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Back to Work

Back to Work is an award winning talk show with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discussing productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more. Hosted by Merlin Mann & Dan Benjamin.

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Here's the Latest Episode from Back to Work:

454: Enough Women Nation
Dec 03, 2019

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

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453: Shoulder the Brunt
Nov 27, 2019

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 control of your own media; some Plex homework for both listeners and your hosts; a brief rant on the downsides and limitations of renting other people's music; Merlin is birthday-gifted with Planty II plus some awesome @pants materials.

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452: Wine is My Travel Drink
Nov 19, 2019

  • 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 suggestion for trying iOS Voice Control
  • finally, in some detail, we return to Synology Corner

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451: I Am Not a Herpetologist
Nov 14, 2019

Our worst episode ever. Enjoy!

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450: Slow-Motion Hypocrisy
Nov 05, 2019

Dan is getting a Synology, Merlin has been making stuff, plus the return of "Cool Things I Learned This Week."

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449: Tom Hardy Blindness
Oct 29, 2019

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 always showing hustle, and why you should always run out first base; Dan's in a jam-up with his internet provider over a seemingly unnecessary piece of harware; further hardware follow-up from Merlin on spreading his wings with his Synology; Dan has a new keyboard he loves; praise for several Logitech products; and, finally, why Merlin just can't quit his MX Master Mouse.

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448: Spaghetti on Spaghetti
Oct 22, 2019

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!

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447: Mating for Life
Oct 17, 2019

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 "hornworms."

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446: Charm Offensive
Oct 08, 2019

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?

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445: Hipster DMV
Oct 01, 2019

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's OS rollouts, changes in Apple retail, and week two with the new Apple Watch.

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444: Seasoned Horologist
Sep 24, 2019

This week, Dan and Merlin focus on the new Apple Watch.

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443: Immediate Electric Smugness
Sep 19, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a cool new voice from talking to friends late last night; Dan has an automotive collision anecdote, while Merlin has thoughts on how preparation fails us in extreme moments; in follow-up, Listener Steve has terrific advice on dealing with bad hotel room technology; your hosts love insider information from pilots and other category pros; Dan ordered a watch, and Merlin is apparently not actually wrecking a plane; the guys respond to listener letters about ages of people in movies, Dan's world-destroying Disney fact (that he can't remember), plus a listener's concern about company password hygiene; and finally, Dan has great news about refreshing an iMac, but less great news about household password hygiene.

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442: Dog Eating Chair Digestion
Sep 10, 2019

Dan and Merlin discuss the upcoming big Apple event and why this one's potentially interesting. Also, dog anecdotes.

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441: Boggle, Boggle!
Sep 03, 2019

  • hurricanes!
  • hyperactivity
  • exposing kids to the canonical films
  • that weird, affected Hollywood accent
  • a name for that time comparison phenomenon
  • making your voice interactions more fun
  • catching up on the Platinum Age of TV
  • dealing with device charging at scale

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440: It's Never Been About the Suit
Aug 27, 2019

Lots of talk about the changing media landscape, plus some odds and sods.

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439: Servant of the Red Badge
Aug 20, 2019

DISCUSSED: finding an actor's age and height; time analogies; Merlin needs help naming two critical phenomena; Dan is dissatisfied with how cars look; could Wolverine get a Caillou tattoo, and would it grow back, hmmmm?; Merlin is getting into plants (no, not sexually); the return of that time when Danny held the license plate; and finally, Merlin has a long stemwinder on an admittedly amorphous topic: the unimpeachable benefits of undoing most of the buttons we've clicked.

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438: The Mashed Potatoes Need You
Aug 13, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a little visitor today. Dan has some thoughts on conference scheduling. This leads to a broader discussion of the sensitivities we may or may not have to other peoples' limitations and constraints. It's nice to meet people.

For some reason, religion, churches, and clergy are discussed. "This is what Peter did say!"

Finally, the guys answer a listener question about working from home. Merlin poses a challenge.

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437: The Credit Section
Aug 06, 2019

Dan and Merlin explore the complexities of personal style. Not personal style as in fashion, but as in preferences, identity, and modes of interaction. How do we let others know how we are?

How do we derive a sense of what works best for us, and why is it such a shameful struggle to effectively communicate that to others? What do AirPods, Snapchat, and Bloomberg Terminals potentially have in common?

And, would it be cool if I just listen to this podcast instead of talking about my blouse and the weather?

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436: Better Than a Lipstick
Jul 30, 2019

DISCUSSED: the admirable candor of B.B. King; the simple joys of the Ordinary Night; movies that are or are not dated and how that affects your enjoyment; how sci-fi seemed to mostly miss the internet; our embarrassment of media options; tech in media and what it means for plot stuff; technology adoption curves are definitely speeding up; doing everything you can not to use your phone as a phone; more generational stuff; how time and context changes our perception; should they take all the smoking out of movies and tv?; remember: you're not making errors—you're adding information; and, finally, Dan has an exciting announcement and a wet notebook.

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435: Scanner of Horizons
Jul 23, 2019

DISCUSSED: kindness; eyeglasses, at length—including eyeglasses indignities, discounts, and injuries; a renewed surfeit of dingalings, fake friends, and a dumb podcast hit piece; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener question on getting stressed about personal quantization.

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434: Grist for an Unnecessary Mill
Jul 16, 2019

Show notes are short this week because Merlin had to go buy contrast paints for his figs.

Main topic is speculating about speculation.

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433: The Muscle of Worry
Jul 02, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan has found a terrific solution for his son's iPad case; on the benefits (and challenges) of getting away from our devices for a while; listener recommendations for YouTube keyboard commands, a book about cities, and some Disney scholarship; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener's question about "circular thoughts."

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432: Fingerspace Pollution
Jun 25, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin is a little hoarse; but what's an actual pony versus an actual little horse?; there's a lot of sadness and housing problems in the Hundred Acre Wood; the challenges of recommending starter media; the further challenges of being a media super-fan; (and how this relates to not seeing The Flintstones and stealing a copy of Fight Club from Blockbuster Video); Florida is hot; may everyone live long enough to feel bad for saying something really stupid on a podcast; is Piglet a small pig or just a pig baby?; Dan needs your help to find Cash a durable iPad case and keyboard solution; Merlin needs your help understanding the logic of keyboard media keys; to Dan, Piglet was always a baby pig; then, there's some follow-up on Disney parks; Dan again threatens to permanently ruin Disney for you, but he promises to clearly bracket it; and, finally, Dan has had it with people stealing flu valor. Just stop it, people.

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431: Costly Branded Waiting
Jun 20, 2019

First and most importantly, Dan is back! Woo!

Second, now, listen: please bear with me, and do not leave. Because, when I say we talked mostly about Disney—and especially Disney properties—it's way more interesting than you'd think. Or, so we hope.

Essentially, Walt Disney World in particular has the control, data, and means to be extremely good at resource management, and that's just fascinating to think about.

There's also some thank-you's, as well as some podcast recommendations, plus a response to a listener's question about choosing to use Apple's native apps.

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430: Shiny Red Cleric
Jun 14, 2019

Dan's away this week, so Merlin tries going it alone.

Topics include lessons from painting D&D minifigs, listener letters, and some recommendations.

Feel better soon Dan; we need you!

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429: A Seer of Trees
Jun 04, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a catastrophic off-by-one-week error; Roderick's June is very triggering to your hosts; sometimes, it's nice to be exposed to stuff you didn't expect, but…; at a certain point in life, you mostly just see trees of inconvenience and risk; this leads to a long (and surprisingly pretty good) meditation on FOMO, acceptance, and not pretending to be a person you never actually were; Dan helps Merlin unpack a scene near his workplace; Merlin gets in the weeds about Roger Deakins, Torquay, and two different Richards Burton; then, there's a brief side trip into the reboot of Nick Fury; and, finally the boys answer listener questions about taking notes in college and feeling resistance to completing tasks.

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428: Prepare for Draculas
May 28, 2019

DISCUSSED: Nobody got enough sleep last night, but they're gonna power through anyhow; your hosts fawn over the amazing Chernobyl miniseries; various hardware mute button options are discussed; Merlin can't draw but is very excited about making pictures on an iPad; Dan is looking forward to seeing more Olyphant; your hosts address a listener's question about their "everyday carry," but honestly mostly end up talking about bags; also, you really need a bag in a bag in a bag; and, finally Merlin has an admittedly privileged aspiration involving keys.

