas but pretty much worthless in helping you make day-to-day decisions on what work is the most important for your business. This is a follow-up, with Earl and Mark Griffin…

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S1 E8: TTRPGs and Patching Plot Holes 1:30:20

5M ago1:30:20

1:30:20

Send us a text In this episode of The Nerd Nexus, we dive into the world of plot holes, tabletop RPGs, and podcasting with special guest Richard Allred, co-host of Plot Spackle. We explore the art of dissecting movies, discuss what truly qualifies as a plot hole, and even attempt to patch up some classic film inconsistencies. Richard also shares hi…

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#55 Practitioner Quizzes Construx - Session 1 54:16

5M ago54:16

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Construx welcomes Onorio Catenacci to the microphone to ask questions about software development that continue to puzzle him and perhaps to see whether Construx has the answers. Join Contrux's Mark Griffin and Steve Tockey to see if they can give sound, helpful, and actionable answers to Onorio's questions—and find out whether Onorio can stump Cons…

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S1 E7: Nerd Nexus Update: Books, Cards, Games & A New Hobby! 29:25

5M ago29:25

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Send us a text Welcome back, fellow nerds! In this solo episode of The Nerd Nexus, I’m diving into all things nerdy, from books and trading cards to video games and even a new hobby I’m hoping to get into—3D printing! 📚 Author Spotlight: Pierce Brown & Red Rising—why this series is a must-read for sci-fi fans! 📖 Recent Reads & TBR: My thoughts on S…

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S1 E6: From LEGO Builds to Time Travel With Marshall Bowerman 1:10:09

5M ago1:10:09

1:10:09

Send us a text Join James and special guest Marshall Bowerman on this episode of The Nerd Nexus, where they dive deep into the fascinating world of time travel in pop culture. From Doctor Who and Back to the Future to Tenet and The Flash, explore the diverse ways storytellers handle the complexities of time. Marshall shares his unique insights as a…

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S1 E5: Batman, Board Games, and Brandon Sanderson with Taylor Jackson 1:04:08

5M ago1:04:08

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Send us a text Join James and his guest, Taylor Jackson, as they dive into the worlds of superheroes, modern board games, and fantasy literature on this episode of The Nerd Nexus. Taylor, a school psychologist and lifelong fan of the Dark Knight, shares his insights on Batman’s enduring appeal, cheesy nostalgia from classic adaptations, and the art…

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S1 E4: The Art of Storytelling and Voice Acting with Dale Spaulding 50:41

6M ago50:41

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Send us a text Join host James Bullough as he sits down with the talented voice actor and storytelling enthusiast, Dale Spaulding, for an engaging discussion on the intersection of voice acting, tabletop role-playing games, and creative storytelling. Dale shares his journey into voice acting, the unique art of creating character voices, and his mem…

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S1 E3: Fantasy Author Spotlight - Taran Matharu 12:23

6M ago12:23

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Send us a text In this episode of The Nerd Nexus, host James Bullough kicks off a brand-new segment, Fantasy Author Spotlight, by diving into the world of Taran Matharu, the British author behind the Summoner series, the Contender trilogy, and his latest work, The Dragon Rider. James explores Matharu's unique journey to success, starting on the wri…

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S1 E2: A Tale of Two Nerds: Building a Bridge Across Fandoms 54:35

6M ago54:35

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Send us a text In this episode of The Nerd Nexus, James invites his wife, Claire, to share the mic as they explore the dynamic of a nerdy marriage. From Claire’s childhood love of The Magic Tree House and Star Wars to James’ obsession with Dungeons & Dragons and Pokémon cards, they dive into how their hobbies have shaped their relationship. Hear ab…

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S1 E1: Why Nerd Culture is More Than Just a Hobby 22:15

6M ago22:15

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Send us a text In the very first episode of The Nerd Nexus, James dives into his personal journey of embracing nerd culture. From LAN parties in his basement and discovering Deltora Quest at a school book fair to creating his first Dungeons & Dragons character and rediscovering trading cards, James shares how these hobbies shaped his identity and f…

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#54 Stories from a Long Career 52:20

6M ago52:20

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Construx's Jenny Stuart is retiring from the software industry, and we will miss her! In this podcast, Jenny Stuart looks back on her three decades in the software industry and shares stories and wins from her long career. Joining Jenny are three of her Construx work companions for the last 20 years, Mark Griffin, Steve Tockey, and Earl Beede.…

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#53 Cynefin Framework 52:55

7M ago52:55

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Why do software gurus keep talking about the Cynefin Framework? What is it? How is it even pronounced? In this episode of Inspect & Adapt, Construx puts many brains on the topic with Mark Griffin, Jenny Stuart, Steve Tockey, and Earl Beede making the link between Cynefin and doing actual software development work. They cover where Cynefin is best a…

