DISCUSSED: Steve Buscemi is celebrated, and The Big Lebowski is congratulated; the guys continue their dive into the state of smart home hardware with a focus on switches. e610-buscemi https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/4yea3CGk.jpg (https://twitter.com/MichaelWarbur17/status/1637904652061777920)

Dan is curious about AI voice transcription, and Merlin has yet more smart home advice for a new homeowner.

DISCUSSED: Merlin has some been analyzing a very misleading song about beaches, and Dan has been visiting more with ChadGPT.

DISCUSSED: Dan has a new iPad keyboard, and Merlin is intrigued by ChatGPT. Also, Merlin almost tunes his guitar.

DISCUSSED: Dan's takes some smart baby steps into home automation, and Merlin has a lot to say about everything.

DISCUSSED: Dan begins a new journey into smart home living, and Merlin is excited about common misconceptions. e605-infants https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/_kkzmi44.jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions)

DISCUSSED: After settling some confusion about Anna Borg, the boys settle into an amble about the state of voice assistants and the future of the theoretically smart home. As ever, Merlin is pretty excited about music, but he also needs your help figuring out where in the hell he got this new software keyboard. Alexa is doing great. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/hmTv2yDH.jpeg TeeKay keyboard in action https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/1Mn6HRaE.PNG

DISCUSSED: Merlin is extremely happy with a suggestion that Dan made, and Dan has a bunch of apps he's excited about. e604-adam-12 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/GIyvad17.jpg

Typing on an iPad, rhyming compulsively, default media, and taking a young foodie out on the town.

DISCUSSED: Merlin is excited about reading, and Dan sometimes puts his time in a box. Also: Breaking Bad.

DISCUSSED: Merlin recommends an exciting new beta; Dan gets a new e-reader; and Merlin has a lot to say about taking notes. e600-notebook https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/Rvq_tvqm.jpg

DISCUSSED: a classic odds n' sods episode encompassing a missing remote (and a failed system), some wallet FU, cool help with playlist management, unsubscribing in dribs and drabs, and a big-ass RV.

Merlin is still on Island Time, so discussion is mostly limited to Columbo, Star Wars, Merlin's playlists, Ellsworth, and, of course, wallets. We almost talked about _Triangle of Sadness_ https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/zO-NbGOf.jpeg

DISCUSSED: Dan has a new concern; some thoughts on resistance; Merlin shares a new insight on creativity and sleep; Dan has FU directly from the Nosferatu band; Merlin serves a turducken of suggestions related to text editing; and, finally, Dan needs your advice on wallets, while Merlin makes a case for currency. e597-calamari https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/kitCpEKp.jpg

DISCUSSED: Merlin is playing with his new dingus; Dan almost talks about wallets; try Tailscale to make your stuff work better together; why you (yes, you) need a VPN; Dan is getting enthused about Obsidian; Merlin is freshly re-enthused about Daytum; and finally Dan is very excited about a Dracula he saw.

DISCUSSED: Halloween Follow-Up; exit interview for Season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows; how Apple could build users' confidence and stimulate their curiosity with better documentation; Merlin makes his case for spreadsheets as your potential place where stuff goes.

Fortunately, Merlin had thoroughly prepared for 62 minutes of lizards, Morgellons, animal powers, and Tom Cruise. e594-bears https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/NQ9f9_D-.jpeg

Sleep, practice, infrastructure, power, and OCD are themes. As per usual. e593-power https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/gu-haXo7.jpg

Dan has Covid, so Merlin agrees to carry him, and yet Dan improbably carries them both.

There are a few odds and sods, but, yeah, it's mostly about adjudicating Peak Cruise. Runner-Up Titles Bespoke Slime Hole Gavin Assumed Nom De Repair Species-Ending Annoyance Mosquito Tasks One Set of Footprints The Thing You Do Before It Breaks Creating Conditions Old People Jam-Up Don't Give Me Notes The Boston Janitor Movie

Feeling bad about feeling bad is ultimately optional. 2022-09-13 Rhys Darby https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/2S54RNRq.jpg

From choosing a pencil to relocating your ladder, one big and complex part of Knowledge Work is deciding how to do what you do.

DISCUSSED: Your hosts talk about some of their favorite Mac apps available via Setapp (https://setapp.com/). TK e588 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/3yl4LC40.jpg

We've got a man on the boat.

DISCUSSED: A very moist man's lawyer learns how Dropbox works; Merlin introduces "The Bump"; Dan has a cool new calendar technology; and Merlin speed-rounds some odds and sods.

Frankly, it was a bit of a fever dream, but your hosts discuss sportsball, collective singular nouns, Coleridge's trap street, LEGO, and a handful of Merlin's recent wins. Lego https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/nko9p8p_.jpg

Merlin has thoughts on survival, aging, and whether to bother trying to understand whatever NFTs are. Next up, the triumphant return of "Cool Thing I Learned This Week" brings updates on iOS dictation and a very Merlin video about organization. Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on. —Nick Fury, The Avengers (2012) (https://gist.github.com/merlinmann/b64360ee2192b33b7a41eaa423cc4b86)

Your hosts discuss dramaturgy, package managers, and monospaced fonts. Ladies?

DISCUSSED: Dan misses going to the movies; cool ways to save your bacon in Git; and Merlin is excited about a (new to him) app for personal tracking and quantization.

DISCUSSED: Merlin runs the table this week with: unseasonable heat; the joy of realizing when someone obviously loved (and probably had to fight for) the thing that they made; and finally, an extended meditation on a phone charger and the decisions that seek to bridge past and future.

A classic odds n' sods episode. Merlin needs help with a journaling via voice solution; your hosts look at password enhancements in the Apple betas; praise for Apple's SF fonts and SF symbols; a trippy video about paper sizes (and the universe); and, oh, those whacky Mormon sects.

Dan & Merlin are live from the show floor, sharing their thoughts on the WWDC 2022 keynote address.

On memory, security, and sleeping injuries.

Considering the value of finding something new to suck at. Runner-Up Titles Stop Trying to Meditate and Just Breathe I’m That Guy in My Own Head The Confidence of the New Idiot

It's a very special "Oops! All Automation Check-ins" episode. But, of course—as always—there's also a philosophical component.

DISCUSSED: Dan's new tenants flip him the bird, and Merlin has strong feelings about email. Runner-up titles: Glass Surfing I Don't Believe in a Lizard Binary A Game Stop and a Bathroom A Mother Son Relationship That Is Weird The Allergies of Childhood Medium-Sized Important Breakthrough The Cultural Installation of Fear

Your hosts are finally back in action with vital updates on #productivity and #creativity. Also, ginger ale and egg substitutes.

DISCUSSED: Updates on new Plex functionality; praise for Severance; plus some updates on Merlin's new setup—and pursuing the life that you'd like to have. Runner-Up Titles: Shoulders Come in Pairs Meaty and Sad Sucked Up Into My Body Cavity Really Hurts Your Roller Skating Muscle It's a Nice Box I Saved Some Nice Boxes

DISCUSSED: Big news from Plex; Merlin has an expansive new computer project; and Dan continues to make his way at a new gig using his trusty calendar.

DISCUSSED: Dan is doing new things that require a new approach to his calendar. Merlin proposes some appropriate Calendar Kyber Crystals.

DISCUSSED: Dan is back from reporting on the show floor; recommendations for some Back to Work-adjacent podcast episodes; incidental thoughts and advice on presentations as performance; everybody wants a better email app; and Dan shares his thoughts on The Batman; Runner-Up Titles Two Bags of Dongles Just a Butt in a Chair Dirty Little Secret About Daddy A Face in the Brady Bunch Grid The Washington Fulfillment Society

DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's latest event and consider what the future looks like from Cupertino.

DISCUSSED: the Russians are coming; Dan has thoughts on Marvel TV shows, and Merlin has thoughts on Hawkeye specifically; Merlin bravely and boldly recommends watching a film that's often considered the greatest ever made; in Follow-Up, Dan has an update on Taskpaper as well as wanting advice on how to fire Photoshop; Merlin seems weirdly excited about his new pencil; yet more praise is heaped on Rogue Amoeba; and, finally, in an unexpected twist, both your hosts realize they did the same thing last week.

DISCUSSED: your hosts can't complain (but, sometimes, they still do); a provisional craving for secular pre-cana; what are your canonical family holidays?; Dan has to sign something; a quick clarification on eels; Dan has some camera struggles, but Merlin offers advice that's costly and not actually all that useful; as Merlin re-approaches his World of Text, he is obviously getting even more gaybones for VS Code; and, finally, Merlin begins sketching his new project about energy, fuel, and courageous non-vacations. Runner-Up Titles A Defensive Fist My Uneasy Gait Your Backdoor Camera A Brace of Nips If I’m to Be Your Gamera

DISCUSSED: boiling ATX water and the long-term return of the Bang-Bang Machine; thought-provoking insight on youth, hustle, and work-life balance from Slate Political Gabfest; and Dan tries his hand at TaskPaper.

Makebelieve Help, Old Butchers, and Figuring Out Who You Are (For Now)

DISCUSSED: 🐇🐇; Dan shares follow-up on surviving his Covid week; a listener emails the show with a fascinating offer; your hosts discuss childhood mail; in Breaking News, the actor, M. Emmet Walsh is still alive; it's fun to say "Jackery"; praise for Maira Kalman; some initial thoughts on Apple's Universal Control; and finally, advice on the wisdom of running betas. Emmet Walsh https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/3/316b04e9-2b1f-4ccb-98f1-28fe023874a8/VvOWGzkx.jpg Runner-Up Titles The Elephants of Style A Birthday Party for Monkeys Poor Professor Lumens

An epic journey that begins with Dan's viral week and ends with a misunderstanding about the first Chicago album.

DISCUSSED: Memories of Super Dave; KEYnote by LockPickingLawyer; Dan gets conspiracy theory-curious; the tapestry of entertainment by cults; Dan helps Merlin understand Git; and Merlin gets a new hub.

Links for this episode:

• LockPickingLawyer - YouTube
  
• Keynote - LockPickingLawyer - YouTube
  
• The Super Bob Einstein Movie (HBO)
  
• "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Palestinian Chicken (TV Episode 2011) - Reference View - IMDb
  
• Superdave Osborne on Letterman, 1990 - YouTube
  
• Super Dave - King Of The Road - YouTube
  
• Entertainment Made By Cults - YouTube
  
• So... YOU can't hear auto tune? No problem, NOW YOU CAN SEE IT!!! - YouTube
  
• Fixing Led Zeppelin with Autotune - YouTube
  
• That Mitchell and Webb Look - "Corner Shop" - YouTube
  
• Eleventy, a simpler static site generator.
  
• Git and GitHub for Poets - YouTube
  
• What can Avengers: Endgame teach us about Git?
  
• Chemtrails,SA Geoengineering,Morgellons. The Dark Agenda of Synthetic Biology.Full Power point - YouTube
  

Taskapalooza begins.

Rock me, Joseph Alberto Santiago.

Links for this episode:

• Kiss - "Love Gun" - YouTube
  
• Why 70% Isopropyl Alcohol Is a Better Disinfectant Than 99% Isopropyl Alcohol - Mun Global
  
• Calm Calendar
  
• TaskPaper – Plain text to-do lists for Mac
  
• Pixies - "Wave of Mutilation" - YouTube
  Dan does not like the guitar bends on this song.
• Pixies - "Gigantic" (Live, 1988) - YouTube
  
• Meat Puppets - "Up on the Sun" - YouTube
  
• Wings - "Listen to What the Man Said" - YouTube
  

Wrapping up the year with thoughts on unearned Covid optimism, defining "normal," Roomba training, Microsoft Visual Studio, plus a new (and decidedly more positive) reframing for New Year's resolutions.

Links for this episode:

• @thesunnypodcast | Linktree
  
• The Always Sunny Podcast on Apple Podcasts
  
• The Gang Goes Jihad — The Always Sunny Podcast — Overcast
  
• This Is How Michael Caine Speaks - The Trip - BBC Two - YouTube
  
• Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon in The Trip - James Bond & Liam Neeson - YouTube
  
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma: van der Kolk M.D., Bessel: 9780143127741: Amazon.com: Books
  
• VSCodium - Open Source Binaries of VSCode
  
• Visual Studio Code - Code Editing. Redefined
  
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.: 9780143127741 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
  
• The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year - YouTube
  
• The Kinks - Better Things (Audio) - YouTube
  
• Smart Maps and Map Editing
  
• Getting Started with Imprint™ Smart Maps
  
• Adding New Areas/Rooms To My Map (My Map Doesn’t Look Like My Cleaning Area)
  
• Random impressions - YouTube
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #371: Avocado People
  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!
• 5by5 | Back to Work #372: Hole That Rabbit
  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.
• (1) Robbie Collin on Twitter: "Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon and Michael Winterbottom have literally done this four times" / Twitter
  Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon and Michael Winterbottom have literally done this four times
• Alan Partridge - Sports reporter, 1994. Part 1 of 2. - YouTube
  
• Sold out every day! The hamburger that won the 1st place in the US Best Burger Awards 3 times!
  
• DUKTIG Play kitchen, birch, 28 3/8x15 3/4x42 7/8" - IKEA
  

Talking Spider-Man and phones for kids.

Links for this episode:

• Magneto | Marvel Database | Fandom
  
• Dimensions | Into the Spider-Verse Wiki | Fandom
  
• Griffin Explains Electro's Origins in Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Blank Check with Griffin and David - YouTube
  
• Merlin's Wisdom Project (Draft)
  

Merlin's Best of 2021™ kicks off with the return of "Cool Things I Learned This Week."

Links for this episode:

• The Talk Show #331 – “John Was the Problem,” with Merlin Mann
  Merlin Mann returns to the show to discuss two brief topics (with a few asides): my dream of opening a steakhouse, and Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary Get Back.
• Overcast - ‘John Was the Problem’, With Merlin Mann — The Talk Show With John Gruber — Overcast
  
• Watch The Beatles: Get Back | Disney+
  
• ttscoff/KeyBindings: DefaultKeybindings.dict for Mac OS X
  
• Five-Minute Coronavirus Stress Resets - The New York Times
  
• Release v1.4.0 · swiftbar/SwiftBar
  
• How to Calm Down from Extreme Emotions in 30 Seconds - Mindfulness Muse
  
• The Mammalian Diving Response: An Enigmatic Reflex to Preserve Life?
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #372: Hole That Rabbit
  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.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #371: Avocado People
  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!
• SonicCloud Personalized Sound - Home
  
• Hearing Test Apps — Mimi Health
  
• iOS 15 brings powerful new features to stay connected, focus, explore, and more - Apple
  
• Eagle - Organize all your reference images in one place
  
• Merlin's Wisdom Project
  
• Mimi Hearing Technologies | Mimi Hearing Test now integrated into Apple Health
  
• Accessibility - Hearing - Apple
  
• Higher-order volition - Wikipedia
  Higher-order volitions (or higher-order desire), as opposed to action-determining volitions, are volitions about volitions.
• Meta-emotion - Wikipedia
  Meta-emotion is "an organized and structured set of emotions and cognitions about the emotions, both one's own emotions and the emotions of others".
• Stur Drinks
  
• Mr. Show The New Ku Klux Klan - YouTube
  
• dead kennedys - nazi punks fuck off (in studio) - YouTube
  
• Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia - YouTube
  
• AmazonSmile : Kassa Large Whiteboard Wall Sticker Roll - 17.3" x 96” (8 Feet) - 3 Dry Erase Board Markers Included - Adhesive White Board Wallpaper for Fridge, Office & Kids Room - Peel and Stick Paper Decal : Office Products
  
• The Technium: Always-On Spatial Audio
  
• This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma — The Ezra Klein Show — Overcast
  

A classic odds and sods episode covering: Rush lyrics; personal pronoun tips; Fitness+ meditation; more melees with various voice assistant ecosystems; a big shout-out to the iconic Listener Rachel A.; and Merlin's newfound love of Keyboard Maestro.