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427: C. Thomas Hobbled
May 21, 2019

DISCUSSED: nasty, brutish, and short sleep; watching TV with a game controller; Dan has to deal with suite concatenation; your hosts crave the expertise of a craftsman; Merlin realizes he and his lady friend see very different forests (spoiler: hers is way better); popcorn ceiling comes in cans; your hosts contrast their views on kipple, sentimentality, and need; Dan struggles to turn off his buttons, and Merlin loves his iPad's Paste button; provisional, anecdotal praise for AT&T's Call Protect service; there's a distinction between long sleep and good sleep; Dan has to stab a prestige TV doppelgänger, and Merlin learns about Night Company; Merlin has recommendations for a Mac automation app, a new David Sparks Field Guide, and a handy new IoT dingus; speculation that smart home adoption truly won't tip until the interactions get less dorky; mobile charging options for travel are debated; everybody needs a Dad Hat; and, finally, with only three days of school left, Dan receives a very concerning email.

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426: New Wave Night
May 14, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan has a new setup, and Merlin randomly recommends a kids' book; your hosts remember too much; Dan realizes he took the wrong shop class, and Merlin realizes why Generation X was (and remains) mostly useless; Dan walks us through his new setup, and the boys talk about the joys of VNC; Merlin is excited about the new "Guard" functionality of the Amazon voice dingus; Ferris Bueller's Day Off is still very good; what is the sound of one Koan falling?; your hosts discuss an article proposing why everything should take 20 minutes; Merlin dives deep on his own longstanding use of this heuristic; this leads to some classic #productivity talk; there's some instamatic camera nostalgia; Dan has a new project, and you should maybe contact him; Once AGAIN!; the glory of Spirited Away is discussed; Dan recommends a good TV show for date night; and, finally, Dan and Merlin admit they'd probably watch basically anything about Watchmen.

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425: Off the Cushion
May 07, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan explains what the photos he sends mean; Merlin encourages Dan to air a beef, and Dan kindly assents; Oh, boy, Windows! My old nemesis…Windows!; the Mac's interoperability glory days were amazing; it really sucks to watch a computer start up and start up and start up; ports confuse Merlin, who is now officially an old; Dan and Merlin talk about a few things they enjoyed watching on YouTube; Merlin has a recommendation for downloading internet videos (purely for educational reasons); Merlin also recommends a really good podcast episode about "data-driven parenting"; then, Merlin kinda pops off a little; hey, listen: you can rarely have benefits without risks (and kinda vice-versa); Dan's watching Deadwood again, and Merlin gets kinda excitable again and does lots of quotes for some reason; and, finally, Merlin has a super-tip about improving your results in Apple Health.

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424: A Roach Riding a Rat
Apr 30, 2019

DISCUSSED: the restorative tonic of a good night's sleep; a return to sleep as video game; it's okay to tweet your hosts about hoagies and Publix; concerns about butt cancer; Dan recommends a Netflix series; Merlin endorses Overcast clips; the difficulty of balancing user requests with reality; Merlin commends the deliberate simplicity of his daughter's spork; Merlin recommends a podcast; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener's email about the therapeutic benefits of "controlling a small area."

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423: It Only Hurts for a Minute
Apr 23, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin get hungry, but they've had it with all the bread; the trough food is so costly; no one is sweating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Marvel-ish movies are discussed, including the new one with Lady Sansa; Merlin is very concerned about aphasias; Dan introduces us to Forbidden Snacks and endorses his new shoe appliance; shoe appliances are then discussed; Dan hasn't had to use his sword…yet; people sure love them some pencils; there was some weather, so the seder got all fakakte; the finer points of Judaism and sundry Hebraica are clarified; Dan got scrolls-on-tape from a sympathetic cantor; Buster Scruggs is recommended; the boys receive a quick surprise visit from the great Tom Waits; and, finally, your hosts talk about a terrific YouTube video about what we can all learn from our worst trainwrecks.

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422: Magic Rub
Apr 16, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan has just started a new pen; there's some pen, pencil, and eraser talk; Dan has an important anecdote about utilizing eraser-based people skills; Dan's iMac is working fine, but he's concerned about the poofs coming out of the balloon blower; Dan saw Venom and has some thoughts; Merlin commends a comic and a podcast and an app launcher; the evolution of computer interaction has rewired our brains; why do they have to make the print so small?; Merlin has songs in his head; and, finally, Merlin apologizes to Nick Fury.

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421: Black Dress Cowboy Boots
Apr 09, 2019

DISCUSSED: What we talk about when we talk about optimism; the power of "Act as Though"; on edibles; a YouTube recommendation, then more YouTube recommendations; how even do we tell YouTube what we never want to see again? HOW?!; the difficulty of sensible algorithms; the fascinating concept of "pareidolia"; Professor Shoelaces's extensive metatags; your hosts answer a listener's question about when to go physical versus when to go digital.

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420: Baby Thorin
Apr 03, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin is back on his old cans; Dan is pivoting to video; Cash stepped in paint, and kids are terrible storytellers; a book recommendation; a case for the Oxford comma, please and thank you; Dan starts asking for help with his new iMac; gross nickel–and-diming by Apple; praise for Southwest Airlines; Dan (finally) gets to finish asking for help with his new iMac; a cool new open source Mac video app; the Mac laptop keyboard problems ain't going away; Dan really likes Final Cut; Merlin fights with UPS, both on principle and as a game; Merlin thinks Dan's egg cooker rules.

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419: The Elephant in the Sword
Mar 26, 2019

DISCUSSED: allergy attack!; big anniversary today; elegy for Two Cats Comics; some D&D talk; Dan got a sword!; yet more D&D talk; key commands for line-moving; Dan got his YouTube URL back; a Theranos book recommendation; Dan almost got cast in a TV show; some observations and reckons about Apple's big Services event.

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418: This Man…This Monster!
Mar 19, 2019

DISCUSSED: Top o' the Morling!; praise for the home release of Spider-Verse; Dan and Merlin offer some more TV recommendations; Merlin endorses an excellent "turns out" podcast; a deep dive on slow-rise squishes and related stress toys; Merlin wears his childhood privilege on his sleeve.

Finally, the guys answer an excellent listener question about the complex work of maintaining a household with someone you love.

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417: Fish Bishop
Mar 12, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin is trying some new things and probably needs to adjust his DIP switches; audio equipment is discussed; remembering Hal Blaine; German words; fish dropsy; dining at Alamo Draft House; kids and crafts; follow-up on Power Puttering; recommending a Siracusa anecdote; recommending a philosophy podcast; recommending several cool products; some strong (if muddled) thoughts on the Michael Jackson documentary.

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416: A Squishy for the Ages
Mar 05, 2019

DISCUSSED: Merlin is living the Domino lifestyle; R.I.P. Two Cats Comics; praise for iA Writer; Merlin needs help with his sudden Gmail spam; a meditation on comics as some awesome fun and an ugly damned business; nostalgia for hobby shops and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks; and finally Merlin reintroduces the concept of "Power Puttering."

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415: Fifty and Monogamous
Feb 26, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan has an awesome new video; Spider-Verse is out!; Merlin's dorky Segway is discussed; app recommendations for a clean new Gmail and an even-smarter Dark Sky; Dan spills the beans on his new sound bar setup; TV selection and purchase is a known thistle; idiot trolls hassle poor Carol Danvers; Dan has an important new egg technology; and, finally, the boys fret about Apple's new 2FA requirements a little.

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414: Inheritance of Pain
Feb 19, 2019

Mostly one big topic: screen time.

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413: Bumbleditch Cumperdam
Feb 12, 2019

DISCUSSED: It's the optimistic day, but Merlin really screwed up an edit; there's some Inside Baseball about how podcasts get made; it's nice to have someone notice the shaving cream on your jowl; movie ratings are explored; why all the bosoms in 80s movies?; Dan wonders if he should have approached a celebrity; Merlin introduces further thought technologies for not being a creep with a famous person; the paucity of public experiences; Dan talks about Austin's mussel water; we learn about the prevalence of weevils; meth sourcing; a nice note from a listener about when podcasts are absolutely not evil; and, finally, a desperate plea for podcast platforms to stay independent and open please please pretty please.

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412: A Hobo in a Cartoon
Feb 05, 2019

DISCUSSED: Gong Hei Fat Choy!; follow-up on the FaceTime bug and the complexity of getting bug and security reports from normals; the weirdness of bug-finders demanding a bounty; Merlin is fascinated to learn about "combinatorial explosion" and how it helps to explain why power-cycling fixes stuff; why you should always blow the dust out of the plug; recent examples of how restarting just fixes stuff; Merlin logs out of email apps and recommends an iOS calendar app; a case for killing OAuth where you don't need it; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener question about whether podcasts can be "evil."

