Published 1 Jan 2026
Duration: 3528
The podcast discusses challenges of maintaining digital newsletters, as well as the development and evolution of two specific projects: a physical newsletter called "Nonsense Monthly" and a monitoring service called "Dead Man's Snitch".
In this episode I talk with Chris Gaffney about Dead Man's Snitch, a cron job monitoring service he's run full-time for six years after Collective Ide...
The podcast explores the challenges developers face with digital email newsletters and introduces Nonsense Monthly, a physical programming newsletter that covers programming, philosophy, and cooking. It then shifts to a conversation about Dead Man's Snitch, a monitoring service for cron jobs and system alerts, founded by Randy Schmidt and later managed by Chris Gaffney. The service's name draws inspiration from the Dead Man's Switch concept and gained traction through word of mouth, not traditional marketing. The discussion highlights its growth, acquisition, and profitability, allowing Chris to focus fully on managing the project. The conversation also touches on balancing personal and professional life, managing time with young children, and the evolving SaaS landscape. Additionally, it explores themes related to workaholism, executive function, and the value of analog experiences over digital ones.
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