Links for this episode:

• The Wisdom Project (Draft)
  
• Keyboard Maestro 10.0.2: Work Faster with Macros for macOS
  
• David Smith extends his Apple Watch battery – Six Colors
  
• Wearing an Apple Watch in Glencoe - David Smith, Independent iOS Developer
  
• 20-Minute Calm Meditation with JoAnna - Apple Fitness+
  Just put the bag down.
• The Popular Family Safety App Life360 Is Selling Precise Location Data on Its Tens of Millions of Users – The Markup
  
• Merlin's Keyboard Maestro Macros
  Key commands to add Notes and Reminders in Safari.
• Naming and organizing your Movie files | Plex Support
  If using the (non-“legacy”) Plex Movie agent available in Plex Media Server v1.20.1 and newer, you can also include the IMDb or TheMovieDB ID number in curly braces to help match the movie. It must follow the form {[source]-[id]}.

The Boys are back, and they're not sure how big this thing gets.

Links for this episode:

• Amazon.com: Celery Man : Alexa Skills
  Good morning, Paul. What will your first sequence of the day be? Alexa, load up Celery Man!

DISCUSSED: Dad stuff; flying too close to the smart home sun; appreciating the magic of Wes Anderson; the virtues of UPS battery backup; and, finally, Merlin starts tentatively sketching a unified field theory for rethinking how we think about and use space.

Links for this episode:

• Drew on Twitter: "@hotdogsladies I had the same problems with Google Docs rich copy/paste. Turned out to be TrackerZapper. Might be worth toggling that to see if that fixes it." / Twitter
  
• Why Do Wes Anderson Movies Look Like That? - YouTube
  
• Futura & Wes Anderson: a love story - YouTube
  
• How Wes Anderson moved beyond Futura - YouTube
  
• The Needle Drop — What Fuels the Best Movie Soundtracks? - YouTube
  
• The Wes Anderson Style Explained — The Complete Director's Guide to Wes Anderson's Aesthetic - YouTube
  
• Wes Anderson Explains How to Write & Direct Movies | The Director's Chair - YouTube
  
• You Know It's Wes Anderson IF... - YouTube
  
• Wes Anderson: American Express "My Life, My Card" in HD - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS System, 1500VA/900W, 12 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower : Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: CyberPower CP425SLG Standby UPS System, 425VA/255W, 8 Outlets, Compact
  
• 'Megaspider' is biggest of its kind we've ever seen, Australian reptile park says - CNN
  
• Did Olivia Rodrigo steal from Paramore? (analysis) - YouTube
  
• The Velvet Underground — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - YouTube
  
• What We Do In The Shadows
  From the very talented designer's portfolio site.
• Tank Chats #68 T-34 | The Tank Museum - YouTube
  
• Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: T-34-85, Episode 1 - YouTube
  
• The Wisdom Project (Draft)
  
• It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff: Walsh, Peter: 8601419123933: Amazon.com: Books
  
• Beef with Broccoli | Kenji's Cooking Show - YouTube
  
• Chinese-American Beef and Broccoli With Oyster Sauce Recipe
  

DISCUSSED: please stop changing the clocks; our kids are not us; the people of England have spoiled or corrupted several very good words; The Ellis Island Bit; surnames mean things; getting pelted with rocks and garbage; a Michael Penn playlist for 1 to 3.5 of you jackals; some Mad Max talk; it's always two things with Kevin Kelly; and, finally, some Marvel talk.

Links for this episode:

• Spotify – "In a Nutshell" - A Gentle Introduction to Michael Penn
  Getting started with one the great, under-appreciated pop geniuses of my generation.
• Apple Music – "In a Nutshell" - A Gentle Introduction to Michael Penn
  Getting started with one the great, under-appreciated pop geniuses of my generation.
• Merlin's Wisdom Project (Draft)
  Or: “Everybody likes being given a glass of water.”
• Simple Product Management Tricks - Jacob Kaplan-Moss
  
• The Technium: Class 1 / Class 2 Problems
  
• HomeKit Troubleshooting: When Your Philips Hue Lights Don't Work - AppleToolBox
  
• New Catch Phrases Collection on Letterman, 1984-91 - YouTube
  

This is what happens when Merlin stays up til 2 a.m. watching a movie and then has to record a podcast at 9 a.m.

Because, your day is a continuum.

Links for this episode:

• YANSS 218 – How anxiety hides in our unhealthy habits, why you can’t think your way out of it, and science says you should do instead – You Are Not So Smart
  Dr. Brewer teaches us map our brains to discover our triggers, defuse them with the simple but powerful practice of curiosity, and to train our brains using mindfulness and other practices that his lab has proven can work.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #531: Where Grog Got Eaten
  
• Psychiatrist Breaks Down Mental Health Scenes From Movies & TV | GQ - YouTube
  
• AMERICAN PSYCHO: How a box office failure became the most important film of a generation - YouTube
  
• Making of Aliens 1986 documentary (2003) - YouTube
  
• Superior firepower "Making of Aliens" (2003) [eng] - YouTube
  
• Alien Next Door: Spiotto, Joey: 9781785650260: Amazon.com: Books
  See a new, caring side to the legendary science fiction monster as he tends to Jonesy the cat, endeavours to keep his house cleaner than the Nostromo, and searches for his place on a cold, new, alien world: Earth.
• Women in Refrigerators (Website) - TV Tropes
  Women in Refrigerators is a site by comic book writer Gail Simone, created in March 1999, to list super-heroines who have been "either de-powered, raped, or cut up and stuck in the refrigerator" in an effort to illustrate that female superheroes are disproportionately likely to be brutalized in comic books, usually to further the character arc of male super heroes.
• Watch James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction Season 1 | Prime Video
  Award-winning writer, director and producer James Cameron explores science fiction’s roots.
• Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Wiki | Fandom
  
• The Burgundy Loaf - YouTube
  

Dan has all the waiters singing at him, and Merlin tries to buy the non-existent SIMS 4 for the Mac.

Main topic is considering how best to set up a device that provides structure and motivation without all that beeping, beeping, beeping.

Links for this episode:

• On the Internet, We’re Always Famous | The New Yorker
  What happens when the experience of celebrity becomes universal?
• Jane Jacobs Versus The Kardashians - by Steven Johnson - Adjacent Possible
  Is talking to strangers on the Internet making us crazy?
• What's That Feeling? Oh, It's Fall Regression - by Anne Helen Petersen - Culture Study
  Instead of masking that brokenness, lean into it. Give the wound some oxygen. Be vulnerable and needy with one another. Go ahead and consider or even make big life decisions. You’re not acting emotionally
• Why Do Actors Keep Working With Wes Anderson? - The New York Times
  “I often employ people with their own pets in the background.”
• John Dickerson - EB White quote
  "It's quite possible that the Presidency of the United States has become an impossible job for one man, and what we need two men-an Acting President, to answer questions, make decisions, attend meetings, and listen to reports and gossip, and a Passive President, who merely watches, reflects on it, and finally, if a thought occurs to him, gives the country the benefit of it."
• macOS 12 Monterey: The Ars Technica review | Ars Technica
  
• Casio MT-40 - Wikipedia
  
• SuperDuper!
  
• The Missing Package Manager for macOS (or Linux) — Homebrew
  The Missing Package Manager for macOS (or Linux)
• Merlin Mann - "Sick of You" (1992)
  (Drums by Casio MT-40)
• Merlin's Wisdom (Draft)
  
• Yesterworld: The History & Downfall of McDonaldland and the Disney-McDonalds Happy Meal - YouTube
  
• Sir Ian McKellen, On Acting - YouTube
  
• AmazonSmile : Kassa Clear Dry Erase Board Sticker - 17.3" x 78” (6.5 Feet) - 3 Dry-Erase Markers Included - Transparent Adhesive White Board Film for Refrigerator, Desk, Office - Glass Dry Erase Board Alternative : Office Products
  

DISCUSSED: Your hosts talk about music, Apple Watch, and getting out of your kid's way. Also: life and MacBooks Pro.

Links for this episode:

• Michael Penn - Try - YouTube
  
• Michael Penn – Try Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  I would choose to accuse you
  Strike the fire
  Issue a decree
  Ask you why
  Watch you take the fifth as I
  Give you the third degree
• Michael Penn: Try (Video 1997) - Reference View - IMDb
  Music video for Michael Penn's 'Try', shot by Paul Thomas Anderson and other cast and crew from 'Boogie Nights' in a single take in the longest hall-way in North America.
• Exile from Dongletown – Six Colors
  
• Under the Radar - Relay FM
  From development and design to marketing and support, Under the Radar is all about independent app development. It's never longer than 30 minutes.
• 2022 Apple Hardware Calendar by Stephen Hackett — Kickstarter
  A custom wall calendar for Apple nerds, featuring important dates concerning the company's various hardware products.
• Merlin's Wisdom (Draft)
  An admittedly ambitious project to document as much of the best life stuff I've figured out in one place. A work in progress.
• Children of Men: Don't Ignore The Background - YouTube
  
• Children of Men 2006 Long Take - YouTube
  
• Children of Men 2006 Long Take 2 - YouTube
  
• Children of Men 2006 Long Take 3 - YouTube
  
• Everyday Use - Wikipedia
  The story follows the difference between Mrs. Johnson and her shy younger daughter Maggie, who both still adhere to traditional black culture in the rural South, and her educated, successful daughter Dee, or "Wangero" as she prefers to be called, who takes a different route to reclaiming her cultural identity.
• [Fiction] Everyday Use, By Alice Walker | Harper's Magazine
  “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.”
• Blow the dust out of the connector - The Old New Thing
  “Okay, sometimes the connection gets a little dusty and the connection gets weak. Could you unplug the connector, blow into it to get the dust out, then plug it back in?”
• Night Ranger - Don't Tell Me You Love Me (HQ) Official music video - YouTube
  "I've got a pistol for action."
• 'Crazy Train' from "Thirty Years After The Blizzard" DVD - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Dan and his son are up to Daniel Craig in their Bond journey, and this leads to an exploration of how our feelings about movies and their characters can change over time; considering the media you're scared to rewatch since it's probably not as good as you remember; your hosts dive further into browser extensions and why they're so critical to filtering your world.

---

Links for this episode:

• StopTheMadness
  
• StopTheMadness Test
  
• Tweaks for Twitter
  
• StopTheScript
  
• Jeff Johnson (@lapcatsoftware) / Twitter
  
• TrackerZapper for Mac
  
• Muffling and Muting Tweets in Twitterrific (iOS and macOS) / Twitterrific / Knowledge Base - The Iconfactory Support
  Muffling does not remove filtered tweets from your timeline entirely, but instead minimizes them, out of the way of your reading experience.
• Fixerrific
  
• 12ft Ladder
  
• Kenzo World - YouTube
  Margaret Qualley is amazing.
• The Facebook Files - WSJ
  
• Vivaldi Browser | Now with built-in Translate, Mail, and Calendar
  

DISCUSSED: Exploring rural voices; the things that kids (and we) have had stolen away over the past couple years; what movie would get your butt back into a cinema seat?; an opinionated dive into Safari's new approach to tabs (and why it feels so concerning); and, finally, Merlin shares a bunch of Safari extensions that do new stuff—or do old stuff in a cool or interesting way.

---

Links for this episode:

• Safari Keyword Search hits 2.0, comes to iOS – Six Colors
  
• Using Safari at night gets easier with Noir – Six Colors
  
• Safari Keyword Search
  
• GitHub - horimislime/safari-markdown-linker: A handy Safari extension that helps user copying URL as markdown format
  
• Noir – Dark Mode for Safari
  
• Super Agent - Automatic Cookie Consent
  
• Downie - YouTube Video Downloader for macOS - Charlie Monroe Software
  
• GitHub - johnspurlock/app-privacy-report-viewer: Local viewer for App Privacy Reports in iOS 15
  
• Time Magazine December 13 1976 Howard Hughes Exclusive: His Secret Life: Time Magazine, Pink Room Pp: AmazonSmile: Books
  
• Daring Fireball: The Tragedy of Safari 15 for Mac’s ‘Tabs’
  
• Youtube Downloader - Online Youtube Video Downloader | YT1s.com
  
• HTML Color Codes
  Get HTML color codes, Hex color codes, RGB and HSL values with our color picker, color chart and HTML color names.
• Greg Pierce on those weird Safari tabs
  
• "Mac is Catholic, DOS is Protestant" by Umberto Eco
  I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant.
• Search Templates
  
• Solarized
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin considers a black market medical purchase; the anatomical anomalies of the problematic sleeper are considered; some favorite YouTube finds are discussed; and, finally, your hosts begin scratching the surface of iOS 15's many clever and life-enhancing new features.

Links for this episode:

• Safari Keyword Search hits 2.0, comes to iOS – Six Colors
  
• Using Safari at night gets easier with Noir – Six Colors
  
• Safari Keyword Search
  Safari Keyword Search is a simple extension for Safari on macOS amd iOS that enables keyword searching from the address bar. This is a simple but powerful feature that gives you access to several search engines using simple keywords. For example, you can search Wikipedia for information on monkeys by typing w monkeys in the address bar.
• horimislime/safari-markdown-linker: A handy Safari extension that helps user copying URL as markdown format
  Markdown Linker is a Safari App Extension that helps user copying website's URL as markdown format.
• Noir – Dark Mode for Safari
  
• Super Agent - Automatic Cookie Consent
  
• Downie - YouTube Video Downloader for macOS - Charlie Monroe Software
  
• johnspurlock/app-privacy-report-viewer: Local viewer for App Privacy Reports in iOS 15
  Local viewer for App Privacy Reports in iOS 15
• iOS 15: 10 hidden features you need to know | Macworld
  
• Ep. 439: "Dick Meningitis" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  
• Ep. 125: "All the Great Shows!" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: John wasn’t actually a big fan.
• All The Great Shows - The Story of John Roderick
  All The Great Shows is one of the most famous bits of the show. It has been introduced in Episode 125 of Roderick on the Line.
• Nelson's Weblog: life / cpap-obstructive-sleep-apnea
  
• Rick Beato - YouTube
  
• What Makes This Song Great? Ep.31 RADIOHEAD - YouTube
  
• For Mia · Owen Beverly
  Produced by Rick Beato
• Rick Beato Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | AllMusic
  
• Rick Beato - The Beginning, Benefits of Good Pitch and The Future of Music — Niclas Jeppsson
  I did a record a few years ago with an unsigned artist named Owen Beverly, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter. He ended up not getting a record deal but we made an incredible EP which I ended up getting a lot of other projects from. It was a failure because he couldn’t get a record deal because he couldn’t pull off the song live but the record did incredibly well and got me a lot of work. 
• Outkast - Hey Ya! (Official HD Video) - YouTube
  
• Spotify – Magazine
  
• What Really Happens When Lightning Strikes Sand | Discover Magazine
  
• Dallas couple asked to leave restaurant for wearing masks inside | KXAN Austin
  
• Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum (Cast #043) - YouTube
  
• AmazonSmile : Leather Journal Cover for Field Notes, Notebook Cover for Moleskine Cahier, Handmade Vintage Leather Cover for 3.5" x 5.5" Notebooks, Coffee : Office Products
  
• AmazonSmile: Logitech BRIO Ultra HD Webcam for Video Conferencing, Recording, and Streaming - Black : Electronics
  
• Matt Haughey (@mathowie) / Twitter
  
• Guardian Firewall - Guardian Firewall
  Guardian is the safest and most secure way to protect your privacy and data while using apps and browsing the web on your iOS device.
• The Future of This Channel - YouTube
  
• iOS 15: How to Use Visual Lookup in Photos to Identify Landmarks, Plants, and Pets - MacRumors
  
• The Drunk Lover EP | Owen Beverly and INDIANOLA
  
• Improving saves from Twitter and YouTube
  

Dan and Merlin almost talk about iOS 15.

Links for this episode:

• The Different Types of Twilight, Dawn and Dusk
  
• Blues Traveler - Hook - LIVE! - YouTube
  
• iConnectHue | The essential Philips Hue Lights App for iPhone and iPad
  
• "If I Leave Here Tomorrow" - Netflix
  
• Mom and Daughter Libby Adame, Alicia Galaz Killed Adult Star Karissa Rajpaul With Butt Implants, LAPD Says
  

Reporting live from the show floor and looking at options for time tracking.