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411: It's Not Butt
Jan 29, 2019

DISCUSSED: Dan's fighting his computer and explores font corruption; Merlin hates pebbles in his shoe; Dan has an anecdote about massages; Merlin has an anecdote about the FaceTime exploit; this leads to discussion about how big companies deal with huge-scale, unexpected problems; some thoughts on The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect; the problem with journalism about stuff we actually know about; remembering Michael Crichton; Heartbeeps!; a clever way to reduce damage from careless delivery; is there a new Browser War underway?; and answering a question from Listener Stephen about life after Editorial.

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410: The Childhood Cocktail
Jan 22, 2019

DISCUSSED: dreams and whether people like hearing them; turns out: Merlin recommends a podcast episode about mental stuff; practice vs. rehearsal; visualization as a rehearsal thing; follow-up on science fair projects; our new, post-search-engine habits; Math is hard; Merlin didn't get Anna's emails; cool screen-grabbing mojo; and Dan reviews excellent listener book recommendations.

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409: He Says Hard
Jan 15, 2019

DISCUSSED: moisture; kids and watches; some recent media consumption; encouraging kids to have good taste; memories of watching VHS movies in school; follow-up on Dan's new keyboard experiment; Drobo concerns; thinking about modern backup and, gosh, how that's evolved; frustrating typos; Dan and Merlin have iOS concerns; Dan has further thoughts on Bandersnatch.

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408: The Pwn Key
Jan 08, 2019

DISCUSSED: Optimistic Tuesdays; office cleanup; a grave bleach mishap; follow-up on Wirecutter; a listener suggestion on, of all things, acupressure; Dan loves his cool new keyboard, but has a big caveat; Merlin is working with magnets; on "Hardware Disease"; request for Riordan-style book recommendations; exciting follow-up on the Burger Decay Project; plus, some closing thoughts on Apple's recent results dustup and what it might suggest about near-future tech trends.

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407: The Wad-Shooter Option
Jan 03, 2019

DISCUSSED: "Rabbit Rabbit!"; partial shutdown and the toilet problems it creates; updates on options for Bluetooth keyboards; some extremely random and anecdotal reckoning about the recent Big Apple News; your hosts' beef with Wirecutter; some odds and sods recommendations and cool life hacks.

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406: Peak Burger Decay
Dec 24, 2018

It's the most wonderful time of the year, so the boys answer listener mail and get a little silly.

Happy Holidays, jackals.

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405: Can You Feed Coke to Rocks?
Dec 18, 2018

Discussed: the harsh mistress of holidays, Hanukah presents, Cash's cool gift, the joys of good UX, some excellent very good recommendations, an exciting Science experiment involving hamburgers, kids are terrible at writing things down, things that changed Merlin's game, and some excellent follow-up on how we recognize number patterns.

Happy Holidays, you jackals.

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404: Very Advanced Camping
Dec 11, 2018

Discussed: Merlin worries that Dan is getting ground down; web sites are getting very thirsty; Dan thinks it's like pads in football; Dan has updates and more thoughts about doing development work on an iPad; Merlin thinks we should talk more about which devices we choose for doing which things; the boys also have some recommendations.

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403: It's Just a Salad
Dec 04, 2018

Discussed: Why Tuesday is the optimistic day; pourover coffee for Dan's wife; confirm shaming; updates on iPad keyboards and covers; approximately annual history of "Bawk Bawk!"; some thoughts on Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart; kids and learning Programming; the things that are difficult to teach anyone.

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402: Watches & Barbecue
Nov 27, 2018

Discussed: Thanksgiving; spatchcock chicken; kids and their stupid eating; Dan's concern about how we talk to each other; Merlin encourages people to try not to be terrible.

Also, some odds and sods on iPad Pro updates, and thanks to our nice listeners.

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401: Carrier Fluid
Nov 20, 2018

Discussed this week: Dan's MOSH setup on iPad; Dan's new NEW iPad; ease of setup on iOS; some iOS photo editing app recommendations; two things Merlin learned this week; and a little rant about how everybody apparently already knows everything.

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400: In The Penal Colony
Nov 12, 2018

Dan and Merlin talk about their first week using the new iPad Pro.

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399: Blue Whale Salt
Nov 06, 2018

Discussed this week: coffee water, voting, inertia, new iPads on the way, difficult buying decisions, returning merchandise (as a thing), some TV suggestions, Dan's new ODROID, 80s video game nostalgia, asking for your iPad-at-work input, plus seeking suggestions for apps for new joggers.

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398: So Much Unnecessary Beauty
Oct 30, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's Fall event in Brooklyn today. They liked the event.

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397: My Manager is Water
Oct 23, 2018

Discussed: nailing it, the optimistic valence of Tuesdays, difficulties finding replacement parts on Amazon, headphone preferences, Alexa's service outage and new whisper mode, Austin's big water crisis and what it says about epistemology, reason, and society, plus 20 years of The Big Lebowski.

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396: Bean in the Sleeve
Oct 16, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the FitBit Charge 3 and where it fits into their worlds—as well its place in the larger tracker and smart watch ecosystems.

Excursions also include: BroBot, weather stations, weather apps, some TV and movie talk, some space talk, plus children's failures to understand how time basically works.

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395: My Sleeves are Dynamic
Oct 09, 2018

Discussed: the tyranny of earliness, the benefits of timeliness, an interesting horology episode about Apple Watch, more watch talk, a blog recommendation, a quick look at Merlin's new FitBit, an update on home WiFi options, Merlin raps a little, Dan gets wired for Ethernet, what we'd like so see in an updated Mac Mini, some listener followup on Bear export and (deliberately) slow interfaces, considering oneself touch-ed, skeuomorphic sounds, and various Florida wildlife encounters.

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394: Dead or Angry
Oct 02, 2018

This week: some TV and movie stuff, Dark Mode and accessibility, OS stability and beta temptation, Merlin has an anecdote, the powers and frustrations of Siri via Apple Watch, updates to the Fitbit family, tech that does enough, Dan tried Bear, updates on the Chrome login thing, and an intriguing listener comment about Apple's ASP/inch3.

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393: Legacy Meat Stuff
Sep 25, 2018

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 the future of Macs might be and why they feel how they do (hint: they are both kind of old).

They also both want to know what the heck is going on with Chrome, and Dan pitches a movie.

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392: Gentleman's Calling
Sep 18, 2018

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.

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391: The September Issue
Sep 11, 2018

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.

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    MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, Do By Friday, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invites you to drop by Two Cats Comics on the evening of Thursday, September 27th to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
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390: A Festive Merry-Go-Round for the Very Lonely
Sep 04, 2018

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.

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389: Butt Baking
Aug 28, 2018

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.

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388: Defcon Water
Aug 21, 2018

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.

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387: Deploy the Dongle
Aug 17, 2018

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.

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386: Cherry Brown
Aug 07, 2018

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 good belt, Dan gets a creepy email, Merlin did NOT forget something, Cash gets more cool stuff, and Merlin recommends a Zelda tome.

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385: A Picture of a Clown
Jul 31, 2018

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 future after college.

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384: Cosmic Jazz Hands
Jul 24, 2018

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, and Dan drops a Science Corner about heat versus temperature. Also: Star Trek.

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383: Funding the Unicorn
Jul 10, 2018

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; and, Merlin has a summer project for you to try.

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382: Bad Tech Dad
Jul 03, 2018

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.

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381: Sandwich Doctor
Jun 26, 2018

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.

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380: Chung Chung Machine
Jun 12, 2018

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.

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379: Permanent Hole
Jun 05, 2018

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.

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378: A Hong Kong Phooey Situation
May 29, 2018

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.

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377: Packs a Lot of Lux
May 22, 2018

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 usability, eero's new "Labs," updates to Spark, a new light therapy lamp, and some suggestions on getting a FitBit.

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376: Alexa, Light It Up!
May 15, 2018

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.

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375: Night Punching
May 08, 2018

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."

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374: Pouchboy
May 01, 2018

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 finding a mentor and knowing if it's time to move on from a job.

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373: Red Cheekums
Apr 24, 2018

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 kills it on eBay.

Merlin is very excited about Fantastic Four coming back and has some potential warnings about the new Wes Anderson film. Spoilers: there's nothing weak about knowing what freaks you out.

Also, the boys discuss why Merlin changed his mic setup. Which is fascinating.

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372: Hole That Rabbit
Apr 17, 2018

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.

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371: Avocado People
Apr 10, 2018

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 employee's use of social media. Lot of levels!

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370: King Jeremy the Wicked
Apr 03, 2018

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 manage more experienced developers.

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369: Comic Blood
Mar 27, 2018

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.

