Back to Work

This week, Merlin's got a LOT going on. Full Catastrophe Living! Discussed: booger colors, some tv and movies, a dream deferred, various X-Persons, loving GoodTask 3, plus Dan and Merlin just cannot remember many, many things. Next, your hosts dive into their first day with Mojave and reminisce about the days when you could make your Finder look all steampunk. This leads to a deeper dive on what t...

A classic odds-and-sods episode, featuring important discussions about sleep tracking, the Apple Watch, Succession, sound bars, Chris Nolan's Batman, and Nintendo Online. Links for this episode: Amazon.com Help: About AmazonSmile Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #24 — Merlin Mann MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, Do By Friday, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invite...

Discussed: upcoming Apple announcements; do people with bigger screens use more apps more often?; some follow-up on adaptive testing; and comics for kids. Your hosts answer a listener question about knowing when it's time to quit something. Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #24 — Merlin Mann MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, Do By Friday, ...

Skype gets way too ambitious; sprinkling sauce on a service; a mandatory social network for doorbells; Dan acquires a new deity; some excellent listener follow-up on Computerized Adaptive Testing; Dan takes his boy to see a bona fide cinema classic; Dan has some great TV recommendations; Merlin reports in from the deep weeds of a fraught smart speaker ecosystem. Links for this episode: The Podcast...

Discussed: homework and testing; wallets and wallet philosophies; things to learn from wallet philosophy; how to fall asleep; watching Star Trek ; Dan's new smart speaker; Merlin yells at Alexa several times. Links for this episode: How to Fall Asleep in 120 Seconds – Member Feature Stories – Medium DonorsChoose.org: Support a classroom. Build a future. Google’s Mark Risher changes our passwords —...

Discussed: courting a vegetarian; The Information Problem ; FU on Dan's new slide remote and keyboard; also, belts; travel pre-screening options; a recommended article on hypocognition ; Dan saw IT ; thoughts on Twiki and Erin Grey; and Dan's recent home problem. Links for this episode: Episode 75: I Set Up a Fake Child – AppStories John is joined by Merlin Mann to discuss managing family tech use...

Discussed : tech that's gotten so much more dependable (and, yeah, so much less dependable); Dan needs a new presenter remote; Marvel's First Family (finally) returns; who would win if The Hulk fought The Thing?; Merlin introduces Dan to the Ponyverse; some camp equipment follow-up; and Merlin goes off on the awesomeness of libraries with some hot new service recommendations. Links for this episod...

Discussed: Merlin sounds like a saxophone, keyboards are extensively discussed, pros and cons of various MacsBooks Pro, Dan likes using one monitor, pining for best-of-class hardware from Cupertino, Merlin has dorky and boring follow-up, recommending an Apple Watch sleep app and an iOS location tracker, some excellent ice replacements, Dan's favorite bespoke cooler, a disappointing belt, a very go...

Discussed: current monospaced font preferences, experimenting with text sizing, getting on the sucker list, old McDonalds had some styrofoam, new tech that would kill old stories, kids bewilderment with old tech, the bonkersness of Face/Off , wonderful listener gifts for Cash, a book about anxiety Merlin likes. Dan and Merlin also answer listener questions about mise en place and doubting one's fu...

Merlin really likes the ones where Dan prepares. Discussed: four-twenty in The Mile High state, some tv and movie recommendations, the creativity that comes from constraints, The Information Problem, plus thanks for some lovely gifts to Cash from listeners. Most of the episode focuses on a provocative new article about whether podcast hosting should be "free." Merlin nerds out on iOS Trackpad mode...

This week: Dan may or may not be sanguine , and Merlin is having another meetup; comics, movie and TV discussion (and recommendations) abound; Cash is impatient for a red DS; the magic of ubiquitous capture is extolled; Merlin has a problematic thumb and spends hours on the phone with AT&T; a book about anxiety is endorsed; handles for the emotional suitcase are offered; a new unicorn is born;...

Dan's ex-cold, some media recommendations, strobe light problems, Dan's new phone, bad eyeglasses, your fault versus your problem, plus listener feedback about estimating hours and costs. Links for this episode: #850: The Fake Review Hunter — Planet Money — Overcast Frequently Asked Questions - ReviewMeta Blog Game Night (film) - Wikipedia (2) Marques Brownlee - YouTube Brought to you by: Mack Wel...