Links for this episode:

• Toggl: Time Tracking, Project Planning and Hiring Tools to Help Teams Work Better
  Reliable time tracking software loved by 5M users
• Timery for Toggl
  
• Timery for Toggl: The MacStories Review - MacStories
  
• RescueTime
  
• rknightuk/TrackerZapper: Menubar app to remove link tracking parameters automatically
  TrackerZapper is a Mac app that sits in your menubar and silently removes tracking parameters from any links you copy.
• Clockify - 100% Free Time Tracking Software
  
• On The Job - Professional Time & Expense Tracking and Invoicing - Stunt Software
  
• Invoices, Estimates, Quotes and Time-tracking with Billings Pro on Mac, iPhone and Apple Watch - Marketcircle
  
• Hours - Time Tracking App Online - Try Hours For Free!
  
• Time tracking radically simplified - Daily for Mac
  
• Timemator - Automatic Time Tracking for Freelancers (Mac & iPhone)
  
• Day-Timer Personal & Professional Planners, Organizers & Refills
  
• The paradox of abundance – Jon Udell
  

DISCUSSED: The rules of "Rabbit Rabbit"; exploring the magic of Domino's probability-altering powers; forests versus trees and past versus future; Chevy Chase and a familial ninety-ten inversion; and, finally, praise for Lulu Miller's mind-blowing thoughts on the downsides of imposing "order" onto chaos.

Links for this episode:

• Organizing Chaos — On the Media — Overcast
  
• Organizing Chaos | On the Media | WNYC Studios
  
• Why Fish Don't Exist | Book by Lulu Miller | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
  Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.
• Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life , Miller, Lulu - Amazon.com
  
• No Such Thing As A Fish | Nosuchthingasafish
  Each week Dan, James, Anna and Andy discuss their favourite facts unearthed in the past seven days.
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma: van der Kolk M.D., Bessel: 9780143127741: Amazon.com: Books
  
• Opinion | This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Trauma - The New York Times
  The core argument of the book is that traumatic experiences — everything from sexual assault and incest to emotional and physical abuse — become embedded in the older, more primal parts of our brain that don’t have access to conscious awareness.
• Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews Bessel van der Kolk - The New York Times
  
• They Podcast | Blank Check with Griffin and David Wiki | Fandom
  They Podcast is a miniseries covering the films of John Carpenter beginning in August 2021
• @BlankCheckPod | Linktree
  
• Domino (character) - Wikipedia
  In addition to her exceptional marksmanship and hand-to-hand skills, Domino possesses mutant probability-altering powers, similar to those of the mutant Longshot.

Links for this episode:

• Scotch-Mount™ Extreme Double-Sided Mounting Tape | 3M United States
  
• Community (TV series) - Wikipedia
  
• Magneto | Marvel Database | Fandom
  
• Story Structure 101: Super Basic Shit | Channel 101 Wiki | Fandom
  
• (10) Blade Runner 2049 Cells Interlinked Scene 1080p - YouTube
  
• Matter
  
• List of James Bond films - Wikipedia
  

DISCUSSED: Nicholson movies; Synology yums and yucks; difficulties of shows about music; upcoming rabbit rabbit plans.

Links for this episode:

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest What’s Up With the Epigraph? | Shmoop
  
• 1962–1966 - Wikipedia
  a/k/a "The Red Album"
• 1967–1970 - Wikipedia
  a/k/a "The Blue Album"
• The Beatles’ RED & BLUE Albums - Their BEST Compilations? - YouTube
  
• The Chaotic Story of Dexys Midnight Runners & "Come On Eileen" | New British Canon - YouTube
  
• Dexys Midnight Runners - "There, There My Dear" - YouTube
  
• Dexys Midnight Runners - "Geno" (TotP, 1980) - YouTube
  
• Dexys Midnight Runners - "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Catching up; Merlin's Travel Results; praise for Best in Show, SCTV, and public libraries; Dan has a new computer.

Links for this episode:

• Reconcilable Differences #162: A Pile of Bed - Relay FM
  Remembering various animal actors, enumerating genres that need a name, considering the philosophies behind "bag in a bag," and contrasting college with the ordinary crucibles of post-adolescent life.
• Home | Nanoleaf » USA » Consumer IoT & LED Smart Lighting Products
  
• Best in Show (film) - Wikipedia
  
• Top Gun Auditions - SNL - YouTube
  
• AmazonSmile: Inteset 4-in-1 Universal Backlit IR Learning Remote for use with Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku, Media Center/Kodi, Nvidia Shield, Most Streamers & Other A/V Devices : Electronics
  
• AmazonSmile: IKEA 172.283.40 Frakta Shopping Bag, Large, Blue, Set of 5: Home & Kitchen
  
• Best in Show (3/11) Movie CLIP - We Met at Starbucks (2000) HD - YouTube
  
• Best in Show (1/11) Movie CLIP - Two Left Feet (2000) HD - YouTube
  
• Best in Show (5/11) Movie CLIP - Where's Winky? (2000) HD - YouTube
  
• Schitt's Creek - Moira's Commercial - YouTube
  
• Knocked Up: We Can't Legally Ask You to Lose Weight - YouTube
  
• Inteset Universal Remote Control Device Code Lookup
  
• The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right: Gawande, Atul: 9780312430009: Amazon.com: Books
  

A celebration of M1 devices, the benefits of learning how to learn, and considering when a new learning curve might be worth the climb.

Links for this episode:

• Gordon Solie - Wikipedia
  
• Final Cut Pro - Wikipedia
  
• 2022 Mac Pro Rumored to Use Intel's Ice Lake Xeon W-3300 Chips - MacRumors
  
• System Of A Down - Chop Suey! (Official Video) - YouTube
  
• Descript | All-in-one audio/video editing, as easy as a doc.
  All-in-one audio
• Aldus Pagemaker - The Interface Experience: Bard Graduate Center
  
• System Of A Down's Toxicity at 20: inside the new issue of Metal Hammer | Louder
  
• Tabs versus Spaces - YouTube
  

Find the tool you need—but, keep asking yourself, "Soooooo…now what?"

Links for this episode:

• The paradox of abundance – Jon Udell
  
• Could Gen Z Free the World From Email? - The New York Times
  
• Difference Between Temples, Synagogues & Shuls | JewishBoston
  
• School Lunches, P-Hacking and the Original “Pizzagate” — Maintenance Phase — Overcast
  
• 469. The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s Stop Pretending We’re Not — Freakonomics Radio — Overcast
  
• Tony Buzan | Inventor of Mind Mapping
  
• How To Mind Map With Tony Buzan (Using 3 Simple Rules) | MindMaps Unleashed
  
• AmazonSmile : Cambridge Limited Business Notebook, Legal Ruled, 8-1/2" x 11", Top Bound, Action Planner, Black (06092) : Wirebound Notebooks : Office Products
  
• Wild Animals: Chimp Uses Twig to Fish for Termites - YouTube
  

Things get pretty silly, yet somehow land on some extremely Back to Work points about time management, compression, values, and moving your own goalposts. For some reason, McDonald's becomes an important controlling metaphor.

Links for this episode:

• Could Gen Z Free the World From Email? - The New York Times
  “It’s actually crazy how outdated it is.” People born after AOL Mail was invented seem to prefer to communicate in almost any other way.
• Is work from home working?
  White-collar workers are heading back to the office. Will anything be different after a year and a half away?
• Wes Anderson Horror Trailer - SNL - YouTube
  
• Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay
  
• Hofstadter's law - Wikipedia
  It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
• Alison Agosti on Twitter: "When is one of these white male billionaires gonna try to have a baby it’s the true final frontier" / Twitter
  When is one of these white male billionaires gonna try to have a baby it’s the true final frontier

DISCUSSED: Dan begins a journey into new worlds of voice control and home automation.

Links for this episode:

• Run Farther, Faster: tips from Endure author Alex Hutchinson.
  To run farther and faster, you must first train your mind.
• Macdrifter
  
• Dan Moren
  
• Inside The Cameras Of Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” | by NYU Local | NYU Local
  
• J.F. Sebastian | Off-world: The Blade Runner Wiki | Fandom
  
• Eve | evehome.com
  
• 4 more victims found in rubble; death toll rises to 32
  
• Spoon - "Gimme Fiction" (reverse track order)
  

DISCUSSED: Some ups and downs of living the smart speaker lifestyle.

Also: the dramatis personae of The Land of Make Believe; feeding the demon dogs; and learning to be careful with the words we put in front of other words.

Links for this episode:

• I Midwest Hate Myself | Do By Friday
  This week’s challenge: explore smart lighting.

DISCUSSED: Merlin and his wife realize the moment they crossed a line; in Follow-Up, your hosts celebrate the late great Fred Willard; in further Follow-Up, the state of the union in smart voice devices is considered; and, finally, the long arc of calendar talk starts to wind down with some hard talk on disambiguation and actually really getting real.

Links for this episode:

• BusyCal - The Best Calendar App for Mac
  
• Flexibits | Fantastical | The calendar and tasks app you won't be able to live without.
  
• He Layeth on High - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Dan finally gets more three-six-five, and Merlin gets extremely deep in the stack. Also, just a little more calendar talk, including a model for deciding where something goes.

Links for this episode:

• Most Days on Vimeo
  I'm Merlin, and I'm making a video most days. Sometimes.
• S. I. Hayakawa - Wikipedia
  
• Amazon.com: Language in Thought and Action: Fifth Edition (9780156482400): S.I. Hayakawa, Alan R. Hayakawa, Robert MacNeil: Books
  
• Watch Special When Lit: A Pinball Documentary | Prime Video
  
• Sir Ian McKellen's acting process - YouTube
  
• Extras David Bowie - YouTube
  
• Arcade | Plex
  Let the gaming begin. Play old school Atari classics plus your own collection of game ROMs and emulators on your favorite devices, courtesy of Plex Labs and Atari. It’s a guaranteed win!
• GE Profile™ Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker - XPIO13SCSS - GE Appliances
  
• Watch The Sci-Fi Boys | Prime Video
  
• Watch Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary | Prime Video
  
• Watch Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons and Dragons | Prime Video
  
• Watch The Image Revolution | Prime Video
  
• Watch Plastic Galaxy | Prime Video
  
• Watch Astonishing X-Men: Gifted Season 1 | Prime Video
  
• Watch Chris Claremont's X-Men | Prime Video
  
• Watch Starring Adam West | Prime Video
  
• What's new on Descript
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin runs into some problems reporting live from the show floor; is social media making us as happy as we'd like to think?; thoughts on pro wrestlers and the films of John Carpenter; finding the triggers for action that you didn't know you needed; recommendations for videos and Firefox extensions; why we use the web browsers that we use; your hosts dive into their favorite announcements coming out of WWDC; how exactly do you decide where something should go?; Dan reveals he has become the third kind of calendar person; exploring the ineffable (but indisputably real) value of finding technologies and experiences that you actually enjoy; and, finally, Merlin shares a novel misunderstanding with a voice dingus.

Links for this episode:

• Fakespot Fake Amazon Reviews and eBay Sellers (Firefox extension)
  Protect yourself from bad sellers and fake reviews on Amazon and more
• ReviewMeta.com Review Helper (Firefox extension)
  ReviewMeta analyzes millions of reviews and helps you decide which to trust
• Mental health days: Learning from Naomi Osaka - The Washington Post
  
• Why There are Now So Many Shortages (It's Not COVID) - YouTube
  
• Randy Savage - Wikipedia
  
• Download Firefox Browser — Fast, Private & Free — from Mozilla
  
• Fakespot | Analyze and identify fake reviews and counterfeits
  
• macOS 12 Monterey upgrades Continuity with Universal Control | TechCrunch
  
• Jazz in the Background | Spotify Playlist
  
• Words That Mean Nothing - In These Times
  Our political discourse is dominated by issues that don’t exist
• Cancel Culture — You're Wrong About — Overcast
  
• How China Broke the World's Recycling - YouTube
  
• How Universal Control on macOS Monterey works - The Verge
  It’s simpler — and cleverer — than I expected
• The Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be (Official Music Video) - YouTube
  
• Lucas With the Lid Off on Vimeo
  
• Why Planes Don't Fly Faster - YouTube
  
• VideoWriter - Wikipedia
  
• Original Talking Moose - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Part one of a deep dive into calendars.

Links for this episode:

• 206 - Narcissism — You Are Not So Smart — Overcast
  
• Dark triad - Wikipedia
  In psychology, the dark triad comprises the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
• Increase Apple TV screen contrast - Apple Support
  In Settings on Apple TV, go to Accessibility > Increase Contrast > Focus Style, then choose High Contrast.
• Kaleidoscope (software) - Wikipedia
  
• Larry Miller (comedian) - Wikipedia
  
• I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - Wikipedia
  
• ATP 432: I Shouldn't Need to Wiggle — Accidental Tech Podcast
  
• Chris Voss FBI hostage negotiator on being assertive
  I disable bombs for a living. But I hate confronting people.
• Never Split The Difference | Chris Voss | TEDxUniversityofNevada - YouTube
  
• The art of misdirection | Apollo Robbins - YouTube
  Hailed as the greatest pickpocket in the world, Apollo Robbins studies the quirks of human behavior as he steals your watch. In a hilarious demonstration, Robbins samples the buffet of the TEDGlobal 2013 audience, showing how the flaws in our perception make it possible to swipe a wallet and leave it on its owner's shoulder while they remain clueless.
• selective attention test - YouTube
  
• 463. How to Get Anyone to Do Anything — Freakonomics Radio — Overcast
  
• The Lick - YouTube
  
• Adam Neely - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin is full of beans this week.

Links for this episode:

• Adam Neely - YouTube
  
• Once More, With Feeling
  
• Thread Benefits
  
• HomeKit over Thread | evehome.com
  
• Bacon Ray - "Sundays in a Row" (1995)
  
• Wrong Tools Cost Lives — Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford — Overcast
  
• Sublime Text 4 - News - Sublime HQ
  
• Mr Show - Thrilling Miracles! - YouTube
  (see if you can spot a young Judd Apatow in the audience)
• Company Broadway revival starring Raul Esparza Great Performances 2006 - YouTube
  
• PBS Great Performances, Stephen Sondheim's Company-Not Getting Married Today - YouTube
  
• Raul Esparza - Being Alive - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: A classic, old-school “Odds ’n Sods” episode that includes: Apple’s audio upgrade announcement; AirTags and the promising future of UWB; lots of thoughts on anxiety; caffeine weaners; tongue-rolling; and a salt and pepper of media recently enjoyed (and now recommended).

Links for this episode:

• PSA: AirTag can be used as an NFC tag for Shortcuts automation - 9to5Mac
  
• ts1/BLEUnlock: Lock/unlock your Mac with your iPhone, Apple Watch, or any other Bluetooth LE devices
  
• AmazonSmile : Tieman's Fusion Coffee, Low Acid Dark Roast, Ground, 10 ounce bag (pack of 6) : Grocery & Gourmet Food
  
• How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality? : The Record : NPR
  
• Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind - Kindle edition by Brewer, Judson. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
  
• Belkin Secure Holder with Key Ring for AirTag – Black - Apple
  
• troglodyte mode
  
• The Computer-free Automation of a Jukebox (Electromechanics) - YouTube
  
• Quentin Tarantino and the Poetry Between the Lines - YouTube
  
• Spotify: Weezer - "Pinkerton"
  
• Apple Music: Weezer - "Pinkerton"
  
• [Sleep Anxiety audio Merlin likes]
  
• Do you inherit the ability to roll your tongue? - BBC Future
  It’s long been thought that the ability to roll your tongue is a clear-cut case of genetics. BBC Future finds it’s not that simple.

DISCUSSED: Merlin has been cracking nuts, and Dan is enjoying a beverage; in Follow-Up, Dan has made great progress with his new voice assistant; Merlin has thoughts on choosing a dingus ecosystem that’s right for you; words mean things, and often you want the right “procedure word”; Merlin has some good Back to Work-adjacent media recommendations; do we really want to rebuild The Embarcadero Freeway? Really?; and, Dan has some new scholarship on the films of Stanley Kubrick.