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368: Call the Mouse Guy
Mar 20, 2018

This week, your hosts discuss Steely Dan, digital mastering, The Police, Dune, high-quality VCRs, and Dan's brother-in-law's close call.

Next, they dive into a fascinating article on why projects fail.

Finally, the boys respond to a listener's question about cautious workplace enthusiasm.

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367: A Favorite Child
Mar 13, 2018

This week, your hosts talk about some stuff they're doing, loving Spotify, some Echo podcast-listening tips, the attraction of Google Drive, some thoughts on backup strategies, getting swole, the joys of rock tumbler ownership, scary times in Austin, weird iMac problems, some more thoughts on backup strategies, Merlin's obsession with drumming videos, and yet more Apple TV foibles.

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366: Five Sides of the Street
Mar 06, 2018

This week, your hosts talk about using Windows, technology modalities, making sane decisions as a developer, reality TV, 20th anniversary of The Dude, Merlin's new fondness for Spotify, analyzing takes on the HomePod, options for high-quality in smart speakers, dealing with recurring financial (and psychological) eels, competitive heat in the smart home ecosystem, Canadians, and the name of Scotland Yard. They also answer a listener question about feeling overwhelmed by content options.

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365: Volume Eight
Feb 27, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about weather as a thing and giving up on Cash's dumb iPad problem. This leads to discussion about the risks, opportunities, and frustrations of having lots of data in different places (probably).

The main topic this week is an exploration of TickTick. Neat app.

They also almost talk about Black Panther.

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364: The New Fudge
Feb 20, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk a little too much about Harry Potter, but also manage to cover some other media properties as well as the shockingly limited options for British casting. Dan has a new task management app, and Merlin decides to give it a spin too. The need for help from the jackals who make Cash's iPad app is escalated.

In a somewhat classic style, the conversation moves to considering Big Issues around work, friction, modality, usability, and apps for pound-sign productivity.

Twitter, its apps, and its perplexing (lack of?) company direction are discussed. Merlin has something like a razor for this.

Dan is told that he is upset.

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363: She's My Horcrux
Feb 13, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about lots of recent experiences with the weird and often-frustrating world of streaming TV. What a mess.

There's also some discussion of sauna suits, The Eagles, Mummers, and Dan's victorious t-shirt.

Also, Dan needs your help with solving a terrible problem with one of Cash's iPad games.

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362: A Yuck and a Yum
Feb 06, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the Eagles' big win, what constitutes a catch, Dan's cool new shirt, Merlin's surprisingly positive interactions with Kabletown, the seeming magic of Movies Anywhere, some recent TV recommendations, and a great listener tip for using Nuzzel.

Your hosts also respond to Listener Daniel's question about new job responsibilities making him feel like an impostor.

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361: Caveman Arithmetic
Jan 30, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about crazy kids' homework, Dan's exciting nerd field trips in the Bay Area, the magic of PIXAR, a handy Netflix companion site, and using Siri on Apple TV.

Things get a little heated during a discussion about all the weirdly fawning coverage of HomePod—and whether or when Apple's new speaker dingus might find a place in your hosts' lives.

Recommendations include a podcast with Hawkeye Pierce, an excellent boiled eggs recipe, and some cool TED-Ed videos.

Your hosts respond to listener feedback about bitter Nintendo cartridges and field an interesting question about creating consumer-friendly tech support.

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360: I Haven't Lost My Knife
Jan 24, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk a lot about writing and respond to feedback from listeners.

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359: You Can't See Inside the Dog
Jan 16, 2018

This week, Dan has some weather, Cash makes a battery, homework can be a silly drag, management is about scalability and quantification, how to figure out how much you have to do, 80s movies can be problematic, ultracrepidarianism, making fish wanna get nasty, and you gotta give people ONE suggestion.

Great listener feedback on the evolution of pro kitchens, real-life risk aversion, and a terrific use of Echo's drop-in functionality.

Also, the possibilities and shortcomings of Machine Learning are discussed.

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358: Dumb Ohio Mouth
Jan 09, 2018

This week, your hosts cover some odds and sods, share some recommendations, design some fantasy podcast apps, and introduce an exciting new feature involving the Internet Science Site.

They also respond to a listener's thorny question about dealing with negative chatter in the workplace.

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357: Scrolling Carousel of Pain
Jan 02, 2018

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why they're trending, an exciting update on the Mr. Robot ATV bug, the frustrating opacity of using Apple's stuff, Dan's love for Nintendo Switch, nostalgia for NASA, Merlin's love for the Amazon Spot, the problem of fish food and regret, updates on your hosts' sleep technologies, possible solutions for killing spam on iPhone, and some more thoughts on dealing with Netflix's filtering, ratings, and…jeez kinda just everything about their dingaling interface.

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356: Politics or Gender or Iron Man
Dec 29, 2017

The boys wrap up a big year—a huge year—with an unintentionally thematic episode about feelings, expectations, nostalgia, and the black boxes of life, technological and otherwise.

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355: Eleven Dollars and a Bottle of Yoo-hoo
Dec 19, 2017

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about keyboard preferences (and their noises), Merlin catching Dan's weird "Mr. Robot" bug on Apple TV, feedback about "inside jokes," exclusion as a weapon, more good Robert Wright interviews, a deepish dive on Netflix personalization techniques (alongside some speculation on how well it's working), platforms and technologies as lobster traps, the problem with cartoons about screaming, how much kids love YouTube, the challenge of partnering with podcast middlepersons, a new Netflix show Dan likes, possibilities for new Marvel properties, and listener feedback on the potential benefits of using work tools you don't prefer.

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354: One Whale
Dec 12, 2017

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about (partial) resolution to Dan's Apple TV bug, some venting about delivery problems, general complaining about customer service, a good TV podcast episode, a very good Buddhism podcast episode, some excellent Buddhism talk, listener follow-up on Dan's strange video mail package, shakeups and wild innovation in the TV bidness, that creepy/mean Netflix tweet, and a listener's question about whether the tech requirements at a promising new job should be a deal-breaker.

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353: Superagency
Dec 05, 2017

This week, Dan and Merlin discuss theories on Dan's Mr. Robot/Apple TV bug, living in an opinion bubble, an update on flu shot efficacy, Dan's recent insane mail delivery, speculation on how giant ad buys work, consternation about memory-holed media.

Your hosts respond to a listener's question about the difficulty of choosing a career path that wasn't what you'd expected.

Merlin also explains his shaving strategy.

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352: Get Away From My Formular!
Dec 01, 2017

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about…so many things. Merlin had a lot of coffee.

Big topics include:

  • Flickr nostalgia (and smart photo backup tips)
  • Dan's crazy Apple TV bug
  • A terrific podcast episode about Buddhism and the human mind
  • A tough listener question about gracefully leaving a job

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351: Your Chest Is a Tunnel
Nov 21, 2017

This week, your hosts discuss: holiday disruptions, life patterns, the joys of regularity, discovering unnecessary existential vulnerabilities, scheduling as a video game, getting your head around sous vide cooking, modern kids' arithmetic, CBD dosage stuff, using the Sway app, meditation for improving attention management, dealing with the character who speaks your internal voice, some hot tips on starting meditation, a historical video series Merlin's family likes, a quest for a typeface, nostalgia for teeny tiny fonts, a listener question about how to end a conference call, a recommendation for Netflix's The Punisher, and some angry attempts to conceal ma' secret formular.

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350: Stacking Stones and Inspiration
Nov 14, 2017

TOPIC: Integrity and Fear.

This week your hosts discuss: sandwiches, solar power, some recent movies and what makes them memorable (or not), the glory of Edgar Wright, fun movie commentaries, Dan's rowing machine, big changes for Chairman Bendis, a cool free font from IBM, awesome creativity from a listener, some thoughts on apps for meditation and relaxation (and the important distinction between those things), the downside of Competitive Mindfulness and similar, some excellent feedback on last week's episode, the fear of integrity loss, Dan's trip to NYC, follow-up on resetting an iPhone, and the fine art of computer troubleshooting.

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349: The Kid Who Never Won Anything
Nov 07, 2017

TOPIC: Trials, Trophies, and Trying Harder.

This week, the boys arrive from either the past or future to talk about Dan's spoon problem, the refuse racket, the slog of incremental improvement, the perils of black and white thinking, folding paper seven times, and Dan’s mad cart-riding skills.

This leads to this week’s main topic: an epic exploration of success and failure. No spoilers, but this is a good one.

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348: Optionitis
Oct 31, 2017

Dan and Merlin talk about Halloween, the Chromebook, Apple, WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), and hair removal.

