Back to Work

DISCUSSED : heck, yeah, there's a lot of uncertainty; the woeful knock-on effects of COVID-19, from SxSW to presidential handshaking; Dan graciously accepts Merlin's apology; it's so important that you not touch the fish's face; Dan's Podcast Method is back, baby; you can tell an ecosystem is healthy when the advice about it diversifies; Dan explains the Kelvin Timeline and why he hates it; a Cele...

DISCUSSED : Merlin's uvula thing is back; some handy one-liner suggestions; the boys are loving uBar, and this leads to a dive on how they use the macOS Dock; praise for Witch; Ultraman is back, baby!; 500,000° is very, very hot; some nebulous, initial thoughts about a bracing call to focus on doing the work (and not how it looks to others when you're doing the work); a listener letter on alternat...

DISCUSSED : Skype steals focus, and Merlin ate your poem; music is pretty great; some odds and sods and recommendations; everyone should have a bell; learning to trust your system (and yourself); listener mailbag; Dan loves his new backpack; more on bulwarks against madness . Links for this episode: Carole King 1971 - YouTube USBPre 2 Troubleshooting Steps - Sound Devices How to turn your Mac star...

DISCUSSED : Merlin isn't quite awake yet and has some audio struggles in the midst of a new project; Dan is bringing back The Podcast Method ; committing something to media can still be very special; podcasts are cool, and you should make one; praise for Temple Grandin, a Jason Snell video, and a big upgrade over the stock Home app for iOS; solid syncing has raised a lot of boats; updates on the i...

DISCUSSED: new muting!; infrastructure is hard; on dogs; Dan gets a podcast recommendation from his fish guy; who we're 'shipping on Star Trek ; a free musical performance for a beloved sponsor; some good TED talks; do we like ligatures in monospace fonts?; Dan is getting restarted with OmniFocus, and Merlin has many, many thoughts and suggestions; finally, your hosts conclude by communicating The...

DISCUSSED : thoughts on hand-washing and habit-building; Dan has a really good scarecrow joke; Merlin still can't figure out how many 12-year-olds Dan owns; Dan has a question about laptops and backpacks; the Tao of Backpacks; how to listen to a podcast; Dan has a question about iPhone cases; what we talk about when we talk about ad blocking; Merlin recommends a TED talk and a podcast about deligh...

Merlin is pretty out of it this week, and Dan shares some listener questions. Links for this episode: Reilly's a match for show business / Actor-director here in one-man show - SFGate The Complete Adventure Time Timeline | Channel Frederator - YouTube The Picard Amazon.com: Tul Retractable Gel Pens 0.5mm Needle Point, Black 4/pk: Office Products The Sopranos - Wikipedia Mad Men - Wikipedia The Duf...

DISCUSSED : strongly-held podcast preferences; Skype hates you; praise for Rogue Amoeba and Strong Songs ; a small B2W milestone passes; Dan likes 1917 ; what Jack did; praise for Match Game ; a couple app and font reccos; tips for tricking out your Logitech mouse; no, seriously, Skype actively hates you; Merlin nabs an excellent new domain name for the program; Merlin continues his deep dive into...

DISCUSSED: A fun and creepy new face swap app; Twitter is not creating much new happy; this leads to a discussion of generational perceptions about what's acceptable or even desirable (especially with Apple products); praise for the podcast, The Dream ; Merlin gets a new clock; the origin of #MerlinsPoopList ; who pays $168 for a bikini?; Merlin has uvula problems; Dan explores P&S Liquid and...

Merlin needs help in the NOC; Dan discovers sensitive sauce; there are thresholds; hurting your roller skating muscles; new printer; and, finally, Merlin conducts a long exploration of unnecessary efficiencies, evolved technologies, and the minimum viable productivity system. Links for this episode: Sensitive Marinara Sauce | Rao's Homemade Amazon.com : Rao's Sauce Homemade Marinara Sensitive, 24...

For this very special end of the century, fin de siècle episode, Dan and Merlin make bespoke personal recommendations for music, podcasts, apps, TV shows, YouTube videos, and gadgets. Links for this episode: Pen Computing Magazine: VisorPhone Handspring (company) - Wikipedia Setapp | The best apps for Mac in one suite The frontier platform that packs 160 Mac apps into just one. A personally curate...

DISCUSSED : holiday lizard talk; some benefits of using "Environment" and "Journal" calendars; nostalgia for the Palm family of products in general and Graffiti in particular; responses to listener letters about: finding a "hook" for a new habit, physical media follow-up, HomeKit dinguses, Markdown editors, the joys of the TaskPaper lifestyle, advice on recovering from a disruption, and, finally,...