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#52 The Triad 47:31

8M ago47:31

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Most folks know that the product owner, scrum master, and developers make up the Scrum team, but did you know that these roles are also an accountability triad critical to scaling? In episode #52 of our Inspect & Adapt podcast, Construx’s Earl Beede and Jenny Stuart define the triad and describe its role in scaling agile. Earl and Jenny focus on ho…

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#51 Professional Development 2024 55:56

9M ago55:56

55:56

To be a professional usually means a commitment to ongoing professional development. Doctors, engineers, nurses, accountants, and teachers all require periodic training to maintain their professional status, but what constitutes professional development in software? Can we consider ourselves professional without it? The Construx team will look into…

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#50 Staffing the Product Owner 56:22

10M ago56:22

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The product owner is often considered the most critical accountability in the triad of . Why? Because garbage in from the product owner gets garbage out of the developers, so it's crucial to give serious consideration to who is best to staff the product owner role. Listen to Construx experts share best pract…

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#49 The New 52:59

1y ago52:59

52:59

What do we do when we are faced with "The New"? When something is new to us, it's harder to estimate, harder to plan, and harder to execute. Some development projects involve much more that is new than others. How do we identify the new and deal with it in a constructive way? In this episode of Inspect & Adapt, Construx's Mark Griffin, Steve Tockey…

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#48 Cone of Uncertainty 57:24

1y ago57:24

57:24

Why can't I know—with high precision—the final cost, scope, and time frame of my work effort? One of the biggest reasons you can't know all three at once is illustrated by Steve McConnell's Cone of Uncertainty. In this episode of Inspect & Adapt, Construx's Mark Griffin, Steve Tockey, and Earl Beede talk about what the Cone is, how it impacts your …

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#47 Retrospectives 53:15

1y ago53:15

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If hindsight is 20/20—and it's good practice to look back to find ways you could do better—then why do retrospectives seem like such a waste of time? Shouldn't they be a goldmine that we're excited about rather than just another obligatory meeting? Inspect & Adapt host Mark Griffin gathers fellow Construx staff, Steve Tockey, Jenny Stuart, and Earl…

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#46 Reverse Agile Scaling 53:15

1+ y ago53:15

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There is a lot of talk and ideas about how to scale agile up from the one-team, one-product base so that multiple teams can support a product (I am looking at you SAFe). But what about the case where one team must support multiple products? That is reverse agile scaling. Join Construx’s Mark Griffin, Jenny Stuart, and Earl Beede as they share strat…

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#45 Value Identification 56:11

1+ y ago56:11

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What does "value" mean on your product? How do you know you are working on the most valuable thing? Construx's Earl Beede, Jenny Stuart, and Mark Griffin discuss how to clearly identify and articulate value on development projects. Knowing the targeted value is critical for prioritization and scope control and for knowing when to stop. It is also t…

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#44 Bringing it All Together – the Successful Leadership of Hardware/Software Teams 46:20

1+ y ago46:20

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How do you lead product development teams when a company that has always been hardware focused now owes its success to both hardware and software? Construx's Mark Griffin and Earl Beede recently spoke with Inogen's Norbert Leinfellner and Horst Pichler, who have decades of experience leading this transition. We kick off 2024 with an Inspect & Adapt…

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#43 Project Managers 2023 57:02

1+ y ago57:02

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Listen to Construx's Earl Beede, Jenny Stuart, and Mark Griffin as they assess the role and duties of project managers on software intensive projects. A special focus will be on groups using agile development processes. Earl and Jenny will share stories of what they have seen work and what hasn't with their clients.…

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#42 Splitting User Stories 57:30

1+ y ago57:30

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Construx's Earl Beede, Jenny Stuart, and Mark Griffin investigate ways to split user stories so they fit in a sprint. Some methods are far preferable—and even easier—than others. Sometimes it just means setting yourself up to make your user stories split-able. Earl and Jenny will share their stories from the trenches and explain how they assist tea…

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#41 Special Guest: John Belbute, Engineering Metrics 54:35

2y ago54:35

54:35

What metrics make sense for a development team? How do you talk about productivity? Construx friend John Belbute joins Construx’s Steve Tockey, Earl Beede, and Mark Griffin to talk about engineering metrics. John has been a software leader at many companies, including Intuit, WebMD, eBay and Capita CCS and is now semi-retired with his own coaching …

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#40 Waterfall vs. Agile 2023 55:43

2y ago55:43

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It's been over two decades since we were told that Waterfall development is bad and Agile development is good. Construx's Earl Beede recently did a webinar on the subject (available on YouTube). This Inspect and Adapt looks at some of the comments and questions that came up. Earl is joined by host Mark Griffin and Jenny Stuart as they take a fresh …