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347: Beast Coast
Oct 24, 2017

TOPIC: Too much ambiguity in time.

This week, your hosts discuss hot weather adjustments, Merlin's Skype woes, the state of the union on Skype replacement contenders, ruminations on Mac troubleshooting, the fraught future of retail comic book stores, a side rant on the really dumb economics of the comics industry, hobby shop nostalgia, lobby bell techniques and triangle mounting options, some great tips for pressing things on iOS Safari, the joys of Safari Reader mode, Chrome vs. Safari, changing our browser habits, and Dan's weird screen problem.

Then, Merlin just goes freaking OFF on the problems with how we talk about time.

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346: Disagreement of the Genders
Oct 23, 2017

TOPIC: Turns out.

This week, the boys talk about audio problems, hot dogs, kegeling, Merlin's next meet-up, Tsum Tsums, comic suggestions, Battle of the Sexes, excellent recent TV series, All the President's Men, the app Pacifica, warming buns, Dan's encounter with Koo Koo Kanga Roo, a dearth of good information about VPNs (yikes!), levels of "Turns Out," a podcast episode about gluten, and hot phones with possibly low batteries.

In a very surprising "turns out," Dan has a surprising call that leads to a very interesting experience with a hardware device. Dan really wants macOS on an iPad. Don't at him.

There's also some fruitful if fraught discussion about habit-building. Merlin is not a fan of "The Countdown."

Dan is attacked by a sky spider and might have to move now.

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345: Chow Mein Hour
Oct 10, 2017

TOPIC: Surface Tension.

This week, Dan and Merlin discuss names of cities in Florida, wireless neckbands, elliptical bikes, chore systems (and parental withholding), iOS battery life, canny Mac laptop battery monitoring, how battery cycles work, Todd, and things you already know (unless you don't already know them).

Two pretty good YouTube channels are recommended.

Your hosts talk about that weird thing where iOS throws up a password pop-up, including some recent bad news on how it might be exploited. Gross.

There's also some exciting news about possible Brand Synergies.

Things wrap with responding to listener questions about smart home location woes and choosing a VPN.

Murrrrrrph!

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344: The Microwave Moment
Oct 03, 2017

TOPIC: You're not supposed to pet the car.

This week, Dan and Merlin discuss Nest Cam updates, Ring doorbell tracking, Echo family additions, HDMI questions, the fraught landscape of 4K HDR TV stuff, and how shopping makes Merlin feel kind of vulnerable.

Two excellent music podcasts are recommended.

Dan has a new MacBook Pro and a lot to say about it.

Merlin introduces something he calls "Power Puttering."

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343: Lo Sierra Mucho
Sep 26, 2017

TOPIC: Publix Hustle

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about grocery store promotions, transactional help, the racket of school photos, Occam's Razor for public schools, Time Machine troubleshooting, the scourge of The Crackle, and BMO the salesman.

The boys help a lot of people by responding to listener questions about the state of Siri, making friends after college, and the seeking of universal truth.

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342: Ultraman Scenario
Sep 19, 2017

After some Followup and Front Matter, your hosts dive into iOS 11. (Spoilers: it's really good.)

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341: Rich Boy Phone
Sep 12, 2017

This week, Dan and Merlin convene to talk about today's big Apple event.

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340: It's-a Me, Dan!
Sep 05, 2017

This week, Dan has useful updates on Windows backup options and answers questions about building a Hackintosh. Both of your hosts extoll the virtues of their new Apple TV remote case dinguses.

The big topic this week is Nintendo Switch, and Dan has a lot of great stuff to share about his family's first weekend with their new console. (Spoiler: everybody likes it!)

Your hosts respond to listener questions about iOS wishlist items and how to freshen up a moribund OmniFocus setup.

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339: True Love Weighs
Aug 29, 2017

TOPIC: Don't provoke Dan.

This week, Dan and Merlin (once again) complain about what works and what just kiiiinda works with smart devices. Who's winning the voice control game, and who's struggling to play catchup? Ecosystems!

Next up, the boys talk about some surprisingly handy and useful cases for that befuddling Apple TV remote. Also, Dan needs your help to back up Cash's Windows box. Merlin has an important request, too.

Also provided are scientific updates on how much a scale weighs.

Finally, Merlin offers a whole goddamned book's worth of awesome productivity advice via a cheap notebook and five (5) daily bullet points.

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338: Ambush Site
Aug 22, 2017

TOPIC: It's like elevator buttons.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk a lot about komodo dragons. Also, homework sucks, seed codes rule, and @Movesapp drools.

How do we get so scared about things? How cool did flying used to be?

Your hosts respond to listener questions about the state of self-tracking, and the scourge of extraneous device notifications.

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337: Cognitive Bottleneck
Aug 18, 2017

TOPIC: How do you know when you're legitimately overwhelmed?

This episode, your hosts catch up on Florida, schedule and sleep consistency, ladders vs. walls, travel mania, and the fraught landscape of personal device security.

Your hosts respond to listener feedback and questions regarding feeling overwhelmed and dealing with dumb clocks.

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336: Town Centre Plaza Spot
Aug 18, 2017

TOPIC: Keep your hand away from the giant's mouth!

This week, Dan and Merlin look back on summer and forward to the new school year. Also, some excellent ad hoc Business Analysis about the past and future of malls and other retail outposts.

Your hosts respond to listener feedback and questions regarding domain name speculation and options for tracking multiple currencies

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335: Personal Assistant to Darius
Aug 01, 2017

TOPIC: Start treating yourself like a dummy today.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about iOS 11, the trade-offs of running betas, and waking up to how we're using devices differently. Merlin has thoughts on the usefulness of the will to live.

Dan has a new approach to dealing with PR pitches, and the boys undertake an exciting new social experiment.

Your hosts answer listener questions about the mechanics of calendar scheduling and best practices for building new habits.

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334: The Little White One
Jul 25, 2017

TOPIC: Mapping Your Focus and Motivation

This week, Dan talks about a cool new addition to his Fireside.fm service, and Merlin interviews him about how he likes to choose, plan, and evolve the features of an app.

Two questions this week, both from Listener Jonathan.

First, your hosts address the era of Peak TV, including how they choose their TV services and how they recommend narrowing in on finding the best stuff to watch (and when).

Next, the evergreen topic of calendars and todos returns. How do you decide what goes where? And how do combine focus and motivation to derive a functional map of your time terrain?

Dan considers acquiring a house mammal.

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333: Your Whiteboards Will Not Survive Reality
Jul 18, 2017

TOPIC: Help! My bosses are doing a really dumb thing!

This week, Dan and Merlin help a listener and his youngster get started with Spider-Man. Also, hey, support your Local Comic Shop!

Listener Molly asks how to help prevent a terrible, damaging change from happening inside her company.

Dan talks about War for the Planet of the Apes, and Merlin knows when to exit on a good bit.

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332: Piggybacking on Anger
Jul 11, 2017

TOPIC: Making the spice flow.

This week, Dan and Merlin dive into the thriving ecosystem of Florida's ad hoc roofing and lawn care professionals. Merlin gets The Boeing Contract, and Dan leaves a check under the mat.

Your hosts admit they don't really understand the big kerfuffle over 1Password, but they admit to feeling the pain of being an indie developer today. Dan just wants the beef ribs he'd been promised.

Around 1:19:30, the spoiler horn fires off for a squee-filled celebration of Spider-Man: Homecoming. (Seriously. Just go see this movie.)

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331: Hidden in Wigs
Jul 07, 2017

TOPIC: Time Tetris in Difficult Mode

This week, Dan and Merlin do a VERY deep dive on one listener's question about life with an excruciating shared Google Calendar. Merlin, unsurprisingly, has a lot to say about this. No. Like, really. A lot a lot.

Other topics include Food Lion bleach meat, God's only sandwich, Adventure Time Mashup Pack (Finally!), Agape love, and, importantly, "What’s Happening To Sleep Train?"

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330: Frowny Face for You
Jun 27, 2017

TOPIC: Drawing effective water.

In this week's tight and bright episode, Dan and Merlin do dome followup on food bars and CBD oil, then discuss how to get better at letting people just enjoy what they like.

In this week's main topic, your hosts address how to think more productively (and more realistically) about what you need from a task management app.

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329: Stop all the OTUS
Jun 20, 2017

TOPIC: Thirty cable boxes.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about beloved late night talk shows, Planet of the Apes, and the future of TV. Dan introduces his new thought technology about "Protoforms."

Your hosts also respond to listener questions about using Chromecasts and how to start the day.

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328: Donkey in a Biscuit
Jun 13, 2017

TOPIC: Asterisks and Question Marks.

