Back to Work

Latest Episodes:

Episode 383: Funding the Unicorn Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

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.

Links for this episode:

Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #23 — Merlin Mann
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, July 26th to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
Merlin’s Playlists — Merlin Mann
Sometimes I make playlists, especially for the particularly musical episodes of podcasts I do. I really like making these, so I'll probably do more.
Stopping the Noise in Your Head : the New Way to Overcome Anxiety and Worry: Reid Wilson: 9780757319068: Amazon.com: Books
Batman’s Wedding
Catwoman revealed as bisexual in new DC comic | Books | The Guardian
Hard science fiction - Wikipedia
The Trip Michael Caine - YouTube
Random impressions - YouTube
Musical fractals - YouTube
‘Succession’ Finds Its Stride and the ‘GLOW’ Showrunners on Season 2 - The Ringer
‘Succession’ and Updates on ‘Y: The Last Man’ and ‘Briarpatch’ - The Ringer

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Episode 382: Bad Tech Dad Jul 03, 2018

Show notes

Dan's ex-cold, some media recommendations, strobe light problems, Dan's new phone, bad eyeglasses, your fault versus your problem, plus listener feedback about estimating hours and costs.

Links for this episode:

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Episode 381: Sandwich Doctor Jun 26, 2018

Show notes

Discussed this week: head colds, Florida, vitamin shots, Pleiades, Pigeon Pose, a new kind of spam, some media recommendations, iOS 12, and a listener question about a job they just don’t wanna do.

Links for this episode:

Making Vitamin B12 Injections Accessible to Everyone in the Bay Area
Got Vitamin B12’s fun, pop-up style Happy Hours take place in 20 different locations around the Bay Area. Trained and licensed medical professionals are at every Happy Hour to provide personalized guidance for our B12 injection cocktail menu and serve up the shot of your choice. You don't need to make an appointment. Just come to Got Vitamin B12 for the healthiest cocktail out there!
Learn the King of Hip Openers: Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) - Yoga Journal
iOS 12 Beta: Our Favorite Tidbits and Hidden Features (So Far) – MacStories
iOS 12 public beta is out for all - Six Colors
Isle of Dogs on iTunes
Visionary director Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast Trash Island, Atari sets off in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. With the assistance of his newfound mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.
Amazon.com: The Ringer - The Original Stainless Steel Cast Iron Cleaner, Patented XL 8x6 inch Design: Home & Kitchen
Astroturfing - Wikipedia
Frequently Asked Questions about Vitamin B12 Injections

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Episode 380: Chung Chung Machine Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

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.

Links for this episode:

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Slack (Slack: Where work happens. Find out why at Slack.com).

Episode 379: Permanent Hole Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about some of their favorite announcements at the big computer show.

They also deep dive into how to handle the Benjamin family's need for a new phone.

Links for this episode:

Libby, by OverDrive - an app for library ebooks and audiobooks
How Instagram’s algorithm works | TechCrunch
WorldCat.org: The World's Largest Library Catalog
iOS 12 Preview - Apple
iOS 12 FAQ: Everything you need to know! | iMore
iOS 12: The MacStories Overview – MacStories
Under the banner of helping users gain more understanding and control of how they use their devices, iOS 12 introduces improved features for Do Not Disturb and notifications, alongside a brand new area of analytics and monitoring controls called Screen Time.
Apple iOS 12 update: the 17 biggest new features coming to the iPhone - The Verge
Amazon.com: Tech21 Evo Mesh Protection Case for iPhone 7 Plus 5.5 Clear + Black: Cell Phones & Accessories
Apple iPhone product line comparison | Comparison tables - SocialCompare
Hobby Horse

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Episode 378: A Hong Kong Phooey Situation May 29, 2018

Show notes

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

Links for this episode:

@hotdogsladies/Political Twitter on Twitter
Free Agents #48: Lousy With the Stink of Freedom, with Merlin Mann - Relay FM
Podcaster Merlin Mann joins us to discuss his long journey as an independent worker, during which he's pivoted from tech guy to productivity expert to a specializer in cult hits.
Fakespot | Analyze and identify fake reviews
Want to analyze the reviews of a product?
ReviewMeta.com - Amazon Review Checker
ReviewMeta.com analyzes millions of reviewsand helps you decide which ones to trust
How merchants use Facebook to flood Amazon with fake reviews - The Washington Post
There, an economy of paid reviews has flourished. Merchants pledge to drop reimbursements into a reviewer’s PayPal account within minutes of posting comments for items such as kitchen knives, rain ponchos or shower caddies, often sweetening the deal with a $5 commission or a $10 Amazon gift card. Facebook this month deleted more than a dozen of the groups where sellers and buyers matched after being contacted by The Post. Amazon kicked a five-star seller off its site after an inquiry from The Post.
'Roseanne' canceled after star's racist Twitter rant
What It’s Like When Elon Musk’s Twitter Mob Comes After You
When female journalists like me dare to question the SpaceX and Tesla founder, there’s a predictable result: We get called bitches, idiots, and worse.
How do I share a photo or video to my Instagram story? | Instagram Help Center
5by5 | Back to Work #287: You Are Now Cleared for Salad
5by5 | Back to Work #293: The Frame for Our Relationship
5by5 | Back to Work #305: Quadruple Down
Mirror, Mirror (Star Trek: The Original Series) - Wikipedia
The Tholian Web - Wikipedia
The City on the Edge of Forever - Wikipedia
Netflix
18 Things You Might Not Know About 'Inspector Gadget' | Mental Floss
Pocket-Run Pool is indie dev Zach Gage's version of 8-Ball | GamesBeat

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Episode 377: Packs a Lot of Lux May 22, 2018

Show notes

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.

Links for this episode:

Help article: How do I use the Fitbit app to capture GPS data?
Introducing eero Labs: Building the future of home WiFi - The Download
The Live TV Guide Has Arrived – Hulu Press Site
Netflix - "Evil Genius"
Amazon.com: Verilux HappyLight Liberty 10,000 LUX Light Therapy Energy Lamp: Health & Personal Care
Use Siri on your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV (4th generation) - Apple Support
"Fast-forward two minutes."
A movie is missing from my Movies Anywhere library – Movies Anywhere Help
Movies Anywhere currently supports movies from the following participating studios, but not all movies from these participating studios are eligible for Movies Anywhere. Check back regularly as our movie catalog and list of participating studios changes:
- Disney
- Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
- Universal
- Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Spark 2 Hands-On: Email for Teams with App Integrations – MacStories
Eero lets you test new Mesh WiFi features in its app
band steering
Jake Gyllenhaal 'joining the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie cast' | Daily Mail Online
Game Night (2018) - IMDb
Netflix - "Belief"
'Exorcist' Director Makes A New Movie About Exorcism (It's A Documentary) : NPR
Friedkin tracked down the late Rev. Gabriele Amorth, who was the chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, and asked if he could ever watch an exorcism.
Passover Seder - Wikipedia
Should you buy the 32 GB or 64 GB new Apple TV? | iMore
Fitbit Charge 2™ Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband
Help article: How do I track my sleep?
The Apple Watch has found a surprisingly useful home with everyone that works on their feet — Quartz
Metasyntactic variable - Wikipedia
Victor Wooten - Isn't She Lovely - YouTube

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

Show notes

Discussed: lame patents, Salvador Dalí, allergy season, backpack discrimination, friend cosplay, things Dan can't say, AT&T woes, Merlin saw a bear, a YouTube rabbit hole, and some excellent historical Disney content.

Dan and Merlin answer a listen's questions about sleep tracking and leveraging Alexa at the office.

Links for this episode:

Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #22 — Merlin Mann
MERLIN MANN (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, May 17th to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
Vintage Disneyland Tickets: The Disney Look - 1977
Custom Alexa responses can now be created right from the Alexa app | AFTVnews
Alexa Routines are a powerful feature that allow you to automate a series of customizable actions using a single voice command of your choice. So when you say “Alexa, I’m leaving,” for example, you can have multiple actions occur, such as turning off all of your smart lights and setting a specific temperature on your thermostat.
Defunctland - YouTube - YouTube
Defunctland: The Failure of Euro Disneyland - YouTube
Defunctland: The History of Disney's Worst Attraction Ever, Superstar Limo - YouTube
Supreme Court declines to hear “podcasting patent” case, handing win to EFF | Ars Technica
US8112504B2 - System for disseminating media content representing episodes in a serialized sequence - Google Patents
CNN on Twitter: "Watch clouds of pollen rise from a shaken tree in Millville, New Jersey https://t.co/MeFOyzg7LW… "
Bohemian Rhapsody | Teaser Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - YouTube
Here's How to Set Up Amazon Alexa Routines on your Echo Device | Digital Trends
How to Create an Alexa Smart Home Routine
Since You've Been Gone - YouTube - YouTube