Links for this episode:

• Opinion | That Anxiety You’re Feeling? It’s a Habit You Can Unlearn. - The New York Times
  
• Efficiency is the Enemy
  
• Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind - Kindle edition by Brewer, Judson. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
  
• Watch YouTube TV on your Google Nest Display - Google Nest Help
  
• Procedure word - Wikipedia
  
• (7) Collative Learning - YouTube
  
• Embarcadero Freeway | CNU
  
• Old San Francisco: A Look At Before And After The Embarcadero Free Came Down | by UpOut SF | Medium
  
• An ode to the Embarcadero Freeway, the blight by the bay
  
• Amazon.com: Celery Man: Alexa Skills
  

DISCUSSED: Dan is actively gaslighting Merlin, and this can be proven; please stop stealing focus; praise for Ferris Bueller in general and the knees of Sloane Peterson in particular; passing thoughts on fear, procrastination, impostor syndrome, and solving the right problem; Merlin is delighted to discover a much-improved Little Snitch; Dan has thoughts on his Ford’s weird button; in gadget updates, Dan has found some useful headphones and has thoughts on trying to use his new Google dingus; finally, just in general, try to keep your hands away from the dragon’s mouth.

Links for this episode:

• Little Snitch
  As soon as you’re connected to the Internet, applications can potentially send whatever they want to wherever they want. Most often they do this to your benefit. But sometimes, like in case of tracking software, trojans or other malware, they don’t.
• How to overcome impostor syndrome.
  How to overcome impostor syndrome.
• Why You Should Talk to Yourself in the Third Person
  Evidence suggests that there are real benefits of talking to yourself in the third person—in your head, not out loud.
• Does Distanced Self-Talk Facilitate Emotion Regulation Across a Range of Emotionally Intense Experiences? - Ariana Orvell, Brian D. Vickers, Brittany Drake, Philippe Verduyn, Ozlem Ayduk, Jason Moser, John Jonides, Ethan Kross, 2021
  Research indicates that a subtle shift in language—silently referring to oneself using one’s own name and non–first-person-singular pronouns (i.e., distanced self-talk)—promotes emotion regulation.
• Amazon.com: AFTERSHOKZ Air Open Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones, Slate Grey, AS650SG
  
• Front Door Camera Package - Google Store
  
• Twitterrific: Twitter Your Way
  
• Air – AfterShokz
  
• <p>Wireless Industry Leading Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones</p> | WH-1000XM4/B | Sony US
  
• Vincent Adultman | BoJack Horseman Wiki | Fandom
  His right hand is a broom and his left hand is a mannequin hand.

Merlin has a whole new setup, and Dan has a whole new TV.

Links for this episode:

• My Secret Sauce of Blogging
  This is where I give away all of my blogging secrets. I’ve decided to divest myself of any advantages Macdrifter has built over the past 12 years.
• The Technium: 99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice
  I have another birthday, and another bunch of unsolicited advice. 
• How to overcome impostor syndrome.
  I’m Great at My Job. So Why Do I Feel Like a Fraud? How to overcome impostor syndrome.
• Why You Should Talk to Yourself in the Third Person
  
• Does Distanced Self-Talk Facilitate Emotion Regulation Across a Range of Emotionally Intense Experiences? - Ariana Orvell, Brian D. Vickers, Brittany Drake, Philippe Verduyn, Ozlem Ayduk, Jason Moser, John Jonides, Ethan Kross, 2021
  Research indicates that a subtle shift in language—silently referring to oneself using one’s own name and non–first-person-singular pronouns (i.e., distanced self-talk)—promotes emotion regulation.
• The Bureau (TV series) - Wikipedia
  
• Amazon.com: SAMSUNG 55-inch Class Q80A Series – QLED 4K UHD Smart TV with Alexa Built-in (QN55Q80AAFXZA, 2021 Model): Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: Jay Strongwater Kong Pave Gorilla Figurine: Home & Kitchen
  
• Easy macOS Loads By Way of Homebrew Bundle — Liss is More
  
• Amazon.com: RECUR Large Albino Gorilla Toys King Kong White Realistic Hand Painted Walking Gorilla Ape Wild Animal Figurine Model – Replica Gorilla Godzilla vs Kong 2021 Figure Gift for Collectors Boys Kids 3+: Toys & Games
  
• Reconcilable Differences #147: Pan-Pan! - Relay FM
  As something like a main topic, Merlin offers a sheepish series of recent anecdotes regarding technology and hasty decision-making. He seems not to remember this being his idea (he did that), which he is surprisingly not all that sheepish about. But, let's be honest. Technology can be terrible and very confusing.

DISCUSSED: Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; sleep is complicated; food is complicated, too; Dan tries to build muscles the right way; he also has strong feelings about TV shopping; Merlin just wants someone to tell him which is The Good One.

Links for this episode:

• Feeling Blah During the Pandemic? It's Called Languishing - The New York Times
  The neglected middle child of mental health can dull your motivation and focus — and it may be the dominant emotion of 2021.
• The Importance of Routines, Even Interrupted by a Pandemic - The New York Times
  By setting routines for myself, I was able to shield myself from chaos. Then the pandemic happened. I set out to get them back on track.
• Reviews and Ratings - RTINGS.com
  
• HDMI 2.1: What you need to know - CNET
  
• ::: LG | webOS TV Developer :: Discover webOS TV
  
• Android TV
  
• LG Smart TV w/ webOS: A World of Content | LG USA
  
• LG CX 65 inch Class 4K Smart OLED TV w/ AI ThinQ® (64.5'' Diag) (OLED65CXPUA) | LG USA
  Merlin's beloved fancy TV.
• LG CX OLED Review (OLED48CXPUB, OLED55CXPUA, OLED65CXPUA, OLED77CXPUA) - RTINGS.com
  
• TV Tools - RTINGS.com
  Take things into your own hands. Use our tools and find the best TV for your needs
• TV Size to Distance Calculator and Science - RTINGS.com
  Use our size to distance calculator to see which size TV you should get based on how far away you'll be sitting from the screen.
• Reconcilable Differences #150: The Stands - Relay FM
  "Next, the focus turns to TV stands. While pretty much all of them are incompatible with John's house, this generates a careful visual interrogation of the bizarre manner in which Sony thinks your home works." [Siracusa, picking nits at his best]

DISCUSSED: some important movie follow-up; films (and other media) can be a powerful way to talk about things we aren't supposed to be talking about; Merlin has some links to help think about what comes next as we get back to ““normal""; plus, follow-up on Dan's Kindle journey, including some really useful tips.

Links for this episode:

• Pinboard: Merlin's Covid Bookmarks
  
• Welcome to Kindle Unlimited
  
• Dan's Godzilla Movies
  
• Some Kung Fu Movies for Dan
  
• The Celluloid Closet (1995) - Reference View - IMDb
  A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
• Dirty Ho (1979) - The Prince's Bodyguard - YouTube
  
• Dirty Ho (1979) - Wine Tasting - YouTube
  
• Dirty Ho (1979) - Final Fight - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: fake southern accents lead to some movie talk; Merlin apologizes; Dan does not want to spend a night in The Box; please utilize the restroom that conforms to the color of your gender; a guardsman pitches Merlin's wife; Merlin goes off on a surprisingly long tangent on kung fu movies--especially the work of The Great Gordon Liu; Dan needs a syllabus to get Cash even more into Godzilla movies; there are some words on DC movies; your hosts begin a dive into the Kindle ecosystem that turns into a dive into ""The Kindle Ecosystem""; Friend-of-the-Show, Moisés, provides some beneficial real-time follow-up regarding the king of monsters; Merlin needs some movie backstory but also wants wants to make it extremely clear that he is very attracted to an English actress.

Links for this episode:

• Standard Ebooks: Free and liberated ebooks, carefully produced for the true book lover.
  "Free and liberated ebooks, carefully produced for the true book lover." (The awesome website Merlin couldn't remember)
• We Have All Hit a Wall - The New York Times
  
• The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - Wikipedia
  
• Gordon Liu - Wikipedia
  
• Dirty Ho (1979) - The Prince's Bodyguard - YouTube
  
• Dirty Ho (1979) - Wine Tasting - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: Kindle Paperwhite – Now Waterproof with 2x the Storage – Ad-Supported
  
• Ex-Men: Gambit - YouTube
  
• Shin Godzilla - Wikipedia
  
• The Libby App by OverDrive: Free ebooks & audiobooks from the library
  
• calibre - E-book management
  
• Free eBooks | Project Gutenberg
  Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks
• Welcome to Open Library | Open Library
  
• Amazon.com: Kindle Unlimited: Kindle Store
  
• Letterboxd: "Some Kung Fu Movies for Dan"
  Merlin does some quick curation.
• Mr Show - Senator Tankerbell (season 1) - YouTube
  
• Terrigen Mist | Marvel Database | Fandom
  Terrigen Mist is a mutagenic, or mutation-causing, substance arising as a vapor from the Terrigen Crystals, which are able to alter Inhuman biology.
• Rogue (Anna Marie) (Earth-616) | Marvel Database | Fandom
  Rogue was not able to control her absorption power at first
• Rebecca Hall - IMDb
  

DISCUSSED: iOS has gotten really good; still, there's some Apple stuff we'd love to see get better; some Covid updates; anxiety and OCD in these fraught times; finally, Dan and Merlin need your advice for some networking upgrades.

Links for this episode:

• How COVID-19 Affected People With OCD and Anxiety - The Atlantic
  The pandemic’s retreat doesn’t necessarily mean life will get easier for people with OCD.
• Is the Pandemic Breaking Our Backs? | The New Yorker
  Test-driving a batch of posture-enhancing devices that are supposed to make you stand tall.
• Amazon.com: TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 Smart WiFi Router (Archer AX50) – 802.11ax Router, Gigabit Router, Dual Band, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, Parental Controls, Built-in HomeCare,Works with Alexa: Computers & Accessories
  
• Firewalla | Firewalla: Cybersecurity Firewall For Your Family and Business
  
• Dramatic Drop in Colds and Flu Raises Question: Masks Forever? : Shots - Health News : NPR
  
• Cargo ship news is bad news.
  Max Cho, a product manager at Google, joins Felix Salmon and Emily Peck to talk about that cargo ship stuck in the Suez Canal and its effect on supply chains, the bloodbath at Medium and the media in general, and what the post-pandemic return to the office will look like.
• Netflix - "Brian Regan - On the Rocks"
  
• Maria Bamford’s One-Hour Homemade Christmas Special! on Vimeo
  For you, my friends, a free- ONE HOUR HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - enjoy and download at your leisure- it's yours. Sell it at the Flea Market out of the back of your van with packs of socks and old phones!
• ReviewMeta.com - Amazon Review Checker
  ReviewMeta analyzes Amazon product reviews and filters out reviews that our algorithm detects may be unnatural.

DISCUSSED: DST and rebooting sleep; some quick documentary talk; a challenging H.R. Giger poster; updates on sane prepping, looking at some interesting sources for electric power; on rational prepping; oh, boy, fatbergs; and, finally, a quick dive into the joys of "The Everything Button" and the myriad benefits of learning the key commands.

Links for this episode:

• Bitfocus AS
  
• Do By Friday
  
• Paletro
  Command Palette in any applications on macOS
• Mac keyboard shortcuts - Apple Support
  By pressing certain key combinations, you can do things that normally need a mouse, trackpad, or other input device.
• 30 keyboard shortcuts Mac users need to know | Computerworld
  
• Memory: The Origins of Alien - Wikipedia
  
• Jodorowsky's Dune
  
• Amazon.com: [Upgraded]BigBlue 3 USB Ports 28W Solar Charger(5V/4.8A Max), Foldable Portable Solar Phone Charger with SunPower Solar Panel Compatible with iPhone 11/Xs/XS Max/XR/X/8/7, iPad, Samsung Galaxy LG etc.
  
• 1900 Galveston hurricane - Wikipedia
  
• Drafts 26: The Customization Update – nahumck.me
  
• Glen Campbell - Galveston - YouTube
  
• Fatberg - Wikipedia
  
• 40-ton 'fatberg' the size of a double-decker bus removed from Londo.. - ABC7 San Francisco
  
• Amazon.com : Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 1000, 1002Wh Solar Generator (Solar Panel Optional) with 3x110V/1000W AC Outlets, Solar Mobile Lithium Battery Pack for Outdoor RV/Van Camping, Emergency : Garden & Outdoor
  
• Amazon.com : Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240, 240Wh Backup Lithium Battery, 110V/200W Pure Sine Wave AC Outlet, Solar Generator (Solar Panel Not Included) for Outdoors Camping Travel Hunting Emergency : Garden & Outdoor
  
• Amazon.com: Jackery SolarSaga 100W Portable Solar Panel for Explorer 240/300/500/1000 Power Station, Foldable US Solar Cell Solar Charger with USB Outputs for Phones (Can't Charge Explorer 440/ PowerPro): Garden & Outdoor
  
• AmazonSmile: Anker PowerCore II 20000, 20100mAh Portable Charger with Dual USB Ports, PowerIQ 2.0 (up to 18W Output) Power Bank, Fast Charging for iPhone, Samsung and More (Compatible with Quick Charge Devices)
  
• (HD Trailer) The Holy Mountain | Alejandro Jodorowsky - YouTube
  Warning: Not Safe for…Anything
• Acorn 7 | Full Featured Photo Editor for the Mac
  
• Drafts | Where Text Starts
  “Easily one of the best iOS apps I’ve ever used.” – Merlin Mann
• iOS Changelog - Drafts User Guide
  
• Consensual Disruption | Do By Friday
  This week’s challenge: reboot your sleep.

Diving deep on the power of infrastructure. Yes, for you, too.

Links for this episode:

• The new, improved StyleStealer for Marked 2 - BrettTerpstra.com
  This tool is great if you’re on online writer who wants to see how their work will appear on the destination blog or publication. It’s also great if you like to Markdownify articles and be able to read them later with their original look.
• Consensual Disruption | Do By Friday
  This week’s challenge: reboot your sleep.
• Consensual Disruption - After Show
  We've unlocked this extremely good after show for you monsters.
• THE SHINING (1979) analysis by Rob Ager
  
• (2) Collative Learning - YouTube
  
• FH Mini #24 - Goofs Twofs — The Flop House — Overcast
  
• Phish - "Farmhouse" - YouTube
  The Phish song Merlin likes.
• Deborah Ann Woll talks D&D, Acting and Storytelling - YouTube
  
• Ethan Schoonover
  Games, Technology, Education, Communications
• MkDocs
  Project documentation with Markdown.

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a lot to say about fizzy water and the drugs of Florida; someone please help Dan get his old Twitter name; talking recent media and deciding when a kid is "ready" for it; some Marvel talk; Jack Kirby ruled; finally, hey, tell us what you'd like to hear on topics related to preparation and infrastructure.

Links for this episode:

• How to stop overthinking.
  "I’m newly married but I can’t stop thinking about an old flame."
• AmazonSmile | iSi Classic MeshSodamaker for Making Carbonating Beverages, 1 Quart, Stainless Steel: Seltzer Bottles & Chargers
  
• Siouxsie And The Banshees - Cities In Dust - YouTube
  

Preparing isn't just for preppers. But, how do you incorporate scope and infrastructure without turning into a nut?

Links for this episode:

• Four-Day Work Week Gains Popularity Around the World - Bloomberg
  
• Merlin Mann's Best Tweet Ever
  
• Deepfake TikTok videos of Tom Cruise watched by millions | News | The Times
  
• Dan Benjamin is creating Videos | Patreon
  
• The Dark Knight with Aubrey Gordon | Why Are Dads?
  We unpack the plethora of dad issues presented in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight with the delightful Aubrey Gordon.
• Bill Hader Reveals All the Things Seth Taught Him at SNL - Late Night with Seth Meyers - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Dan has updates on Texas's recent weather events and the unanticipated cascading effects on complex and interconnected infrastructures; then, for dessert, your hosts explore the delights and insights of the "isolated tracks" rabbit hole.