This week, Dan and Merlin cover corgis (and other pets), asking for lettuce wraps, high-floor sandwiches, bread in a tube, John Wick (no spoilers), and the wonderful comic infographics of Kate Willaert.

There is some ecosystem talk regarding ride sharing statistics and Apple's announced addition of podcast listening analytics. How many bits of identifying information are you sending?

Your hosts answer Listener Tim's question about when to accept that you can't do everything and should just let go of old project ideas.

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327: Slightly Semitic Bird
Jun 06, 2017

TOPIC: She was only 15 years old!

This week kicks off with some thoughts on yesterday's WWDC Keynote and some potentially promising signs for Apple's future.

Dan declares YouTube videos from The Trip to be the greatest thing Merlin has ever shown him, and he is correct. Merlin is infatuated with Nebo.

Then, the boys answer listener questions about calendars, GTD and Buddhism, and how to choose a browser.

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326: The Ronald McDonald of Feeds
May 30, 2017

TOPIC: "The results have been increbidle."

This week, Dan and Merlin opine about various Apple feelings and wondering where the heck things are going. Merlin is sanguine.

Merlin is mad at KFC, and Dan reminds us how great 1974 was for movies.

Finally, your hosts respond to listener feedback.

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325: The Real Celebrity Chefs of the Hollywood Hills
May 23, 2017

TOPIC: Again with the motivation.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about what motivates the companies who make set-top boxes vs. the providers of the content for those dinguses. What attracts fans to a given platform, and why are we getting so resistant to straight-up buying movies and TV shows? ("I learned it by watching you!")

In listener feedback, your hosts examine whether and how various apps and services can be deployed in the service of building better habits.

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324: Delivery Status Not Updated
May 16, 2017

TOPIC: Odds 'N Sods

In this sprawling "odds 'n sods" episode, Dan and Merlin discuss: superheroes, scary movie trailers, (yes, more) egregious package delivery drama, customer service Buddhism, some excellent kids books, updates on the pretty good Hulu Live TV service, commercials for prescription drugs, politics and blood pressure, the joys of Nuzzel.com, auditing your online authorizations, why Meh.com are jackals, spray-on hair, delivery tracking services, and, yes, some deep updates on emails pitching visits from guests.

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323: A Horse Named Chili
May 09, 2017

TOPIC: Lady in a tube.

This week, Dan and Merlin unexpectedly end up doing a pretty deep dive on Amazon voice products and the evolving ecosystem around them. Which is way more interesting than it sounds.

Deep dive.

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322: The Passive Voice of Water
May 03, 2017

TOPIC: Curiosity before fear.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the experience of Apple stores and repairs, The Handmaid's Tale, Dan's invertebrate-sensing skills, and some follow-up on "look left, go left."

Listener Molly asks about how to become a morning person, and Listener Lance wants help with the anxiety of moving someplace new.

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321: Need Some Velocity
Apr 27, 2017

TOPIC: Velocity!

This week Dan and Merlin talk about lice, Kenny Rogers, strange memory phenomena, an intriguing new oil, and popcorn nugs pricing.

A question from Listener Ben leads to suggestions for finding velocity.

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320: Log Cabin Portal
Apr 25, 2017

TOPIC: Triangles Everywhere!

This week, Dan and Merlin shuck and/or jive about stealing, Publix, airlines, driver’s ed, douchebagerié, Twitter bots, and more.

Main topic this week is a question from Listener Brian about project management. Merlin expounds at length at this dark art and what it can teach us about life.

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319: Contract with the Universe
Apr 11, 2017

TOPIC: Oh my GOD, this is torture.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about—amongst other odds and sods— the Mean FedEx Guy, the weird future of gig economies, and Adventure Time.

Then, there's some handy tips on how to leverage iOS Accessibility settings for a better and more efficient experience on your device.

Listener Michelle writes in to ask about dealing with colleagues who use the hallway as an ad hoc one-on-one meeting. What strategies can we employ to be civil and collegial about careless interruptions without lowering our standards or losing our minds?

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318: Emotional Goggles
Apr 05, 2017

After some brief shucky-jivey, the boys resign themselves to discussing the big Apple announcement. They ponder why and how the message was delivered in the way it was as well as what it means. Dan has thoughts on modularization and Merlin reveals a new unified field theory.

Then, yay, lots more responses to excellent questions from listeners.

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317: Zero Gun Salute
Mar 31, 2017

After some very important follow-up, and more than a little shucking and jiving, your hosts answer questions from listeners.

This is a good one!

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316: Corona MacGuffin
Mar 21, 2017

This week, Dan and Merlin have one of their beloved "odds and sods" episodes. Something for everyone in this diverse and bewildering episode.

"Same day delivery!"

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315: The Nakamichi Deal
Mar 14, 2017

TOPIC: "Delivery Attempted."

This week, Merlin struggles with his coffee-making options, and Dan recalls his days of fishing lures. USPS deliveries, several TV shows, and Wolverine's disturbing bone claws are also discussed.

Listener Jackson writes in to ask about dealing with failings of self-discipline.

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314: Which Fellini You Want to Be
Mar 07, 2017

TOPIC: "Remember this film is supposed to be a comedy."

This week: Dan struggles with his progressive lenses, but he really liked the movie, Logan. Merlin's daughter has made four piles, and he finally accepts that he really should be watching more movies for his "work." Then, there's follow-up on that crazy S3 typo and some pretty poor Oscars® OPSEC.

Then we're on to answering listener feedback via two futurist hats and a parenting hat:

  • Listener Andrew, on self-driving cars and the mainstreaming of ponderous tech punditry.
  • Listener Jason, on whether a future of voice computing will become a sociopathic blight.
  • Listener Mark, on where the heck to find reasonable resources on better parenting.

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313: Parents, Old People, and Perverts
Feb 28, 2017

TOPIC: You can't perfect life.

This week opens with the carnage of today's Amazon S3 problems and why so much of the internet seems broken. A brief history of outage monitoring is provided and a praxis for improving the process is proposed.

Dan and Merlin debate what can be learned from how kids and other non-olds use technology "wrong." Should they be learning from us or should we be learning from them?

This leads to some deeper ruminations on how we can choose to get better at doubting our own perceptions and correcting our own weird thinking. The future still isn't here yet—and that's kinda what makes it the future.

After some discussion of mental health and creativity, the show pivots into yet more discussion of emerging technology, and how it consistently scares the crap out of people until…it just doesn't.

Dan and Merlin wrap by answering a listener's question about whether it's better to be good at writing or at speaking.

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312: Snake Eating Its Own Goodwill
Feb 21, 2017

TOPIC: You're living in the future!

This week, Merlin is in a bit of a tizzy as he tries to make coffee, redo his ads, and change his productivity system at the same time. Todoist and the evolving landscape of task apps are discussed. Dan likes Trello and Merlin likes tearing everything down and maybe just starting over.

iPhone call ID and blocking apps get the treatment and Merlin has some recommendations.

Dan has some questions about comics, and the boys reminisce about The Simpsons. As you do.

Things get a little dark as your hosts look at deploying web ad (and tracker) blocking as survival and safety OPSEC.

This leads to the donning of Futurist Hats and some subsequent speculation about the unfathomable things we might expect from our devices in the coming years.

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311: A Fair Eight
Feb 14, 2017

TOPIC: Alice hopes to hear from you.

This week's episode is packed—literally, packed—with useful tips, tricks, and even a crazy challenge.

Psyching yourself into falling asleep, learning how to breathe, using your iPhone's secret trackpad, and a gauntlet thrown (or maybe dropped?) to make yourself do everything with your voice for a day.

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310: Nominally Mine
Feb 07, 2017

TOPIC: My place is here—I fight with you!

This week, Dan and Merlin cover a meetup announcement, Merlin's Les Mis obsession, Dan's new Hackintosh Method, and the Benjamin Family's slippery bar problem. Merlin advocates for "The Tiny Life Improvement Project." Pens and pencils are recommended, desks are discussed, and LBJ speaks out about his bespoke slack needs.

The boys talk about the FTC's actions over Vizio's super-creepy user tracking, and wonder what questions to ask about the future of privacy on our smart devices.

Things wrap with a quick discussion of culture-specific cargo culting and why we still cut the ends off the roast.

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309: Hard Pass
Jan 31, 2017

TOPIC: Celebrating your successful failures.

This week, Dan and Merlin kick off with discussion of night bears, the ascendance of Netflix, and some very nice emails from listeners. Merlin also shares an important life hack for Twitter.

Merlin brings in a new thought technology via Jen Kirkman guesting on John Moe's wonderful podcast, The Hilarious World of Depression: learning how to talk back to the voices in your head.

