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DISCUSSED : Dan has updates on Texas's recent weather events and the unanticipated cascading effects on complex and interconnected infrastructures; then, for dessert, your hosts explore the delights and insights of the "isolated tracks" rabbit hole. Links for this episode: Van Halen - Dance The Night Away - Guitar Track - YouTube The Who- Won't Get Fooled Again - John Entwistle's isolated bass (li...

DISCUSSED : As The Lone Star state struggles with a surfeit of anomalous weather events, your hosts dig into the challenges inherent to all sorts of complex, interconnected systems. Links for this episode: Brandon Friedman on Twitter: "Water stored in the bathtub froze solid last night. That's how it's going in Dallas. https://t.co/cJdUMDT6pN " / Twitter (Show art swiped from this tweet by Brandon...

DISCUSSED : Doing pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good; Dan discovers a shark is menacingly circling one of his product names; there's a reason Merlin is not in the corner office; your hosts fondly recall the Avon products of their youth; Dan shares a terrific anecdote about George Harrison and Phil Collins; please don't use my things for things those things aren't things to be used for; Mission: I...

No way am I even going to attempt a description this week. With that said: [this is a good one] Links for this episode: harrumph! still crazy ("Rabbit rabbit!") "It's the end of the month and you know what that means...." Donnie Darko: Movie Explanation - A Detailed Explanation Of What happens In Donnie Darko - My ASP.NET Application Goodfellas Painting | Painting From the Movie Goodfellas Over th...

DISCUSSED : There are things that one wants to see less or fewer often; is this particular button actually hooked up to anything?; there is literal must-see TV and you must see it literally immediately; everything is catching on fire; four basic steps for being a successful adult (who has to deal with other adults); thoughts on creativity and focal length; the process of unpandemicizing, or: do we...

DISCUSSED : Dan continues to explore the exciting possibilities of his latest hardware acquisition. Links for this episode: Wisdom From Merlin Or: “Everybody likes being given a glass of water.” It's only advice for you because it had to be advice for me. Paperlike, the iPad Screen Protector: write and draw like on paper

DISCUSSED : life's relentlessness continues apace; Cash enjoyed Dan's modified Godfather trilogy; celebrating Lil' Inappropriate Books ; a terrific recent use of "Layla"; some Inside Baseball talk about a recommended app segment; then, for the balance of the episode, your hosts start diving into Dan's exciting new acquisition and how best to put to good use. Links for this episode: ‘Y’all don’t wa...

DISCUSSED : Merlin looks at a shelf and then, for some reason, discusses it; walls and Japanese beds and jokey-sized dishwashers all benefit from wheels; life is different when you live on a boat; it's important to find the right tool for the job; some people see forests, while others see trees; Merlin performs his very good Gordon Ramsey impression; Merlin also performs his very good David Lynch...

DISCUSSED : Making a problem go away is not the same thing as solving the problem. Links for this episode: Craft - Create Amazing Documents Built for digital devices from the ground up, Craft brings back the joy to writing. Craft Review: A Powerful, Native Notes and Collaboration App - MacStories Craft is the strongest 1.0 note-taking app I’ve ever used. It offers a thoroughly native experience, t...

DISCUSSED : The generational struggle to understand things we can't understand, dealing with other people, and Star Wars . Links for this episode: Craft - Create Amazing Documents Craft Review: A Powerful, Native Notes and Collaboration App - MacStories MacStories Selects 2020: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year - MacStories Ultimate Fakebook - Far Far Away - YouTube Blank Check with Griffin &a...

Sometimes, no one can see the ball—let alone reach the ball.

DISCUSSED : Habits, cycles, and patterns of thinking. Why it's difficult to rehearse success—but surprisingly easy to rehearse failure. Links for this episode: Linky Linky - This has to become a regular thing. Brought to you by: Backblaze (Get a 15-day free trial at Backblaze.com/backtowork ). Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use t...

Discussed: the paths of thought and emerging from a rut the size of the Grand Canyon.