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Episode 375: Night Punching May 08, 2018

Show notes

Discussed: time flies, nesting dolls, cloud saves for Switch, oy vey the service subscriptions, wheat and chess boards, WiFi and health, abdomen cinchers, more Netflix recommendations, the hollow face illusion, Marked 2 update, and a couple more recommendations.

Dan and Merlin answer a listener's question about balancing work momentum and "down time."

Links for this episode:

Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #22 — Merlin Mann
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, May 17th to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
Marked 2 - Smarter tools for smarter writers
Marked is a previewer for Markdown files. Use it with your favorite text editor and it updates every time you save. With robust features for previewing, reviewing and exporting beautiful documents, you can work in plain text while reveling in rich formatting. See what's new!
Hollow-Face illusion - Wikipedia
The Hollow-Face illusion (also known as Hollow-Mask illusion) is an optical illusion in which the perception of a concave mask of a face appears as a normal convex face.
OK Go - The Writing's On the Wall - Official Video - YouTube
Home | Automation Orchard
The place to find resources to help you automate your life
AFTVnews | Amazon Fire TV & Fire TV Stick News, Guides, and Deals
The Best of Pema Chödrön: Life, Quotes, and Books
One of the most beloved of American Buddhist teachers, Pema Chödrön has devoted her life to inspiring people to awaken and has changed many lives in the process. She is the author of many influential books, such as When Things Fall Apart, Living Beautifully, and The Places that Scare You. Her writing, which explores Buddhist concepts and offers paths to conquering subjects such as suffering, fear, and difficult times, has inspired people worldwide. Lion’s Roar has published many powerful teachings authored by Pema. Read below for some of our favorites and to learn about her life and work.
Words on Words: John Bremner: 9780231044936: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: Adventure Time Wood Nesting Dolls - Set of 5: Toys & Games
Nintendo Switch Online service will include cloud saves - Polygon
The Switch feature fans have been asking for is coming
A Penny Doubled Everyday
Merlin’s Playlists — Merlin Mann
Sometimes I make playlists, especially for the particularly musical episodes of podcasts I do. I really like making these, so I'll probably do more.
Is WiFi Safe? Simple Steps to Reduce The Negative Effects | Wellness Mama
Amazon.com: BELLY ARMOR Anti-Radiation Maternity Embrace Belly Band (Nude, Medium) | EMF Protection for Pregnancy: Health & Personal Care
Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee - Wikipedia
Netflix
Nanette Burstein - Wikipedia
The Cake Server | Joseph's Most Complex Machine Ever! - YouTube
OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine - Official Video - YouTube

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Episode 374: Pouchboy May 01, 2018

Show notes

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.

Links for this episode:

You might want to stop taking your vitamins
Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #22 — Merlin Mann
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, May 17th to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
T Rex Optical Illusion - How The Trick Works! - YouTube
Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Amazing T-Rex Illusion - How to make ?! - YouTube
Face Off (TV series) - Wikipedia
Rick Baker (@therickbaker) • Instagram photos and videos
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Mega-pod, Plus ‘Killing Eve’ - The Ringer
Chris and Andy review this weekend’s big release and discuss ‘Killing Eve’
Killing Eve - Wikipedia
Nebula Transformation Timelapse | Legacy Effects - YouTube
The Masks | The Twilight Zone Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia
Uncanny X-Force - Wikipedia
Amazon.com: Uncanny X-Force, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Solution (9780785148555): Rick Remender, Jerome Opena, Leonardo Manco: Books
[fan-art] THE POUCH. Created by Rob Liefeld. Drawn by Donal Delay. Colored by OP. : comicbooks
Donal DeLay (@DonalTDeLay) | Twitter
Thomas Robert Malthus - Wikipedia
Random Serling
Random Serling is a show where I am joined by a guest to discuss a randomly selected episode of either The Twilight Zone or Night Gallery, two shows created by the late Rod Serling, master of suspense. New episodes will follow each week until we run out of material.

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