Dan gives some big updates to his (theoretical) project to build a (theoretical) Hackintosh. Huge week.

Finally, Merlin shares a thought on how to potentially find success in your miniature failures. What happens when you decide to keep doing something not because you want to succeed at it…but just because it's a thing that you do?

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308: When Does the Fork Go on the Sat?
Jan 24, 2017

TOPIC: Act like you're somebody that you like.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the evolution of voice recognition and touch interfaces and reminisce on the early days of making the turtle move.

Dan brings in the topic of how fears of both failure and success lead to missed opportunities. Your hosts talk about how to track down the nagging bad feelings about these regrets and troubleshoot what we can learn from them.

Merlin talks about recently returning to “Morning Pages,” what he’s learning from doing it, as well as some tips to help you get started with doing your own daily brain dump.

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307: #43 on The Ladder of Kindness
Jan 17, 2017

TOPIC: Youth is the aberration.

This week, Dan provides updates on his Hackintosh project, which leads to a discussion of finding reviews and advice with context. The hosts realize, acknowledge, and quickly move past their program’s 6th anniversary, spending more time on that drum sound Merlin makes with his mouth.

Recent email pitches are discussed, and advice is offered on smarter ways to pitch strangers on practically anything.

Merlin responds to a question from a listener about learning to find inspiration in the absence of crisis.

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306: Sunday Pant
Jan 10, 2017

TOPIC: Reframing the conversation with yourself.

This week, Merlin talks about his weird mortgage ads and compliments the literally fancy pants he got from the silver underpants people. Suggestions are offered for running a dehumidifier in a “smart home.”

Dan and Merlin have a lot to say about terlets (hey, it’s been a while).

Merlin shares a service for intelligently correlating personal tracking data, a listener has success with some B2W email advice, and another listener asks for tips on doing better self-talk.

Dan shares his cool new project to build a Hackintosh.

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305: Quadruple Down
Jan 03, 2017

TOPIC: This is a feeling I'm feeling.

This week, your hosts look at the announcement of Dish's new Air TV box, along with the rapidly evolving landscape for cord-cutters. Also, fantasies of monk holes are entertained.

The big topic this week is a discussion of a listener's question about the role of positive thinking. [This is a good one.]

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304: The 2016 Compilation Episode
Dec 31, 2016

This is the Best of 2016 Compilation Episode, featuring your favorite moments of the show over the last 12 months. Each clip was suggested and submitted by you, our amazing listeners.

Have a great new year!

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303: A Liver Runs Through It
Dec 20, 2016

TOPIC: Is Tim firing us?

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenge of dealing with email that's only kind of from a real person. There's some follow-up on Apple and wishing they'd just give us a "Get out of here!"

Merlin recommends some podcasts and a terrific new clipboard manager from Tapbots.

Dan talks about why he finally gave in and treated his eyes to a bigger phone. Just don't get him started on progressive lenses.

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302: Rabbi for the Rabbi
Dec 13, 2016

This week, the boys talk about slicing sand, unboxing videos, Overwatch, and some recommended TV viewing. Odds and sods, as you say.

Main topic is follow-up re: listener feedback on recent Apple conversations.

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301: Not on My Timeline
Dec 06, 2016

TOPIC: Vaio Life!

This week, Dan and Merlin respond to listener feedback and talk about the tightrope walk of caffeine consumption.

Merlin suggests a new AudioDharma talk, which leads to a discussion of whether you have to be an X to learn about Y. Spoiler Alert: you don't.

Dan updates us on his son's hot new gaming PC, and your hosts can't stop themselves from ruminating (again, again) on why Apple's hardware choices feel be so frustrating…and disappointing.

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300: A Room Where I Don’t Matter
Dec 01, 2016

TOPIC: Kipple and Boomboxes

This week Dan and Merlin start by talking about purging junk and answering listener feedback about kids and phones and teachers dealing with email.

Main topic this week is whither Apple? Based on how the company is evolving, who do we think their future products will be for?

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299: Unhook from the Comparison
Nov 23, 2016

TOPIC: Your "backstage" vs. their "onstage"

This week, Merlin shares some useful thoughts (via Patrick Rothfuss) on being careful about how we compare ourselves to others.

The hosts also share some terrific listener suggestions for fantasy books for kids.

Also, Dan has strong feelings about poultry.

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298: Night Boot for Big Beef
Nov 15, 2016

This week, Dan and Merlin do another of their beloved Odds 'n Sods episodes, with tons of great recommendations for movies, TV, apps, services, and nighttime medical appliances.

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297: It Takes Craftspersonship
Nov 11, 2016

This week, Dan and Merlin are a little out of sorts, so, after some chat and followup, they talk about some of the things that make them happy. Plus, awesome Mac key commands.

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296: Surely You Can't be Sirius
Nov 01, 2016

TOPIC: Leaving Dropbox Vegas

Merlin survives a sleepover, and Dan has a concern about Dropbox.

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295: I’m Not Talkin’ for Clapping
Oct 25, 2016

  • Dan's still a little under the weather
  • What home automation is good at right now (and what it mostly isn't)
  • Updates on Hiya and call-blocking apps not working so much
  • Merlin is getting pretty good at making Trump hands
  • Hey! Follow-up and listener questions!
  • Listener Greg wisely reframes the communication problem
  • If you want to help people: offer something specific
  • John Siracusa just wants toast in a reasonable amount of time
  • Listener Johnathan has trouble getting timely responses from his busy manager
    • Tip: It pays to ask around and maybe escalate
  • Everybody feels vulnerable about something
  • Listener Brian doesn't want to pester people about his side project
    • Tip: Scale up and act like a magazine editor
  • Ooooo…The Monty Hall Problem!
  • Listener Matt needs tips on being a new dad
    • Tip: You're not as bad at this as you think (or fear)

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294: Sufficiently Advanced Friendship
Oct 18, 2016

TOPIC: How to pester people responsibly.

  • Dan's a little under the weather.
  • Maybe kids should be in balls. Who knows?
  • "Wrap a hot towel around your head."
  • Westworld. It's definitely a thing.
  • Follow-up…
  • TaskPaper 3.5 is awesome.
  • Yes. There are good board games. Sorry about that.
  • How Merlin made Candyland more interesting. But only a little.
  • Followup on smoke detectors. What a mess!
  • More advice on covering up dumb LED lights.
  • Merlin has an amazing rice cooker.
  • Harry Potter talk. Movies we like, etc.
  • Cool new Harry Potter prints.
  • MAIN TOPIC: How to pester people responsibly.
  • Trouble getting a response: what's the real problem here?
  • Merlin learned a lot from being an unsuccessful project manager.
  • If your results are at odds with your expectations? Something isn't working.
  • Dan talks about his new interest in informal journaling.
  • Writing is a 3D printer for your thoughts.

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293: The Frame for Our Relationship
Oct 11, 2016

TOPIC: The Minimum Viable Waste of Time.

Some awesome odds and sods, a great new Markdown editor for OS X, and a main topic on dealing with those aggressive email follow-up people.

  • Dan's Concern™ regarding his annoying smoke detectors
  • Why things seem to get worse and more diverse
  • Evaluate the credulity of Amazon reviews with Fakespot
  • Scary edge cases for Samsung Note fires
  • Cary's great DNS switching trick
  • Merlin is loving Typora, a clever and powerful new desktop Markdown editor
  • Pandoc does many file conversion things
  • Homebrew makes Mac package management a doddle
  • Brett Terpstra's Markdown Service Tools are essential
  • TableFlip is a cool app for making and editing Markdown tables
  • Fountain and Slugline are awesome for Markdown-like screenplay writing
  • Also, hey. Editorial for iOS can totally handle Fountain files. Turns out!
  • Merlin and Dan are still really liking iOS 10
  • It's definitely worth the time to prune your iOS notifications
  • Main Topic: How should we deal with all those "just circling back" people?
  • iPhone spam call blocker Hiya seems to be working now

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292: Rat King of Crush
Oct 04, 2016

TOPIC: A Surfeit of Merlin Mannsplaining.

This week, Dan and Merlin produce an undisputed instaclassic odds and sods episode.

  • When technology makes you feel crazy.
  • Are retweets endorsements?
  • Universal New Yorker captions.
  • Cursed Images is amazing.
  • Vatican Cameos!
  • A totally smooth way to stop talking about someone when they walk into the room.
  • iOS 10 call-blocking apps. Do they even?
  • How to send an 'E mail' - Database - 1984 - YouTube
  • BIG ACTUALLY-USEFUL SEGMENT: Two super-interesting matrices.
  • How to plan your day.
  • What Percentage Alcohol? WHAT PERCENTAGE?
  • We still miss Phil Hartman.
  • A recommended RSS option.
  • Apple caters to Dan's News needs.
  • Dim your LEDs!
  • "Alexa, who is the Mother of Dragons?"
  • Fast gloss on Plex's very interesting new Cloud Sync offering.
  • This is one for the books.