Links for this episode:

• Van Halen - Dance The Night Away - Guitar Track - YouTube
  
• The Who- Won't Get Fooled Again - John Entwistle's isolated bass (live) HQ SOUND - YouTube
  
• The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Isolated Bass) (Surround Sound) - YouTube
  
• Deconstructing And Your Bird Can Sing (Isolated Tracks) - YouTube
  
• Eddie Van Halen - Unchained - Isolated Guitar Track INCREDIBLE - YouTube
  
• Eddie Van Halen Talks Revolutionary Gear Mods and the Death of Rock in his First-Ever Interview from 1978 | GuitarPlayer
  
• Jas Obrecht – “Eddie Van Halen: The David Lee Roth Years” (2010) | The Beat Patrol
  “Pat Travers blew you off? I can’t fucking believe that! Why don’t you interview me? Nobody has ever wanted to interview me.” —Eddie Van Halen (1978)
• Texas energy supplier under fire for five out-of-state board members
  Texas controls its own electrical grid, but at least five of the fifteen people serving on the operator’s board of directors do not appear to live in the state, a fact that has angered some state officials as Texas navigates widespread blackouts that have left millions without power.
• Austin Today - YouTube
  
• Dan Benjamin is creating Videos | Patreon
  
• Charles looks forward to 2066
  "Just set a 2/23/2066 reminder for myself to nag our now-12-year-old that when I was HIS age (57), I was running playing soccer w/ him most days like a much younger rhino. So maybe get up out of that zero-g La-Z-Boy holo-chair orbiting Io & get your 102-year-old dad a space beer."
• Van Halen - Unchained - 6/12/1981 - Oakland Coliseum Stadium (Official) - YouTube
  
• Backfire effect - RationalWiki
  The effect is claimed to be that when, in the face of contradictory evidence, established beliefs do not change but actually get stronger.
• Ryan Deiss on Twitter: "@danbenjamin @maddow Here’s a redneck clip that will probably get me trouble with NBC. :) https://t.co/dHWxdK8YBE" / Twitter
  

DISCUSSED: As The Lone Star state struggles with a surfeit of anomalous weather events, your hosts dig into the challenges inherent to all sorts of complex, interconnected systems.

Links for this episode:

• Brandon Friedman on Twitter: "Water stored in the bathtub froze solid last night. That's how it's going in Dallas. https://t.co/cJdUMDT6pN" / Twitter
  (Show art swiped from this tweet by Brandon Friedman.)
• Coldest temperatures in decades continue; more wintry weather mid-week | kvue.com
  
• Causality
  Chain of Events. Cause and Effect. We analyse what went right and what went wrong as we discover that many outcomes can be predicted, planned for and even prevented.
• Cautionary Tales – Pushkin
  We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these cautionary tales are for the education of the grown-ups — and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “Messy” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They’ll delight you and scare you, but also make you wiser.
• Causality — Overcast
  Chain of Events. Cause and Effect. We analyse what went right and what went wrong as we discover that many outcomes can be predicted, planned for and even prevented.
• Cautionary Tales — Overcast
  We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They’ll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
• Bernard Purdie - Wikipedia
  
• “Babylon Sisters” by Steely Dan — Strong Songs — Overcast
  
• Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench - Kiss Guy - Austin, TX. 4-18-18 (Yayo Sanchez) Multi-Cameras - YouTube
  
• Led Zeppelin - "Fool In The Rain" - Isolated drum tracks - YouTube
  
• I’ll Do The Procrastination Episode Tomorrow
  In an episode that could not be put off any longer, Merlin Mann joins John to unpick the habit of procrastination, how to identify when you’re doing it, why you’re doing it and how to stop yourself from doing it and get yourself back on track.
• Bernard "Pretty" Purdie: The Legendary Purdie Shuffle - YouTube
  The great Bernard Purdie breaks down exactly how The Purdie Shuffle works. Do not miss.
• Steely Dan - The Making of "Aja" - YouTube
  
• Cautionary Tales - La La Land: Galileo's Warning on Stitcher
  Galileo tried to teach us that adding more and more layers to a system intended to avert disaster often makes catastrophe all the more likely to happen. His basic lesson has been ignored in nuclear power plants, financial markets and at the Oscars... all resulting in chaos.
• La La Land: Galileo’s Warning — Cautionary Tales — Overcast
  Galileo tried to teach us that adding more and more layers to a system intended to avert disaster often makes catastrophe all the more likely to happen. His basic lesson has been ignored in nuclear power plants, financial markets and at the Oscars... all resulting in chaos.
• Marie-Louise Munter (@missmunter) / Twitter
  Friend of the show!
• House of Prime Rib | 1906 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco | 415.885.4605
  
• Sloan - The Good In Everyone - YouTube
  
• Easy Rider - Airport dealer - YouTube
  
• Random Walks
  A random walk is the process by which randomly-moving objects wander away from where they started.

DISCUSSED: Doing pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good; Dan discovers a shark is menacingly circling one of his product names; there's a reason Merlin is not in the corner office; your hosts fondly recall the Avon products of their youth; Dan shares a terrific anecdote about George Harrison and Phil Collins; please don't use my things for things those things aren't things to be used for; Mission: Impossible movies are very good; if you want to really appreciate something, it helps to make yourself be an amateur again; a recommendation for a very smart Mac location managing app; Merlin presents a lengthy and disordered jeremiad on HomeKit, HomeKit apps, and the new iOS playground; which is mostly all just to say: why are email apps still so terrible?

Links for this episode:

• Phil Collins recalls the time George Harrison played the biggest prank on him - Smooth
  Despite two hours of Collins' enthusiastic conga contributions, it was all seemingly a wasted effort when Phil Spector asked the congas to be played – and everyone realised Collins' microphone had been turned off for the entire two hours he'd just been playing.
• Phil Collins Was An Extra In The Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night” Movie | FeelNumb.com
  The “fans” that were there that night were each paid a standard union fee for their appearance and among them was Phil Collins, then a 13-year-old child actor who years later found fame with the band Genesis and as a solo artist.
• dustinrue/ControlPlane: ControlPlane - context-sensitive computing for OS X
  ontrolPlane - context-sensitive computing for OS X
• Homebridge
  Bringing HomeKit support where there is none
• HomeDash | The Ultimate HomeKit App
  The HomeKit App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
• Home+
  With Home you can control more than just your HomeKit accessories.
• Mark Cuban is co-founding a podcast app where hosts can talk to fans live and monetize their conversations - The Verge
  
• Burj Khalifa | Mission Impossible | Fandom
  
• Bare Bones Software | Super Get Info Support Home
  
• Fincher and VFX - YouTube
  Merlin curates a short list of videos highlighting David Fincher's subtle but powerful use of VFX for ordinary-looking (or even invisible) effects in his films.
• ArtStation - Ted Lasso Stadium, Barnstorm VFX
  
• "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Porno Gil (TV Episode 2000) - Reference View - IMDb
  A bizarre chain of events starts with Larry accidentally being invited to have dinner with a former porno star, Gil, (Bob Odenkirk).
• Simplify Gmail v2: The inbox and keyboard shortcuts - On Simplify
  "3. Rewarding you for reaching inbox zero"
• Ding Dong Avon Calling - YouTube
  

No way am I even going to attempt a description this week.

With that said:

[this is a good one]

Links for this episode:

• harrumph! still crazy ("Rabbit rabbit!")
  "It's the end of the month and you know what that means...."
• Donnie Darko: Movie Explanation - A Detailed Explanation Of What happens In Donnie Darko - My ASP.NET Application
  
• Goodfellas Painting | Painting From the Movie Goodfellas
  
• Over the Garden Wall - Wikipedia
  
• Roundball Rock - SNL - YouTube
  
• "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" - Netflix
  There is no such thing as an ordinary interaction in this offbeat sketch comedy series that features a deep roster of guest stars.
• "Netflix Presents: The Characters" (Tim Robinson) - Netflix
  Tim Robinson breaks out characters like a frenzied Rat Pack wannabe, a disturbed limo employee, a gun shopper with bathroom issues and more.
• I Think You Should Leave | Hot Dog Car Sketch | Netflix Is A Joke - YouTube
  Time to get to the bottom of this. Seriously, who crashed this hot dog-shaped car?
• 'Focus Group' Sketch | I Think You Should Leave w/ Tim Robinson | Netflix Is A Joke - YouTube
  We don't make the rules: Paul HAS to marry his mother-in-law!
• Baby Of The Year [Full Sketch] | I Think You Should Leave | Netflix Is A Joke - YouTube
  Drama, bribery, show tunes, and beauty... which baby will win the most heated competition of the year?
• Netflix Presents: The Characters | Tim Robinson | Netflix - YouTube
  "You guys pay WHATEVER you think is fair!"
• iOS 14.5 features, release date, beta, and everything you need to know | Macworld
  Several welcome features are coming soon to your iPhone.
• The Pot Roast Principle | Psychology Today
  "I don't know why I cut the ends off, but it’s what my mom always did. Why don't you ask your Grandma?"
• The Making of "Peg" - Steely Dan - YouTube
  
• Over The Garden Wall | Potatoes and Molasses | Cartoon Network - YouTube
  Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice get all mixed up in the musical antics of a schoolhouse of animals, a lovelorn teacher, a grouchy old benefactor, and an escaped gorilla.

DISCUSSED: There are things that one wants to see less or fewer often; is this particular button actually hooked up to anything?; there is literal must-see TV and you must see it literally immediately; everything is catching on fire; four basic steps for being a successful adult (who has to deal with other adults); thoughts on creativity and focal length; the process of unpandemicizing, or: do we still know how to put a Casual Corner in a mall?; Dan is loving his iPad; Merlin introduces a theory on The Velocity of Writing Instruments; and, finally, a quick celebrity cameo.

Links for this episode:

• XY problem - Wikipedia
  

DISCUSSED: Dan continues to explore the exciting possibilities of his latest hardware acquisition.

Links for this episode:

• Wisdom From Merlin
  Or: “Everybody likes being given a glass of water.” It's only advice for you because it had to be advice for me.
• Paperlike, the iPad Screen Protector: write and draw like on paper
  

DISCUSSED: life's relentlessness continues apace; Cash enjoyed Dan's modified Godfather trilogy; celebrating Lil' Inappropriate Books; a terrific recent use of "Layla"; some Inside Baseball talk about a recommended app segment; then, for the balance of the episode, your hosts start diving into Dan's exciting new acquisition and how best to put to good use.

Links for this episode:

• ‘Y’all don’t wanna hear me, you just wanna dance’: A cognitive approach to listener attention in OutKast’s ‘Hey Ya!’ - Matthew Voice, Sara Whiteley, 2019
  
• Toolbox Pro
  
• John Cazale - Wikipedia
  
• Solfège - Wikipedia
  
• Music That Sounds Like The Lyrics - YouTube
  
• iPad Pro - Apple
  
• Goodfellas Proud Boys
  "As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a patriot."
• I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) - Reference View - IMDb
  
• HomeDash | The Ultimate HomeKit App
  The HomeKit App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
• Home+
  Home 4 is the most advanced iOS app to control and automate your HomeKit accessories.
• RoomScan LiDAR — Locometric®
  
• Jay J. Armes - Wikipedia
  
• the double amputee you can play with: J. J. ARMES - YouTube
  
• Cool Stuff: Pixar Artist Josh Cooley's Lil' Inappropriate Golden Book Movies R Fun – /Film
  
• Movies R Fun!: A Collection of Cinematic Classics for the Pre-(Film) School Cinephile (Lil' Inappropriate Books): Cooley, Josh: 9781452122335: Amazon.com: Books
  
• Velvet Crush - Teenage Symphonies To God - Amazon.com Music
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin looks at a shelf and then, for some reason, discusses it; walls and Japanese beds and jokey-sized dishwashers all benefit from wheels; life is different when you live on a boat; it's important to find the right tool for the job; some people see forests, while others see trees; Merlin performs his very good Gordon Ramsey impression; Merlin also performs his very good David Lynch impression; in Follow-Up, we learn the extremely unsatisfying reason Personal Requests weren't working on a HomePod; there is discussion of the power of Siri alongside frustrations with its poor documentation; interesting bugs are discussed; your hosts explore the similarities between good documentation and good recipes; weird comic book feet are explored; tips on good media your hosts are enjoying; and, finally, there's some rapid-fire app and scripting recommendations.

Links for this episode:

• Personal Requests not working : HomePod
  "Turn off hey siri recognition on your iphone and set it up again."
• How To Control Your Apple TV with the HomePod – Shane Whatley
  
• My favorite shortcuts to use with my Apple TV | iMore
  These shortcuts and automations are great to use with your Apple TV.
• Siri Shortcuts plus HomePod is amazing! : appletv
  
• Conversational Siri Shortcuts for the Smart Home! | HomeKit Siri Shortcuts for the Apple HomePod - YouTube
  
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - Wikipedia
  
• Noodlesoft – Noodlesoft – Simply Useful Software
  
• American Gods (TV series) - Wikipedia
  
• Order of operations - Wikipedia
  In mathematics and computer programming, the order of operations (or operator precedence) is a collection of rules that reflect conventions about which procedures to perform first in order to evaluate a given mathematical expression.
• simple machine | Examples, List, & Facts | Britannica
  Simple machine, any of several devices with few or no moving parts that are used to modify motion and the magnitude of a force in order to perform work. They are the simplest mechanisms known that can use leverage (or mechanical advantage) to increase force. The simple machines are the inclined plane, lever, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, and screw.
• Garner's Quotations: A Modern Miscellany - Kindle edition by Garner, Dwight. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ AmazonSmile.
  
• Coach John Wooden - Pyramid of Success - UCLA
  Coach Wooden's 'Pyramid of Success' is his 15 building block initiative in the form of a pyramid. The cornerstones were Industriousness and Enthusiasm, climbing to such strived-for human traits as Intentness, Team Spirit, Poise and Confidence, all leading to the top of the pyramid to reach the ultimate goal of Competitive Greatness.
• AmazonSmile: Cover Run: The Dc Comics Art of Adam Hughes (Adam Hughes Cover to Cover) (9781401227821): Hughes, Adam: Books
  
• Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style - Kindle edition by Dreyer, Benjamin. Reference Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
  
• The 40 Worst Rob Liefeld Drawings
  But he doesn't "draw" comics. Oh God, no. Just…ugh, just let me show you.
• Craft - Create Amazing Documents
  Built for digital devices from the ground up, Craft brings back the joy to writing.

DISCUSSED: Making a problem go away is not the same thing as solving the problem.

Links for this episode:

• Craft - Create Amazing Documents
  Built for digital devices from the ground up, Craft brings back the joy to writing.
• Craft Review: A Powerful, Native Notes and Collaboration App - MacStories
  Craft is the strongest 1.0 note-taking app I’ve ever used. It offers a thoroughly native experience, taking advantage of all the best system features across its respective platforms, while also retaining the power and versatility of modern web-based services like Notion.
• MacStories Selects 2020: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year - MacStories
  Craft, a note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is the kind of new experience that not only singlehandledly redefines a category, but it’s so exquisitely well thought-out, so elegantly designed, it pushed me to reconsider the very basics of my note-taking workflow.
• XY problem - Wikipedia
  The XY problem is a communication problem encountered in help desk and similar situations in which the person asking for help obscures the real issue, X, because instead of asking directly about issue X, they ask how to solve a secondary issue, Y, which they believe will allow them to resolve issue X.
• Air quality matters but don’t trust Foobot on it | by DHH | Medium
  So in summary: There’s nothing wrong, and even if there was, it would be too expensive to do it right!

DISCUSSED: The generational struggle to understand things we can't understand, dealing with other people, and Star Wars.

Links for this episode:

• Craft - Create Amazing Documents
  
• Craft Review: A Powerful, Native Notes and Collaboration App - MacStories
  
• MacStories Selects 2020: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year - MacStories
  
• Ultimate Fakebook - Far Far Away - YouTube
  
• Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  Not just another bad movie podcast, Blank Check reviews directors’ complete filmographies episode to episode.
• In A Galaxy Far Far Away… - The Phantom Podcast — Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  
• Skullcrusher Mountain - YouTube
  

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

DISCUSSED: Habits, cycles, and patterns of thinking. Why it's difficult to rehearse success—but surprisingly easy to rehearse failure.