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#39 Product Owner vs. Product Manager 59:07

2y ago59:07

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There is a lot of confusion about where the job or role of product owner ends and that of product manager begins. Construx's Earl Beede recently did a webinar on the topic. Now Earl is joined by Construx's Jenny Stuart and Mark Griffin to take a deeper look into how the two roles differ and where they overlap.…

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#38 The Engineering Manager in Agile 52:58

2+ y ago52:58

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You have engineering managers and you want to adopt agile - or are already doing agile - development. Where does your engineering manager fit? What activities and roles do engineering managers play in the agile development organization? Join Construx's Jenny Stuart, Mark Griffin, and Earl Beede as they discuss how organizations can Inspect & Adapt …

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#37 2022 Disaster Stories and Improvement Ideas 1:04:06

2+ y ago1:04:06

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At the end of 2022, Construx surveyed our clients to hear their best disaster stories of 2022 and what areas they want to improve so they won't repeat their disasters in 2023. Join host Mark Griffin with Construx experts Earl Beede and Steve Tockey as they Inspect and Adapt those disaster stories and improvement opportunities.…

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#36 Right-Sizing Software Process: Going Meta 53:48

2+ y ago53:48

53:48

Is there a "best" way or process to develop software? Is there one size fits all? Construx has always said, "no". One of our 10x Principles is "Tailor the Solution to the Problem". Join host Mark Griffin with Construx's Earl Beede and Steve Tockey for an Inspect and Adapt of right-sizing software development process. We cover the process for figuri…

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#35 Individual Estimation 59:02

2+ y ago59:02

59:02

Individual expert judgment estimation (a.k.a. best guess, gut, swag, etc.) is the most common method of estimating development projects. Yet it almost always is not a good estimate. Join host Mark Griffin with Construx's Earl Beede and Steve Tockey for an Inspect and Adapt of individual estimation. We cover the pitfalls of individual estimation but…

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#34 Backlog Refinement 1:08:17

3y ago1:08:17

1:08:17

Backlog Refinement is a practice that most agile teams should do - but many don't. Join host Mark Griffin with Construx's Jenny Stuart and Earl Beede to Inspect & Adapt backlog refinement. We cover how backlog refinement has become a critical part of agile teams, how it should work, common mistakes in backlog refinement, and how it adapts to differ…

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#33 How Much Testing Is Enough? 59:07

3y ago59:07

59:07

"How much testing is enough?" is a question Construx gets asked a lot. Join host Mark Griffin with Construx's Brian Daugherty and Steve Tockey for an Inspect and Adapt of the enough testing question. We cover the drivers of testing, strategies to help determine "enough," and the common mistakes organizations make when developing and executing tests…

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#32 Leadership for Women in Software 43:40

3y ago43:40

43:40

What does it mean to bring your full self as a woman to leadership in a software or technical organization? Join Construx's Mark Griffin as he interviews Jessica Garcia about how to deal with the challenges of leadership specifically as experienced by women. Jessica leads and coaches women toward both leadership and authenticity. She will go over h…

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#31 The Daily 58:19

3y ago58:19

58:19

Many, if not most, agile teams include the practice of a daily gathering. It goes by slightly different names: the daily standup, the daily scrum, or walking the board. Join host Mark Griffin with Construx's Jenny Stuart and Earl Beede for an inspect and adapt of the daily. We cover the daily's origins, how it differs across agile approaches, commo…

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The BEST Halo Infinite Mega Construx Sets 1:11:30

3+ y ago1:11:30

1:11:30

Matt, Colin and Tom come together to rank the Halo Infinite sets we've received from Mega Construx so far. Join the team for a deep dive into the most recent Halo game and some of the coolest merchandise to be created based on it! Thank you for your support! LEARN MORE Halo Mega Construx Official Website: https://www.megaconstrux.com/en-us/halo SUP…

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The BEST Micro Action Figures 1:21:44

3+ y ago1:21:44

1:21:44

Gabe leads a conversation on the best Micro Action Figures to grace our collections in this deep dive into the annals of the Mega Construx & Mega Bloks lines. Matt invades about 3/4 of the way into the show to share a handful of his own favorites. Thank you for your support! LEARN MORE Halo Mega Construx Official Website: https://www.megaconstrux.c…

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Ultimate Banished AA Gun Brick Man 117 Interview + 2021 Recap 1:44:34

3+ y ago1:44:34

1:44:34

Brick Man 117 returns to the show to talk through his incredible Banished AA Gun with Colin & Tom. If that's not enough, then the trio also dive deep into their highlights from 2021. Thank you for your support! LEARN MORE Check out Brick Man 117's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrhkKHWEBHmiJPQHvrcQ7Ag SUPPORT THE SHOW PATREON: ht…