DISCUSSED : From Jerry Lewis to a drinking bird in a scant 80 minutes. Links for this episode: Opinion | Your Brain Is Not for Thinking - The New York Times Hook – Find without searching Hook’s nimble context-sensitive navigator is loved by people who need to focus on project info, such as professors, researchers, lawyers, software developers King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis: Levy,...

DISCUSSED : lot of projects going on!; praise for Nicki Minaj; some recent TV shows that are important to your hosts; Merlin is a little obsessed with a new Mac productivity app; interrogating problems with deliveries and porch pirates; vehicle theft can be very confusing; and, finally, some insight nobody asked for into Merlin's ambitious new hardware project. Links for this episode: The Omni Sho...

DISCUSSED : Merlin's additions to Bunch have him stepping on his own dingus; maybe it's time to invert the permissive legacy model for who gets access to us (as well as how and when); there's no amount of technology that can make other people be decent; Oh. Hey. Defaults? Be better ; also, please quit stealing my focus; Dan is not buying anything new; your hosts talk about the various (often non-o...

DISCUSSED : Merlin has a lot to say about the benefits of making lists; this leads to an old-school stemwinder on "Journal" calendars, functional playlists, shared Notes, the lessons of the cutlery drawer, desire paths, arbitrary grids, "Reference" albums, urban bike hooks, auxiliary paper towel holders, and more; praise for The Boys ; the magical combination of Halide and Pixelmator Photo ; Dan r...

DISCUSSED : hey, it's an advice episode!; San Francisco has a lot of available office space; a musical unguent for your soul; a cool font that makes accessibility pretty; getting in front of your next wave of depression; the Emotional Police are here to cite you for your numerous infractions; and, finally, Merlin highly recommends a recent podcast episode about why we're all so exhausted and what...

DISCUSSED : Sending good vibes to The Dude; Merlin has a couple awesome app recommendations; some Follow-Up on the Apple Event, including what your hosts are ordering and what they're each excited about; which kinds of things your hosts do and do not find useful about the Apple Rumor Industrial Complex; Dan tries on a new iOS camera app; Merlin recommends a clever web cam app; some of our voice fr...

DISCUSSED : Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; Dan is due for a new phone; nostalgia for buying a carton of cigarettes; praise for Netflix's "Challenger" series; Merlin shares some updates on his big resource-leveling project; gotta find those big rocks, amirite; interruptions are the death of the tech person's day; remember, your work is part of your life —not separate from it. Links f...

DISCUSSED : Merlin craves an easy visit with Floyd; Spirit's lawsuit no longer winds on down the road; Question: what obligation does a company have to support their developer tools? And for how long exactly?; when are new film editions not "the good one?"; despite swearing not to do so, a popular service for monetizing indie content is, as they say, put on blast; lot of talk about business things...

DISCUSSED : the boys update one another on some very good media they're enjoying; everybody loves a movie with a big world; Merlin pitches Dan on the improbable magic of Ted Lasso ; talk turns to some new features of Apple's recent OS updates; at length, Merlin makes a case for exploring the amazing new functionalities of widgets, complications, and especially the apps of Underscore David Smith; G...

DISCUSSED : Folks, this one is a doozy , and that's all I'm gonna say about that. Links for this episode: Inbox Zero: Merlin Mann's Tips for Managing Your Life Online | GQ “I've come to think of it as more of a philosophy than a methodology,” he says now. “It’s about trying to put a stake in the ground with regard to your attention. It’s a way of saying, ‘Some people are allowed to have some of me...

DISCUSSED : Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; remember to photograph your kid's room; some bearded dragon updates; some thoughts on pets; Merlin's grandfather was a reluctant dog obsessive; Dan wants to read you a label; Merlin met a fellow cadet; check out Dan's videos ; Merlin is loving iOS 14, especially the smarter Siri suggestions; speculation on how machines learn; your hosts sti...

DISCUSSED : California has no shortage of crises; Dan's got a brand new bag; thoughts on exercise as prophylactic medicine; extremely anecdotal data on the rise of fake ratings and reviews on Amazon; the return of "A cool thing I learned this week" brings some very neato apps, tips, and whatnot. Links for this episode: TextSniper is a great Mac utility for converting graphics to text - 9to5Mac Tex...