DISCUSSED: Dan presents a curious new bathroom project; some thoughts on OCD, procrastination, and empathy; praise for Fury Road , Inglourious Basterds , and Dunkirk ; Dan has follow-up on his awesome new laptop and the state of Unix shells; Merlin makes the case for occasionally getting unused to things. Links for this episode: I’ll Do The Procrastination Episode Tomorrow The MacBook Adorable — L...

DISCUSSED: Drafts for Mac is out!; check out Damon Lindelof on The Watch ; suggestions for HomeKit power strips; and responses to listener letters on rediscovering the joys of physical media and getting started with addressing chronic pain. Links for this episode: Plex launches a free, ad-supported streaming service in over 200 countries | TechCrunch Drafts | Where Text Starts “Easily one of the b...

Discussed: the commercials you get in your head listener feedback on music management first results of Merlin's own deep dive on music management alternatives thoughts on the "safety" that ends up making us less safe the perverse magic of "ghoti" thoughts on Dan's cool new laptop getting the shell you want sometimes Daddy needs to go in the closet Links for this episode: The Plain Text Project Mus...

DISCUSSED: Merlin has an email confession; Dan steps up with a shoulder; listeners have given your hosts a season of the show; praise for HBO's Watchmen ; a discussion of curating media for kids; Merlin exercises Personal Privilege; everybody is different! ; praise for the new MacBook Pro (and who it may or may not be good for); the beginnings of what could be an extensive series on reclaiming con...

updates on travel and packing a new notebook Merlin likes finding a notebook that accommodates both your brain and the shape of your day Merlin's bespoke six-block notebook method Dan struggles mightily with his hotel room a notional badge for gauging lifetime exposure to a ubiquitous TV celebrity some more travel talk, including the promise for a future dedicated episode on travel updates a sugge...

Our worst episode ever. Enjoy! Links for this episode: Mark Text CommonMark Spec Venice ‘on its knees’ after second-worst flood ever recorded Sweeping Study Points To Devastating Impact Of Climate Change On Global Health : Goats and Soda : NPR Notational Velocity - Wikipedia Bunch - BrettTerpstra.com nvUltra - Searchable, portable, MultiMarkdown notes Accidental Tech Podcast: 352: No One Else Had...

Dan is getting a Synology, Merlin has been making stuff, plus the return of "Cool Things I Learned This Week." Links for this episode: Keyboards, Computer Keyboards, Wireless Keyboards | Logitech Shortcuts - Drafts User Guide Draft It Merlin's Bluetooth Keyboards - Google Sheets Keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets - Computer - Docs Editors Help Amazon.com: Seagate IronWolf 4TB NAS Internal Hard D...

DISCUSSED: coincident birthdays; mathowie's gigantism and very online Ex Machina house; extensive actor and media talk; you probably hadn't heard, but, The Revenant was very difficult to make; Apple TV+ is getting…not great notices; success is a great deodorant, but could iPhone : 2010s Apple :: Windows : 1990s Microsoft ?; hardware follow-up on Merlin's new modem and UPS setup; the value of alway...

This week, Dan and Merlin dive into the benefits (and fun) of a NAS project. Also, Merlin goes off about the horror show of letting old people determine the future. Also, also, hey, kung fu movies! Links for this episode: Kids these days: Why the youth of today seem lacking | Science Advances Merlin Mann on Twitter: ""I don't need my Dad to understand why I think 'Future is Good.'" —Andy Greenwald...

It's Infrastructure Week! Dan and Merlin start with California's power crisis and end up pivoting to phones, cable TV, and, of course, Apple. What happens when a resource we think of as a solved part of our infrastructure suddenly isn't so solved? And, what would Apple look like if it treated all of its services as seriously as it once treated the Mac? Also: lizard updates, but please don't Google...

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about living in a world of hardware choices. How do you decide which device is best suited to a given task? Which ones do you find yourself preferring to use because they're friction-free—or just fun ? And, in what ways do our previous behaviors, habits, and expectations end up unconsciously coloring our future decisions? Links for this episode: Spotify rolls out Sir...

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's OS rollouts, changes in Apple retail, and week two with the new Apple Watch. Links for this episode: Release dates for iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS Catalina, watchOS 6, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and more | Macworld Broken iCloud reminders are the latest reason to delay your iOS 13 upgrade - The Verge This App May Be the Culprit Causing Your Apple Watch's Bat...

This week, Dan and Merlin focus on the new Apple Watch. Links for this episode: New iPhone set up: Transfer data directly to a new iPhone wirelessly, or using a cable Siri on Apple Watch: The ultimate guide | iMore What is a Moonphase? | Complete Guide to Moon Phases on Watches Missing Meridian watch face - Apple Community Brought to you by: Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Square...