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291: Three Healthy Holes
Sep 27, 2016

TOPIC: The Unreliable Narrator of You

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about weather, compost, small changes, plus some Sling TV followup.

The main topic involves Merlin helping Dan sanely enter the Philips Hue Light ecosystem. It's not just for nerds any more. (Although, sure, yeah, it's still mostly for nerds.)

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290: Table Scraps for Cable Cutters
Sep 20, 2016

TOPIC: Nobody's favorite thing.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about update failures, magic, and attention.

Their ongoing dive into the fractured and frustrating world of the modern cord-cutter ecosystem continues.

It's ponderous.

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289: John Rhetoric
Sep 13, 2016

TOPIC: Every week (and every time you think of it)

This week, Dan and Merlin start by talking about some of the great updates iOS 10—alongside the usual strident advice about backing up before you do anything. Merlin also shares the late-night debacle of trying to order a new iPhone.

There's some talk about weird 80s Budweiser commercials and then a deep dive on how (and whether) to setup and use the neato Plex DVR.

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288: History is Not Made for Horses
Sep 06, 2016

TOPIC: Find My Mac. Please.

With Apple's big iPhone event coming tomorrow, Dan and Merlin discuss what makes this particular day such a black box in Apple's history. This is likely to be the last day for some time when we will know SO very little about where Apple is heading.

Also, there's some discussion of which kinds of technology we're most resistant to and maybe why that is.

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287: You Are Now Cleared for Salad
Aug 30, 2016

TOPIC: Frantic SM 10 Pieces

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the problem with wraps, the problem with notebooks, and the problem with Amazon reviews.

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286: Secret Rap Name
Aug 23, 2016

TOPIC: Hey, try this.

This week, Dan and Merlin have a shortie, so they talk about stuff they're loving right now and make some recommendations on gadgets, music, movies, and more.

Also, the scientific link between chemtrails and morgellons can finally be revealed.

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285: A Baller VCR
Aug 16, 2016

TOPIC: Kids don't need VCR Plus+.

This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates.

The topic this week is all about media consumption—in particular, the massive changes to how they learn about, locate, obtain, schedule, and consume media over the past decade or so.

Sure, there's the usual old man talk about how How It Used To Be, but there's a heavy focus on how these changes are changing the way media is funded and produced. What's that media landscape gonna look like when a 5-year-old playing with an iPad becomes the producer of media in a very few years?

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284: Wake Up, Van Hœt
Aug 09, 2016

This week, Dan and Merlin open with an unintentionally deep dive on how Merlin has been tricking out his house with home automation stuff.

The main topic this week returns to the theme of updates; in this case, how ubiquitous devices have changed pretty much everything.

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283: Cognition to Completion
Aug 02, 2016

This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates, talking about the evolution of electronic task management in their lives. Hint: simplify, simplify.

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282: Boring and Yet Wonderful
Jul 26, 2016

TOPIC: Orinoco Flow

This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates, focusing on the difference between the days before and after ubiquitous wifi.

Also, lots of fun odds and sods on Scrivener and surviving summer with kids.

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281: The Mayor of Chocolate Sundaes
Jul 19, 2016

TOPIC: Way of the future.

This week, Dan and Merlin continue their discussion on updates to their systems and their productivity worlds. In particular: how have new technologies and critical masses of users led to wanting or needing fewer intermediary communications layers?

For years, email was more than just the lingua franca; it was that one internet communication protocol that every user could be counted upon to have and use.

But, today? Options, baby, options! Sometimes for worse, but, so often, for much better.

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280: The Big Filter
Jul 12, 2016

TOPIC: Updates on Productivity and a modern Kobayashi Maru Scenario

This week, Dan and Merlin start a new series on updates. Which sounds really boring, but it isn't, we swear.

This time out, the boys start by diving deep on how and why just so much of their productivity systems have changed over the years. Innumerable ways in which technology and life has evolved to where so many of the old systems seem fiddly, unnecessary, or both.

[This is a good one.]

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279: The Fishery Loophole
Jul 05, 2016

TOPIC: …and, then what happens?

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the unexpected cognitive benefits of ritual, repetition, and thinking through the fascinating question: "…and, then what happens?"

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278: Yelling at an Idea
Jun 28, 2016

TOPIC: People, amirite?

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the complexities of communicating with each other. And, brother, is it ever complicated.

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277: Everything's Hard
Jun 21, 2016

TOPIC: Varieties of pain.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's progress on building fireside.io and its imminent beta release. Lots of fascinating details on why he's made it and who it might be great for.

Then, there's discussion of the unexpected mental benefits of physical training, and the influence that various sorts of pain (real or imagined) can have on us.

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276: Do You Even Lift?
Jun 14, 2016

TOPIC: Merlin's never sent his heartbeat.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some of this week's WWDC announcements, the past and future of Apple, and that awkward feeling of wondering whether and when new technology is personally relevant.

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275: The Lies of Big Shoe
Jun 07, 2016

TOPIC: Fill one bag.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about our relationship with the stuff in our lives and how overwhelming it can be. Solutions are offered—throw out that old cinnamon!

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274: A Goat in the Pipe
May 31, 2016

TOPIC: Disruptions in Service

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about that ineffable but growing feeling of disconnection from the collections we used to treasure. Music, Photos, Movies, Books—all the stuff we increasingly entrust to The Cloud.

Seems like there's a weird confluence of changing culture and buggy technology that makes us feel sadly meh about making everything work. And that feels weird.

Also? Don't be Randyll Tarly. That guy's a total choad.

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273: Knives and Spoons
May 24, 2016

TOPIC: True or false dilemmas?

This week, things kick off with a discussion of how to be helpful. Especially at your kid's school, but really just in general. This leads to a rumination on "roots" and what makes us feel like we're part of a community.

The main topic is about the future of machine learning, voice control, and all things "smart." What do we want, what can we imagine, and how do our own biases and habits constrain our sense of possibility?

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272: Surprise Endoscopy
May 17, 2016

TOPIC: Such small hands.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Dan's acquisition of an iPhone SE and how much he's loving it. This leads to some ruminative discussion about how we pick devices based on how we prefer to use them.

Also, some love for Spider-Man in the Civil War movie.

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271: Gravy Dumpster
May 10, 2016

TOPIC: Grow what? Grow HOW?

This week, Dan and Merlin have a surprisingly passionate discussion about growth.

Companies gotta "grow," right? But…what the hell does that really even mean?

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.

Also, an important update on Pek Pongpaet.

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270: According to the Cabinet
May 03, 2016

TOPIC: Opinion at Scale.

This week kicks off with a confession that Dan and Merlin are increasingly less interested in coverage of Apple's finances and the related Kremlinology and blind guessing about the company. Merlin announces the unlikely product he'd love for Apple to create (and why it'll probably never happen).

Also, lots of followup on apps and services for fitness and personal tracking.

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269: 65 Cigarette Butts
Apr 27, 2016

TOPIC: Finding stories and insights hiding in your data.

This week, Dan and Merlin dive deep into the new world of personal tracking. Dan has a new FitBit, and Merlin has a surprisingly complicated system involving many devices and apps. Great stuff you can try for yourself.

Also discussed: Merlin's weird cat, Deadpool, Pek Pongpaet the Professional Podcast Pundit, Alexa on Fire TV, a defense of Reed Richards, and Dan's advice on how to setup your own VPN.

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268: Tumblo Drylo
Apr 19, 2016

TOPIC: Putting an Overt Stake in the Ground.

This week, Dan and Merlin end up talking about the surprising stuff a Fitbit can do for you. Dan even buys one.

Also, some discussion of pope hats, NASCAR, (the amazing) Screens 4, and that failing restaurant by Dan's office that kinda looks like Terminus.

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267: Dear Iowa, I Have Enjoyed Your Corn
Apr 12, 2016

TOPIC: But, alas.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Smile's updated announcement about TextExpander and the ugly problem of blind internet rage.

Also, lots of talk about ponderous 80s movies and old TV shows, including Dan learning which program had that tiny tabletop robot.

Also, we are endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.

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266: European Bachelor
Apr 05, 2016

TOPIC: Wow, times change.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenges and opportunities of subscription-based payment models. When do they work (or not) and how quickly does autopay fatigue kick in?

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