Links for this episode:

• Linky Linky - This has to become a regular thing.
  

Brought to you by:

• Backblaze(Get a 15-day free trial at Backblaze.com/backtowork).

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

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

DISCUSSED: From Jerry Lewis to a drinking bird in a scant 80 minutes.

Links for this episode:

• Opinion | Your Brain Is Not for Thinking - The New York Times
  
• Hook – Find without searching
  Hook’s nimble context-sensitive navigator is loved by people who need to focus on project info, such as professors, researchers, lawyers, software developers
• King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis: Levy, Shawn: 9780312132484: Amazon.com: Books
  
• Jonah Hill 'hospitalised' after snorting so much fake cocaine on Wolf of Wall Street | The Independent | The Independent
  
• Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin Reunion 1976 MDA Telethon - YouTube
  
• Top 100 | Project Gutenberg
  
• 5 Hours of The Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4! - YouTube
  
• The Evening Read
  
• Dan Benjamin - YouTube
  

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

Links for this episode:

• The Omni Show: How Dr. Luc P. Beaudoin Creates “Cognitive Productivity” Software - The Omni Group
  
• Hook – Find without searching
  Link
• Netflix
  
• HBO Max
  
• Billions (TV series) - Wikipedia
  
• How 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek became America's most beloved TV icon, as told by contestants - The Washington Post
  
• The Woke Oracle | Do By Friday
  This week's challenge:draft your Diamond Dogs from Ted Lasso.
• "Monster" - Kanye West, ft. Nicki Minaj, et al. - YouTube
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin's additions to Bunch have him stepping on his own dingus; maybe it's time to invert the permissive legacy model for who gets access to us (as well as how and when); there's no amount of technology that can make other people be decent; Oh. Hey. Defaults? Be better; also, please quit stealing my focus; Dan is not buying anything new; your hosts talk about the various (often non-obvious) costs of adding, changing, or removing features; maybe building your whole business on Facebook wasn't such a great idea; passing discussion of Bloom County, Muppet dogs, and a Tilikum bottle; the tale of Underscore's unexpected success, and the costs it brought; talk of affordances; and, finally, Just cough up some dough, Mac!

Links for this episode:

• Can U2’s Songs of Innocence Be Removed From Apple Account?
  
• ELECTION PROFIT MAKERS
  
• Strong Songs is creating podcasts about music | Patreon
  
• Blackfish (film) - Wikipedia
  
• The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film) - Wikipedia
  
• Opus the Penguin - Wikipedia
  
• The Flop House Animated - The Porthole of Time - YouTube
  
• Bunch - BrettTerpstra.com
  
• 15 Early Telephone Etiquette Rules We Should Bring Back | Mental Floss
  
• Semantic satiation - Wikipedia
  Semantic satiation is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds.

Brought to you by:

• Teamistry (Search for Teamistry anywhere you listen to podcasts)!

• Command Line Heroes (Search for Command Line Heroes anywhere you listen to podcasts)!

• Remote Works (Search for Remote Works anywhere you listen to podcasts)!

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a lot to say about the benefits of making lists; this leads to an old-school stemwinder on "Journal" calendars, functional playlists, shared Notes, the lessons of the cutlery drawer, desire paths, arbitrary grids, "Reference" albums, urban bike hooks, auxiliary paper towel holders, and more; praise for The Boys; the magical combination of Halide and Pixelmator Photo; Dan resurrects a beloved podcast; and, finally, Merlin endorses a really weird British weather report that can help you sleep.

Links for this episode:

• Desire path - Wikipedia
  
• The Pot Roast Principle | Psychology Today
  "I don't know. That's just the way my mom always cooked it. Why don't you ask her?"
• Star Trek Dr. McCoy Pop Art T-Shirt
  
• My Happy Place - YouTube
  Videos I watch pretty often when I need a little pick-me-up.
• "The Boys" (Prime Video)
  
• Halide
  
• Pixelmator Photo
  
• QUIT! with Dan Benjamin
  Dan's amazing podcast QUIT! has returned!
• The Secret History: Howard Hughes, Bizarre Billionaire - YouTube
  
• 5 Hours of The Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4! - YouTube
  
• The Shipping Forecast.mp3.zip
  
• The Shipping Forecast: A Miscellany: Compton, Nic: 9781785940293: Amazon.com: Books
  
• What are Affordances? | Interaction Design Foundation
  

Brought to you by:

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

Links for this episode:

• Visualizing the Vacant Office Space in San Francisco
  In other words, there’s roughly 8.7 Salesforce towers, or 516 Salesforce tower floors, worth of empty office space in San Francisco at the moment, which is roughly enough space to accommodate between 67,000 (based on an average, pre-Covid, density) and 91,000 (a la twitter) worker bees.
• Nick Lowe & The Southsea Alternative Choir - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding - YouTube
  
• Download the Atkinson Hyperlegible Font | Braille Institute
  
• Everything is Exhausting | To The Best Of Our Knowledge
  
• Everything is Exhausting — To The Best Of Our Knowledge — Overcast
  
• Help for people who suffer seasonal and pandemic depression - The Washington Post
  
• Watch SEDUCED: INSIDE THE NXIVM CULT Online: Stream Full Series on STARZ - Free Trial
  This four-part documentary series follows the story of India Oxenberg's perilous journey through the dark and criminal world of the notorious self-help-group-turned-sex-slave-cult NXIVM.
• Reconcilable Differences #141: The Panopticon of Frasier - Relay FM
  No spoilers, but if you're a big fan of Facebook, you might want to skip this one. Because, oh boy, do your hosts ever go off.
• 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.
• Why Zoom School Is So Awful for Parents and Kids
  We're only a few weeks in. We can't keep doing this.
• President Donald Trump: The 60 Minutes 2020 Election Interview - YouTube
  
• How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy: Odell, Jenny: 9781612197494: Amazon.com: Books
  
• Salesforce Tower: Official Web Site
  
• John Mulaney: New in Town - Ice-T on "SVU" & Old Murder Investigations - YouTube
  

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DISCUSSED: Sending good vibes to The Dude; Merlin has a couple awesome app recommendations; some Follow-Up on the Apple Event, including what your hosts are ordering and what they're each excited about; which kinds of things your hosts do and do not find useful about the Apple Rumor Industrial Complex; Dan tries on a new iOS camera app; Merlin recommends a clever web cam app; some of our voice friends hear well, others understand well, and some sound good, but none (for now) do it all; finally, Dan finds some productivity insight, courtesy of The Buddha.

Links for this episode:

• An overly complex hack for finding books on cluttered shelves (Interconnected)
  
• Memos - Private Memory
  
• Bunch - BrettTerpstra.com
  
• Reincubate Camo - Use your phone as a pro webcam, free
  
• Marriage Logic Map
  
• Adittapariyaya Sutta: The Fire Sermon
  
• Jeff Bridges Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ - YouTube
  
• Jeff Bridges Remains 'Chill' During Troubling Times - YouTube
  
• Jeff Bridges, John Goodman And Steve Buscemi Talk ‘The Big Lebowski’ In Extended Inteview | TODAY - YouTube
  
• 10 Questions for Jeff Bridges - YouTube
  
• Dakota Johnson & Jeff Bridges Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED - YouTube
  
• Too Many Cooks | Adult Swim - YouTube
  

Brought to you by:

• Teamistry (Search for Teamistry anywhere you listen to podcasts)!

• Linode (Get started on Linode today with a $100 in free credit by visiting linode.com/backtowork).

• LinkedIn Talent Solutions (Get $50 off your first job post by going to LinkedIn.com/BACKTOWORK).

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

Links for this episode:

• "Challenger: The Final Flight" (Netflix)
  
• Apple’s new HomePod mini speaker revealed in leaked images - The Verge
  
• Nostromo patch | Etsy
  
• NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: Shuttle Carrier Aircraft | NASA
  
• F-1 Rocket Engine | National Air and Space Museum
  
• You Are Allowed 20 Birthday Parties - YouTube
  

Brought to you by:

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• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

DISCUSSED: Merlin craves an easy visit with Floyd; Spirit's lawsuit no longer winds on down the road; Question: what obligation does a company have to support their developer tools? And for how long exactly?; when are new film editions not "the good one?"; despite swearing not to do so, a popular service for monetizing indie content is, as they say, put on blast; lot of talk about business things; waiters shouldn't lie to people who used to be waiters; exciting developments in the Drafts ecosystem; and, finally, Merlin unleashes an old school stem-winder on taking a recent stab at resource-leveling—using technology!

Links for this episode:

• Introducing the ThoughtAsylum Suite for Drafts | ThoughtAsylum
  
• ThoughtAsylum - Tasks & Lists | Drafts Action Directory
  
• Airtable
  
• Guide to kanban view – Airtable - Support
  
• Introduction to Kanban Guide – What is Kanban? | Planview
  
• What Is Kanban And How Can It Be Used To Increase Productivity? | by Sandeep Kashyap | Medium
  
• Led Zeppelin emerges victor in 'Stairway to Heaven' plagiarism case | Reuters
  
• 40 Years Ago: George Harrison Found Guilty of 'My Sweet Lord' Plagiarism
  
• An update on Patreon’s API - Updates - Patreon Community
  
• Patreon raises $60M Series D, targets international growth and more customization | TechCrunch
  
• Patreon Tops $1 Billion Valuation as Pandemic Brings a Surge in Creators to Platform - WSJ
  
• Kanban (development) - Wikipedia
  
• Alien: The Differences Between Theatrical & Director's Cut
  Ultimately, the director’s cut of Alien doesn’t drastically change much for fans of the movie. Even Ridley Scott himself considers the theatrical release the true version of the film and representative of his vision for it.
• Why the Katy Perry/Flame lawsuit makes no sense - YouTube
  
• warner music claimed my video for defending their copyright in a lawsuit they lost the copyright for - YouTube
  
• Every Melody Has Been Copyrighted (and they're all on this hard drive) - YouTube
  
• Quote by Kurt Vonnegut: “Dr. Hoenikker used to say that any scientist wh...”
  “Dr. Hoenikker used to say that any scientist who couldn't explain to an eight-year-old what he was doing was a charlatan.- Said by Dr. Asa Breed

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DISCUSSED: the boys update one another on some very good media they're enjoying; everybody loves a movie with a big world; Merlin pitches Dan on the improbable magic of Ted Lasso; talk turns to some new features of Apple's recent OS updates; at length, Merlin makes a case for exploring the amazing new functionalities of widgets, complications, and especially the apps of Underscore David Smith; Guardian gets an exciting update and a pro plan; there's some talk of the challenge in finding a VPN that actually does what you think it's doing; it seems like the show is over, but then there's twelve minutes of movie talk with a focus on children and boobs; finally, Merlin kinda busts a gut about trying to run a Mr. Rogers on the kids you care about.

Links for this episode:

• Ep. 397: "Open Ticket" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: John likes to divide his life up into stories.
• Shortcuts Catalog – Matthew Cassinelli
  
• Raised by Wolves (American TV series) - Wikipedia
  
• HBO Max
  
• Chris Gethard Loves Kit Fisto | Blank Check with Griffin and David - YouTube
  
• @BlankCheckPod | Linktree
  
• In A Galaxy Far Far Away… - The Phantom Podcast — Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  
• 5by5 | 5by5 Specials #32: Film Review: Goodfellas with John Siracusa
  
• Capabilities - Guardian Firewall
  
• FruitJuice -- battery maintenance app for Apple Mac laptop computers. —
  
• coconutBattery 3.9 - by coconut-flavour.com
  
• Vincent Schiavelli - Wikipedia
  
• Christopher Lloyd - Wikipedia
  
• Jim Ignatowski - Wikipedia
  
• May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications - YouTube
  
• An American Coach in London: NBC Sports Premier League Film featuring Jason Sudeikis - YouTube
  
• The Backfire Effect – You Are Not So Smart
  
• The Backfire Effect: Why Facts Don’t Always Change Minds – Effectiviology
  
• Blue Monday (New Order song) - Wikipedia
  It cost so much to produce that Factory Records actually lost money on each copy sold.
• Which VPN Providers Really Take Anonymity Seriously in 2020? * TorrentFreak
  To help you pick the best one for your needs, we asked dozens of VPNs what their logging policies are, how they handle torrent users, and what else they do to keep you anonymous.
• VPN Comparison by That One Privacy Guy
  This section is meant to be a resource to those who value their privacy, specifically those looking for information on VPNs (that isn’t disguised advertising).
• Apps - David Smith, Independent iOS Developer
  
• Vincent Schiavelli - IMDb
  

DISCUSSED: Folks, this one is a doozy, and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Links for this episode:

• Inbox Zero: Merlin Mann's Tips for Managing Your Life Online | GQ
  “I've come to think of it as more of a philosophy than a methodology,” he says now. “It’s about trying to put a stake in the ground with regard to your attention. It’s a way of saying, ‘Some people are allowed to have some of me, some of the time. Regardless of what the world demands of me, here’s what I’m offering.’”
• On Chasing the Right "Zero" | kung fu grippe
  In my view, the titular ‘zero’ in Inbox Zero is not about the number of email messages that are sitting in your inbox at a given time. And, contrary to popular opinion, it’s absolutely not about spending hours of your precious day trying to achieve that empty inbox at any cost. That’s just monkeyballs.
• Social rules - Recurse Center
  Feigned surprise is when you act surprised when someone doesn’t know something. Responding with surprise in this situation makes people feel bad for not knowing things and less likely to ask questions in the future, which makes it harder for them to learn.
• Henry V - Saint Crispin's Day Speech (1989) - YouTube
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition…
• Henry V - SCENE III. The English camp.
  
• Henry V (1989) - IMDb
  In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
• iOS 14: 14 Tips for Apple’s New iPhone Operating System | WSJ - YouTube
  
• iOS 14 popular features: how to use them all - 9to5Mac
  
• AirPods Pro now support 'spatial audio' for movies & TV series - FlatpanelsHD
  
• 5 Best iOS 14 HomeKit Features: Adaptive Lights, Activity Zones | Digital Trends
  
• iOS 14: Explore All the New Features. Start Here.
  
• Gmail can now be set as the default iOS 14 email app - The Verge
  
• Announcing the Shortcuts Catalog for iOS 14, feat. 300 shortcuts & 300 actions – Matthew Cassinelli
  
• 9 hidden iOS 14 features you'll love discovering on your iPhone - CNET
  
• iOS 14: All the New Features With Guides and How Tos - MacRumors
  
• iOS 14 Widgets Offer iPhone Users Creative Home Screen Ideas - MacRumors
  
• The iOS 14 Privacy and Security Features You Should Know | WIRED
  
• No feigning surprise
  
• I, Podius | Maximum Fun
  
• Room 237 | The Shining Wiki | Fandom
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin is reporting live from the show floor; remember to photograph your kid's room; some bearded dragon updates; some thoughts on pets; Merlin's grandfather was a reluctant dog obsessive; Dan wants to read you a label; Merlin met a fellow cadet; check out Dan's videos; Merlin is loving iOS 14, especially the smarter Siri suggestions; speculation on how machines learn; your hosts still want Macs to be Macs; Big Sur notifications are basically a Bop It; are we getting diminishing returns from theoretical Mac improvements?; Dan has a really good analogy involving wrist watches; there's a reason normal people don't like their apps to change; Merlin puts review requests on blast; an edit button would still be nice; Merlin finds himself with an unusual opportunity to field test some disused home tech; and, finally, it is hoped that Frasier will leave of his own volition.

Links for this episode:

• Cataract surgery - Mayo Clinic
  
• Dan Benjamin - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: Craftsman 9-31794 Slotted Phillips Screwdriver Set, 17 Piece: Home Improvement
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "No new @RoderickOn this week, but I did make something new with something old, mostly for my own amusement. "In a world…" https://t.co/6UicdysnES" / Twitter
  Merlin made a trailer for the "Supertrain" episode of Roderick on the Line.
• Bop It - Wikipedia
  

DISCUSSED: California has no shortage of crises; Dan's got a brand new bag; thoughts on exercise as prophylactic medicine; extremely anecdotal data on the rise of fake ratings and reviews on Amazon; the return of "A cool thing I learned this week" brings some very neato apps, tips, and whatnot.