Discussed this week: head colds, Florida, vitamin shots, Pleiades, Pigeon Pose, a new kind of spam, some media recommendations, iOS 12, and a listener question about a job they just don’t wanna do. Links for this episode: Making Vitamin B12 Injections Accessible to Everyone in the Bay Area Got Vitamin B12’s fun, pop-up style Happy Hours take place in 20 different locations around the Bay Area.&nbs...

Follow-up on the Benjamin family phone plan, what it's like to use a phone that's not a phone anymore, excitement for Siri Shortcuts, an AR measurement app recommendation, Dan's new TV recommendations, some travel headphone recommendations, massive disruption in the fizzy water space, some pseudo-insider-ish follow-up on Siri, plus Dan's adventure back into the world of Android and how it went. Li...

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some of their favorite announcements at the big computer show. They also deep dive into how to handle the Benjamin family's need for a new phone. Links for this episode: Libby, by OverDrive - an app for library ebooks and audiobooks How Instagram’s algorithm works | TechCrunch WorldCat.org: The World's Largest Library Catalog iOS 12 Preview - Apple iOS 12 FAQ:...

Discussed this week: media dustups, the deleterious career effects of social media, a week or so of Instagram, love of dogs, a podcast appearance, two great services for spotting fake Amazon reviews, some Netflix recommendations, Inspector Gadget, remastering Star Trek , kids and black & white movies, serious mail, inventing The Sabbath, and some freestyle advice. Links for this episode: @hotd...

Discussed: trust my method, beards, foo bar baz, casting Mysterio, villains of Peter Spiderman, an unpaid debt to Dan, medieval electric billing, endorsing Evil Genius and Belief , the power of Spotify podcasts via Alexa, more on Apple TV and voice commands, the pain of scrubbing, 4k HDR via Movies Anywhere , a question on soundbars, Hulu's awesome new "Live Guide" (finally!), a word on TV remote...

Discussed: lame patents, Salvador Dalí, allergy season, backpack discrimination, friend cosplay, things Dan can't say, AT&T woes, Merlin saw a bear, a YouTube rabbit hole, and some excellent historical Disney content. Dan and Merlin answer a listen's questions about sleep tracking and leveraging Alexa at the office. Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #22 — Merlin Mann MERLIN MANN (...

Discussed: time flies, nesting dolls, cloud saves for Switch, oy vey the service subscriptions, wheat and chess boards, WiFi and health, abdomen cinchers, more Netflix recommendations, the hollow face illusion, Marked 2 update, and a couple more recommendations. Dan and Merlin answer a listener's question about balancing work momentum and "down time." Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup...

Discussed: places that are closed, dinosaur eyes that follow you, a TV show about makeup, some thoughts on Infinity War , the joy of content that really nails the medium, more on B2W shirts, Merlin hates everything, eminent domain, Dan has questions about Venom , Merlin recommends Uncanny X-Force (Remender & Opeña), and Rob Liefeld's pouch life. Your hosts also answer listener questions about...

Discussed: Dan's gummi vitamins, vitamins in general, the childhood shame of those weird plaque pills, exotic sickness images, Fifth Disease comes to Austin, Dan's car troubles, Faraday Cages and how to build them, a potential t-shirt for you. Dan was cleaning out his garage, and Merlin has a lot to say about the philosophy and practical components of getting rid of junk at scale. Also, Dan really...

This week, the boys discuss Drafts, The Archive, Merlin's love of Spotify, some great playlists, and weird rules for cheerleaders. In extensive follow-up, your hosts talk about the listener who was having trouble with addressing employees and social media use. This goes lots of interesting places. Next up, even more input from listeners on social media policies and living life in a fishbowl. Links...

Bula vinaka, bee tee dubs nation! This is an epic odds and sods episode, replete with TV follow-up, font follow-up, and Wild, Wild Country follow-up, along with book recommendations, happy Splatoon 2 talk, and a pretty terrible 70s board game. Also, ubi sunt retail amirite? Also, your hosts finally ( finally! ) address a listener's excellent and very difficult question about her millennial employe...

This week, Dan and Merlin discuss Jessica Jones and the problem of super power constitution, plus some more Netflix recommendations ("Look away! Looooook awaaaaay!"). They also do a dive into updates on the monospace fonts they like and use. Next, up they talk about the new app, The Archive, contrasting with nvALT. Finally, your hosts answer an excellent listener question about struggling to manag...

This week, your hosts say " Bula Vinaka! " They also discuss phone cards, some Netflix recommendations, Merlin's phone usage, and "accidentally" getting punched in the face by your kid. Of course, they also talk about the TV and voice control ecosystems. They also respond to listener questions about better active listening, and how they each take notes for podcasts. Links for this episode: AT&...