Links for this episode:

• TextSniper is a great Mac utility for converting graphics to text - 9to5Mac
  
• TextSniper - Capture any text from your Mac's screen
  
• LaunchBar Help (Clipboard History)
  
• Use Time Machine on your Mac to back up to multiple disks - Apple Support
  Time Machine rotates the backup schedule among the disks. For each disk, Time Machine backs up everything that’s changed since the last time that disk was used. If you designated items that shouldn’t be backed up, the list of excluded items applies to all backup disks.
• Versys VS.1 | Century Martial Arts
  
• Knixx on Twitter: ""My back hurts all the time for no reason." How I sit every day: https://t.co/E8W9PDfYSc" / Twitter
  
• High-intensity interval training - Wikipedia
  
• Seconds iOS App
  
• Ep. 396: "Yreka Bakery" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: We were ruining the world.
• TextSniper - Capture any text from your Mac's screen
  
• jakehilborn/displayplacer: macOS command line utility to configure multi-display resolutions and arrangements. Essentially XRandR for macOS.
  
• Service Station – Customize your Right-Click Menu
  
• Late Show with David Letterman - "Please Stop Calling Me Chief" 06-26-2001 - YouTube
  
• John Bonham - Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain - Isolated Drum Track AWESOME - YouTube
  
• Bernard "Pretty" Purdie: The Legendary Purdie Shuffle - YouTube
  
• Dan Benjamin - YouTube
  
• TimeMachineEditor
  TimeMachineEditor is a software for macOS that lets you change the default one-hour backup interval of Time Machine.
• PhotoScan – scanner by Google Photos
  Don’t just take a picture of a picture. Create enhanced digital scans, with automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and smart rotation.
• ReviewMeta.com - Amazon Review Checker
  ReviewMeta analyzes Amazon product reviews and filters out reviews that our algorithm detects may be unnatural.
• ReviewMeta.com: iPhone Cable,Sharllen Metal Spring iPhone Charger Cable Lightning Cable 3FT/6FT/10FT Long Charging&Syncing iPhone Charging Cord Data Wire Compatible iPhone 11/XS/Max/X/8/8Plus/7/7P/6/6 P/6S/iPad Black Amazon Review Analysis
  An example of some VERY sketchy product reviews.
• Use Magnifier with your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
  With Magnifier, you can turn your iPhone or iPad into a magnifying glass so you can zoom in on objects near you.

DISCUSSED: Rabbit, rabbit!; Dan wants to be sedated; at some point, Merlin had most of the optimism bred out of him; a lot of problems and small beefs get overlooked for survival and sanity reasons right now; Dan shares listener recommendations for movies like the Missions Impossible; time was, you went to the weird video store and just hoped you got the good guy; Dan wants to remind you that he signed a letter of agreement—a CONTRACT; maybe it's time we abandon that increasingly meaningless term, "screen time"; Merlin thinks you can give a baby a name that's funny in only one way, but never in more than one way; every generation demonizes a new technology that they're sure will corrupt the youths; Dan has strong thoughts on the Indiana Jones trilogy (yes, there are exactly three and only three); no one is as persuasive as Sean Connery; Merlin made some movie lists; sometimes you get something that's "mostly for your kid" when it's totally not for your kid; Dan draws inspiration from Roald Dahl's work setup; this is probably a pretty good time to be risk-averse; a reminder that there are still always opportunities to improve how you operate; this leads to an examination of "desire paths" and learning from what your intuition and previous behaviors are trying to tell you; Merlin's Infrastructure Week is extended as he goes ham on speeding up his Mac; and, finally, Merlin discusses a useful Mac utility before putting it on blast.

Links for this episode:

• Marvel Classic Sticker Book: Marvel Entertainment: 9781419743436: AmazonSmile: Books
  
• [Podcast] Cheat Sheet: How To Ace Zoom School
  With thoughts on "screen time."
• Merlin’s Weird Movies for Weirdos
  Keep yourself occupied with these weird movies for weirdos. I want so many more movies like these. TIP: if you see some movies you love here, you can trust my taste. If you don’t, you will probably hate these. They are all weird. All of them.
• Some Next-Level Shit
  Okay. Your concerns have been heard. Those ““Weird Movies”” weren't weird enough for you, huh? Well, buckle up, Buttercup. This is movie fandom on Difficult Mode.
• Jack Kirby - Wikipedia
  
• CleanMyMac X: Make Your Mac As Good As New
  The most user-friendly problem fixer for Mac. Delete system junk, unwanted apps and malware, and tune your Mac for maximum speed. For a slow computer, use immediately.
• Roald Dahl interview and short film - Pebble Mill at One 1982 - YouTube
  
• Why Everyone Is So Clumsy During Quarantine - The Atlantic
  I’m running out of glasses.
• EtreCheck
  
• Go64
  Quickly scan your disk for applications, see which ones are 32-bit, and find upgrade information with the click of a button.
• (309) Wes Anderson's visit to Roald Dahl's Buckinghamshire home - YouTube
  
• Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated (Official Music Video) - YouTube
  
• The Shining (1980) - Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance - IMDb
  
• "…retweets are not endorsements…"
  I saw your disclaimer about how retweets are not endorsements, and I appreciate this sage, lawyerly sentiment, but maybe another option is to stop retweeting shit that any garden-variety human who hasn't carefully reviewed your disclaimer will definitely assume is an endorsement.
• Merlin has thoughts on recommending media
  
• Ted Lasso on Apple TV+
  
• Desire path - Wikipedia
  The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and destination. The
• Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users
  Elaborate usability tests are a waste of resources. The best results come from testing no more than 5 users and running as many small tests as you can afford.
• Apple accidentally approved malware disguised as Flash, new report finds - The Verge
  

DISCUSSED: Merlin has a lot of infrastructure going on; your hosts share strong feelings on time zone discrimination and its attendant big-timing; Dan has more cool videos coming to his channel; some boring nerd talk on voice recording options; Dan needs your suggestions for more movies like the Missions Impossible; in Follow-Up, there's some good news and some bad news related to both COVID and San Francisco; hurricanes are coming!; Merlin figures out why Safari on his Mac got so slow; thoughts on DNS Server choices; Merlin endorses a podcast episode that involves some very Back To Work ideas; everything is copy; and, finally, some concerns about nicknames plus several important questions about the consensuality of Jake Robert's titular snake.

Links for this episode:

• Dan Benjamin - YouTube
  
• Comedian Tig Notaro advice on dealing with crazy neighbors
  The standup comedian helps our listener stand down and have some laughs.
• Nora Ephron in Jacob Bernstein's 'Everything Is Copy': Prophet of Privacy - The Atlantic
  
• Bad things keep piling on — when is enough enough in the Bay Area? - SFChronicle.com
  
• ‘AeroNabs’ Promise Powerful, Inhalable Protection Against COVID-19 | UC San Francisco
  
• How to Get the Best Guest Audio for Podcasting - YouTube
  
• AmazonSmile: ARRIS SURFboard SBG7400AC2 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem & AC2350 Dual-Band Wi-Fi Router, Approved for Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity & others (black): Computers & Accessories
  
• Amazon.com: Cloud Microphones CL-1 Cloudlifter 1-Channel Mic Activator - Feedback Reducer Bundle with 10-FT Balanced XLR Cable, and 5-Pack of Reusable Cable Ties: Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First: Musical Instruments
  
• Amazon.com: Universal Audio Arrow Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface,Gray: Musical Instruments
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Unrelated but related, here's my own (admittedly less interesting) March list of weird movies for weirdos in lockdown. https://t.co/yNfNmtWvKu" / Twitter
  
• 1.1.1.1 — the Internet’s Fastest, Privacy-First DNS Resolver
  
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - Wikipedia
  
• Hurricane Laura updates: Storm is intensifying with Texas, Louisiana in crosshairs - The Washington Post
  
• I'm Still Here - Elaine Stritch - YouTube
  
• 203: Recordings for Someone - This American Life
  
• Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names
  
• 1.1.1.1 — The free app that makes your Internet faster.
  
• Cloud Delivered Enterprise Security by OpenDNS
  
• More Than Half Of San Francisco Storefronts Closed Due To Pandemic – CBS San Francisco
  
• Number of Homes for Sale in SF Surpasses Recession-Era Marks
  
• Election Day Asteroid: Is an Asteroid Really Hitting Earth Nov 2?
  

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DISCUSSED: time is hard; X-Men for eight cellos; in follow-up, Dan has some clues for troubleshooting his jumpy screen; it's valuable to understand what problem you didn't solve; then, of course, comes the extended weekly airing of COVID grievances; Merlin needs advice on choosing a Zoom recorder; check out Dan's new thing!; recommendations for Ted Lasso and Ethan Hunt; some lessons to bring home from vacation; plus, some more reckons on life after COVID.

Links for this episode:

• How Dan Records Back to Work
  
• How to slit and fold a map for special use (ArmyStudyGuide.com)
  
• Miura fold - Wikipedia
  
• How to Fold a Topographic Map and Other Techniques - ITS Tactical
  
• Home design is adapting to the pandemic, too - Marketplace
  
• COVID-19
  
• Samara Ginsberg on Twitter: "I had A LOT of requests for this one! X-Men: The Animated Series https://t.co/D1W5TAAs0I" / Twitter
  
• Parents are furious that schools can’t reopen - The Washington Post
  
• What we’ve learned about this coronavirus.
  The pandemic moves quickly. The scientific consensus changes slowly. Did we waste time waiting for data when we could have adopted low-cost safety measures?Guest: New York Times reporter Apoorva Mandavilli.
• Apoorva Mandavilli - The New York Times
  Apoorva Mandavilli is a reporter for The Times, focusing on science and global health. She is the 2019 winner of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting.
• Amazon.com: Zoom H4n Pro All Black 4-Track Portable Recorder (2020 Model), Stereo Microphones, 2 XLR/ ¼“ Combo Inputs, Guitar Inputs, Battery Powered, Multitrack Recorder for Music, Audio for Video, Podcasting: Musical Instruments
  
• Mic Technique - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: Zoom F6 Field Recorder/Mixer, Professional Field Recording, Audio for Video, 32-Bit Float Recording, 14 Channel Recorder, 6 XLR Inputs, Timecode, Ambisonics Mode, Battery Powered, iOS Wireless Control: Musical Instruments
  
• Amazon.com: Zoom F8n Multi-Track Field Recorder with Protective Case For F8n Recorders Bundle: Musical Instruments
  
• Ted Lasso on Apple TV+
  
• Rosanne Cash - Seven Year Ache - YouTube
  
• ‘A Smoking Gun’: Infectious Coronavirus Retrieved From Hospital Air - The New York Times
  Airborne virus plays a significant role in community transmission, many experts believe. A new study fills in the missing piece: Floating virus can infect cells.
• Opinion | Yes, the Coronavirus Is in the Air - The New York Times
  Transmission through aerosols matters — and probably a lot more than we’ve been able to prove yet.
• Viable SARS-CoV-2 aerosols detected in a hospital room with COVID-19 patients
  Recently, the WHO said aerosol transmission is confirmed, especially in areas that are not well-ventilated. Previously, the WHO said that airborne transmission is only possible in hospitals via medical procedures that involved the release of aerosols, including nebulization and suctioning.
• Spotify – 7. I Don't Care, Fire Me - An Oral History of The Office | Podcast on Spotify
  We pull back the curtain in a room that is usually kept from the public: the writers room. The Office writers share their tricks for coming up with ideas, why they pulled in the actors to help, and what they did to help launch an industry-wide battle.
• Sturgis Rally 2020: Despite Coronavirus Thousands Converge in South Dakota - The New York Times
  “We are allowed to make our own choices,” she said. “If we get it, we chose to be here.”
• Zoom H4 Handy Recorder - Wikipedia
  
• Report Shows Record Increase in San Francisco Real Estate Listings as People Continue Moving to More Affordable Cities
  With remote work more popular than ever — amid companies like Google and Facebook now saying employees can work from home well into 2021 — people are leaving SF in throngs. A new Zillow report further supports that idea, showing a 96 percent year-over-year increase in local inventory listings.
• Nearly 2 times as many San Francisco homes are for sale - Business Insider
  San Francisco is just one of the major cities across the country is at the center of a debate around the post-coronavirus future of urban areas.

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DISCUSSED: Dan is joining a campaign, and Merlin's eyesight now precludes him from being an AD&D dungeon master; Dan has a concern about his laptop screen and needs your help; then, the boys settle in for a good, old-fashioned recommendations episode; podcasts, pens, video editing apps, a 3D printer, a new SoundSource, hard drives, and even a moisturizing cream for your little patch.

Links for this episode:

• AmazonSmile : MUJI Aluminum Body Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - with 2 Refill Ink Cartridge : Office Products
  
• Blank Check with Griffin & David
  Not just another bad movie podcast, Blank Check reviews directors' complete filmographies episode to episode. Specifically, the auteurs whose early successes afforded them the rare ‘blank check’ from Hollywood to produce passion projects. Each new miniseries, hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims delve into the works of film’s most outsized personalities in painstakingly hilarious detail.
• RoboCop — Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  
• AmazonSmile: Tul Retractable Gel Pens 0.5mm Needle Point, Black 4/pk: Office Products
  
• AmazonSmile : PALOMINO BLACKWING 3Pencils SET(Original, 602, Pearl 1each) : Office Products
  
• Monoprice MP Voxel 3D Printer, Fully Enclosed, Easy Wi-Fi, Touchscreen, 8GB On-Board Memory, Polar Cloud Enabled - Monoprice.com
  
• OFFICIAL Wondershare Filmora9 Video Editor (Win & Mac) | Download Filmora9!
  
• Professional video editor | Adobe Premiere Pro
  
• Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects
  
• Rogue Amoeba | SoundSource: A Superior Sound Control
  
• Rogue Amoeba | Quality Audio Software for MacOS
  
• Amazon.com: SAMSUNG T7 Touch Portable SSD 2TB - Up to 1050MB/s - USB 3.2 External Solid State Drive, Black (MU-PC2T0K/WW): Computers & Accessories
  
• Amazon.com: WD 2TB My Passport SSD External Portable Drive, USB 3.1, Up to 540 MB/s - WDBKVX0020PSL-WESN: Computers & Accessories
  
• Amazon.com: AnuMed Vitamin D3 Cream with Magnesium 10,000 IU | Healthy Skin Care & Face Cream | Maximum Calcium Absorption | Non-Greasy Moisturizer for Dry Skin - 3 Ounces: Health & Personal Care
  

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DISCUSSED: the joys of a movie that reveals itself over multiple viewings; good storytelling is difficult but so rewarding; as you know, Bob, a lot of movies have that Walk Hard problem; Merlin has questions about Dan's day-to-day in Travis County; people are cooking the books; why do so many people have the Extremis virus these days?; we could still make a big dent; and, finally, wow, the demands for performance sure can be exhausting.

Links for this episode:

• Fair Play Mystery (Concept) - Comic Vine
  
• Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: 2 PCS Men Women Safety Face Shields with Protective Clear Film, Reusable plastics Elastic Band and Comfort Sponge. Eye Protection: Home Improvement
  
• Why the Pandemic Is So Bad in America - The Atlantic
  
• (49) AXIOS on HBO: President Trump Exclusive Interview (Full Episode) | HBO - YouTube
  
• Lampshade Hanging - TV Tropes
  
• Chekhov's gun
  "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off."
• As You Know, Bob…
  
• You Are Not So Smart #185 - Masks
  

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DISCUSSED: Merlin has discovered a unique new voice emerging from the medical and spiritual communities; your hosts interrogate the implications of this new material; Dan and Merlin have media recommendations; as a main topic, your hosts explore the many, intertwined complexities of trying to figure out "the future" right now.

Links for this episode:

• Stella Immanuel, Trump’s New COVID-19 Doctor, Believes in Alien DNA, Demon Sperm, and Hydroxychloroquine
  
• Walls Are Back - The Atlantic
  Personal space is finally back in style, but re-creating it after two decades of its destruction is hardly a straightforward task.
• Parents are furious that schools can’t reopen - The Washington Post
  I can’t be the only parent who finds containing my anger about this to be a full-time job on top of the two I’m already performing poorly.
• America’s Schools Are a Moral and Medical Catastrophe
  Companies are quickly learning lessons about the varied necessities of remote work, from appropriate tools to new styles of management. Fortunes may be won or lost as innovators and upstarts bet on what best suits a homebound workforce.
• 9 Future of Work Trends Post-COVID-19
  As the pandemic resets major work trends, HR leaders need to rethink workforce and employee planning, management, performance and experience strategies.
• The future of work after COVID-19 | Deloitte Insights
  As they stage the return to work, organizations need to ask themselves critical questions to help them prepare for the perceived and actual ethical impacts of business decisions.
• 185 - Masks - You Are Not So Smart - Omny.fm
  
• Humans are notoriously bad at assessing their risk. In a pandemic, that’s a problem - SFChronicle.com
  
• Why I Can’t Believe in ‘Spirit Husbands’ and ‘Spirit Wives’ - TGC Africa
  
• Watch the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World cast reunite for 10th anniversary table read | EW.com
  Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, director Edgar Wright, and more got together for the special event.
• 185 - Masks — You Are Not So Smart — Overcast
  
• Gerald McRaney - Wikipedia
  Note: Gerald McRaney is not David McRaney
• Kobayashi Maru scenario | Memory Alpha | Fandom
  
• Kobayashi Maru - Wikipedia
  

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DISCUSSED: There's really only one topic right now, and it's not going away any time soon. Many analogies and historical echoes are explored. The future, if it exists, is going to be very weird.

Links for this episode:

• And the Band Played On (film) - Wikipedia
  
• Cooter (30 Rock) - Wikipedia
  
• And the Band Played On streaming: where to watch online?
  
• What teachers really think about school reopening in the fall.
  Four teachers on their fears and frustrations heading into the 2020 school year.
• There Is No Plan (For You) - In These Times
  Unemployment, evictions, business failure, a pandemic and health crises are all here at once. The federal government doesn’t care.
• Splitting (psychology) - Wikipedia
  
• MSNBC: Atlanta Mayor: Despite rising cases, Georgia Governor ‘wants to silence me’
  Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says that in Atlanta, the city is facing 13% left in ICU capacity, yet Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ‘wants to silence me.’
• Adam Alma on Twitter: "@hotdogsladies let me be the nth Floridian to tell you about the wagon wheel closing just last month. Sorry if you mention it later in the show, only 20 mins in https://t.co/3yBdluXoxg" / Twitter
  
• Iconic Wagon Wheel Flea Market closes after five decades in Pinellas Park
  
• Skyfall - Wikiquote
  No. You take them, and release them into the trees. Only now, they don't eat coconut anymore. Now they will only eat rat. You have changed their nature.

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DISCUSSED: knife talk and flea market nostalgia; a deep dive on state knife law; knife tips from listeners; Merlin reinstalled Homebrew; comfort viewing amidst these challenging times; also, a healthy fear of Australian spiders.

Links for this episode:

• Flea Market | Drive in Movies| Florida Swap Shop
  
• California’s Knife Laws – What You Need to Know
  
• California Knife Laws - Rules On Possession And Use
  
• California Knife Laws 2019 - Is It Legal to Carry One? - Riderz Law
  
• Crater C33T Knife | Leatherman
  
• LEATHERMAN, Skeletool Lightweight Multitool with Combo Knife and Bottle Opener, Stainless Steel - - Amazon.com
  
• Wagon Wheel Flea Market
  
• Vendors
  
• aden films - YouTube
  
• Choir! Epic! Nights with Colin Hay - Men At Work "Overkill" - YouTube
  
• Choir! Choir! Choir! sings Sloan - Coax Me - YouTube
  
• Olive Wagyu in Japan - The rarest Steak in the World - YouTube
  
• The Law of Hot Places | Do By Friday
  This week's challenge: check out some flashlights and knives.
• Gerber EAB Pocket Knife [22-41830] - Gerber Knives - AmazonSmile
  
• Seymour Duncan Unleashing The Mysteries Of A Scalloped Fingerboard - Guitar Pickups, Bass Pickups, Pedals
  
• a-ha - Take On Me (Live From MTV Unplugged) - YouTube
  

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DISCUSSED: Merlin has flies in his bathroom; Dan's town is really going through some times; there's some COVID talk, duh; Merlin solved a very strange iOS beta bug; main topic involves some thoughts on the Apple betas and the tantalizing future that they imply; Dan has a new keyboard and an accompanying conspiracy theory; leathers men are discussed; and, finally, Merlin needs to use the bathroom—provided the flies will allow it.

Links for this episode:

• European Union - Wikipedia
  
• Our Ability to Process Information Is Reaching a Critical Limit
  
• Amazon.com: Logitech MX Keys Advanced Wireless Illuminated Keyboard - Graphite: Computers & Accessories
  
• AmazonSmile: LEATHERMAN, Wingman Multitool with Spring-Action Pliers and Scissors, Built in the USA, Stainless Steel with Nylon Sheath: Sports & Outdoors
  
• LEATHERMAN, FREE P4 Multitool with Magnetic Locking, One Hand Accessible Tools and Premium Nylon Sheath and Pocket Clip, Built in the USA - - AmazonSmile
  
• LEATHERMAN, Squirt PS4 Keychain Multitool with Spring-Action Scissors and Aluminum Handles, Built in the USA, Black - Multitools - Amazon.com
  
• Chicago (typeface) - Wikipedia
  
• Charcoal (typeface) - Wikipedia
  
• System 6 | Apple Wiki | Fandom
  System 6 was the name of the operating system of the Apple Macintosh computer, which was introduced in April 1988, prior to the introduction of System 7.

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DISCUSSED: the things we can and cannot do anything about; the things that can and cannot change; and the wisdom to know all of the differences.

Links for this episode:

• Ep. 389: "The New March" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  
• State Flag - 1845 - Florida Department of State
  On March 3, 1845, Florida became the twenty-seventh state. Citizens of Tallahassee presented incoming Governor William D. Moseley with a flag that flew at his inauguration. However, because of a controversy surrounding its motto, it never became an official state flag. The flag shown here is reconstructed from a written description.
• Apple introduces macOS Big Sur with a beautiful new design - Apple
  
• European Union - Wikipedia
  
• "Fawlty Towers" The Germans (TV Episode 1975) - IMDb
  

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DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin take a first look at Apple's recently-announced iOS and iPadOS updates.

Links for this episode:

• iPad Keyboards - Apple
  
• Paul Verhoeven - Wikipedia
  
• Secure, Fast & Private Web Browser with Adblocker | Brave Browser
  
• AmazonSmile : Arlo Pro 3 – Wire-Free Security 2 Camera System | 2K with HDR, Indoor/Outdoor, Color Night Vision, Spotlight, 160° View, 2-Way Audio, Siren | Works with Alexa | (VMS4240P) : Camera & Photo
  
• WWDC 2020 Special Event Keynote — Apple - YouTube
  

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DISCUSSED: Merlin is nauseated, and Dan has advice on what you definitely should or should not buy at a gas station; Merlin says he'll be brief, but, as usual, it turns into a real stem-winder as…; Merlin addresses the complexity of treating mental illness in a way that doesn't upend your body and life; Dan needs some TV show recommendations, but has very strong feelings about talking animals; Merlin wonders aloud if he's ever met @Darth; case close.

Links for this episode:

• 5by5 | Back to Work #3: The Second Arrow
  Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
• darth™ (@darth) / Twitter
  
• DSM-5 Criteria for ADHD – ADD Resource Center
  
• ADHD DSM-5® Criteria | Diagnostic Criteria for ADHD
  
• Depression and anxiety spike among black Americans after George Floyd's death - The Washington Post
  

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DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin talk about hot dogs.

Links for this episode:

• Uncured Beef Frankfurters (Natural Casing) | Boar's Head
  
• Products - Hot Dogs - Applegate
  
• PRODUCTS « Kahns
  
• Donate - Howard Brown Health
  "Howard Brown was established on the premise that healthcare in the LGBTQ community should be a readily accessible right, not a luxury – that those who lack the privilege of adequate health coverage or access to competent medical providers should be able to find care in a confidential and supportive environment."
• Does Bond’s product placement go too far? - BBC Culture
  
• Maria Bamford’s One-Hour Homemade Christmas Special! on Vimeo
  
• VINTAGE 1967 ARMOUR HOT DOGS COMMERCIAL - KIDS MARCHING & SINGING - YouTube
  
• To Differentiate: High Ceilings and Low Floors |
  
• PredictIt: Search Results
  

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DISCUSSED: not everything can be everything; pain accumulates; getting weepy about a cool teacher; expanding on our new thought technology for reframing negative thoughts and feelings; abstracting that new thought technology to tons of different endeavors; why won't they just let me win this video game?; the scissors and Scotch Tape are wherever you left them; the joys of ritual and control; the importance of infrastructure; break the big thing into a bunch of little things; Merlin performs a brief recitation of Back to Work's Greatest Hits; please cut up my food for me please; theme dining nights rule; praise for Daniel Kahneman; it used to be so confusing when TV shows had inside film and outside film.

Links for this episode:

• 5by5 | Back to Work #479: Use or Avoid
  Dan Columbos Merlin with a question about napping, which leads to some surprising insights on our feelings about success and failure.
• Thinking, Fast and Slow - Wikipedia
  
• Fawlty Towers - Wikipedia
  
• "Fair is…"
  
• Penny Arcade - News - Dear Diary
  So I’ve always worried about things. I also always knew that most of the time there was nothing to worry about. For me it wasn’t even just worrying about something. I understand that everyone worries. The best way I can describe it is "Chain worrying."
• 5by5 | Back to Work #3: The Second Arrow
  Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
• Laozi - Wikiquote
  A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.
• Rocky & Philadelphia Morning - YouTube
  
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life: Lamott, Anne: 8601404243813: AmazonSmile: Books
  "The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later."
• The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Ep. 271) - Freakonomics Freakonomics
  Starting in the late 1960s, the Israeli psychologists Amos Tversky and Danny Kahneman began to redefine how the human mind actually works. Michael Lewis’s new book The Undoing Project explains how the movement they started — now known as behavioral economics — has had such a profound effect on academia, governments, and society at large.
• Think Fast with Daniel Kahneman | Hidden Brain : NPR
  We found our own mistakes very funny. What was fun was finding yourself about to say something really stupid.
• CaddyShack Cinderella Story - YouTube
  
• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles: Pressfield, Steven, Coyne, Shawn: 8601420220232: Amazon.com: Books
  
• One Zoom to Rule Them All | Reunited Apart LORD OF THE RINGS Edition - YouTube
  

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DISCUSSED: Skype struggles; nobody likes parsnips; Dan remotely teaches Merlin to cut his own hair; Dan introduces a new game show, and Merlin is dealing with poop; life is not currently optimized for multiple-event days; Merlin challenges you to remember when exactly eight minutes has gone by; why we'll eventually each discover what the hell happened on our personal Galápagos; the exhaustion of Zoom calls; an omnibus recommendation related to movies; finally, Dan Columbos Merlin with a question about napping, which leads to some surprising insights on our feelings about success and failure.

Links for this episode:

• 30 Singular Films to Watch in Quarantine - The Atlantic
  These films, each unforgettable in its own way, are essential viewing.
• Mad Max: Fury Road with Emily Yoshida — Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  
• RoboCop — Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  
• The Book of Henry — Blank Check with Griffin & David — Overcast
  
• Blank Check with Griffin & David is creating Podcasts | Patreon
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Are you a weirdo? Do you enjoy movies? Cool. I got the hook-up. https://t.co/UVog1T7Ide" / Twitter
  
• Uncut Gems on Netflix: What’s the True Story Behind Howard Ratner’s Bet?
  
• Why people believe they can’t draw - and how to prove they can | Graham Shaw | TEDxHull - YouTube
  
• David Sims: 30 Movies That Are Unlike Anything You’ve Seen Before - YouTube
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Power is the ability to make strangers live your "normal."" / Twitter
  
• The reason Zoom calls drain your energy - BBC Worklife
  
• 5 reasons why Zoom meetings are so exhausting
  
• [1986] The Housemartins • Happy Hour - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com : Wahl Color Pro Complete Hair Cutting Kit, #79300-400T : Hair Clipper Kits And Sets
  

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DISCUSSED: discussion of The Freshman and thoughts on what makes a movie "hold up"; has anyone ever craved a three-star movie?; what Merlin really wants is a smart friend; Dan is enjoying On Becoming a God in Central Florida; the difficulty of making weird good; I didn't buy it a beer; your mask is not a case for your beard; Dan has follow-up on bikes; Merlin has follow-up on companies and WFH help; thoughts on what we know and don't know about the difficulties of ““reopening””; the benefits and challenges of being a chain-worrying project manager; praise for the Austin Grackles.

Links for this episode:

• The Freshman (1990) - IMDb
  
• Bruno Kirby - Biography - IMDb
  
• Carmine Said One Boy - YouTube
  
• Freeway movie review & film summary (1997) | Roger Ebert
  "Occasionally an unsuspecting innocent will stumble into a movie like this and send me an anguished postcard, asking how I could possibly give a favorable review to such trash. My stock response is Ebert's Law, which reads: A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it."
• Penny Arcade - News - Dear Diary
  'So I’ve always worried about things. I also always knew that most of the time there was nothing to worry about. For me it wasn’t even just worrying about something. I understand that everyone worries. The best way I can describe it is "Chain worrying."'
• Idiot plot - Wikipedia
  'In literary criticism, an idiot plot is "a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot," and where the story would otherwise be over if this were not the case.'

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DISCUSSED: Here we are in Spain; a lot went on behind the scenes of The Wizard of Oz; also Modern Problems existed; further discussion of 80s movies; they used to make more movies; B-MO gets a show?; secrets of the child whisper network; Saturday morning memories; C19 is making a lot of holes and gaps in kids' lives; what even is the deal with colleges?; wisdom from the great Kevin Kelly; it's one thing to know something, but it's another thing to know something; and, finally, beginning to explore how best to level resources and expectations as many of us work from home.

Links for this episode:

• Merlin's Twitter poll from Monday
  "Poll: as your company prepped for people to WfH, how much interaction did you have to address your specific challenges, get extra resources, and set individual expectations?"
• National Remote Work Survey
  
• The Technium: 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice
  It’s my birthday. I’m 68. I feel like pulling up a rocking chair and dispensing advice to the young ‘uns. Here are 68 pithy bits of unsolicited advice which I offer as my birthday present to all of you.
• New Beginnings
  After he goes to Jerusalem and sleeps on what is supposedly the very spot where Jesus was crucified, Kevin Kelly has a revelation: that he should live the next six months as if he would die at the end of them.
• Modern Problems - Wikipedia
  
• ADVENTURE TIME: DISTANT LANDS Official Teaser Trailer (HD) HBO MAX Series - YouTube
  
• Suspend SAT for UC admissions, Janet Napolitano says - Los Angeles Times
  
• Valley Girl (1983) - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube
  
• Spotify – Valley Girl SOUNDTRACK
  
• Slim Whitman Commercial 1980 - YouTube
  
• Slim Whitman All MY Best 1979 Record Commercial - YouTube
  
• The Best Of Red Sovine TV Commercial - YouTube
  
• Zamfir Master of the Pan Flute Commercial - YouTube
  
• Classic Freedom Rock Commercial 1988 Best Quality on You-Tube!!! - YouTube
  
• I Hanker for a Hunka Cheese - YouTube
  
• Wonderama with Bob McAllister - YouTube
  
• Eight Men Out (1988) - Reference View - IMDb
  A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
• Coronavirus: CSU to have mainly online classes in fall 2020 - Los Angeles Times
  

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DISCUSSED: Dan has concerns!; every road has many parts, but you seriously need to show your humanity; stop signs are really just velocipede serving suggestions; not all wood floats; too soon; an ambitious crossover is proposed; Cormac McCarthy rules; Phillip W. Battery sure has a lot going on for a busy and attentive new dad; as a main topic, your hosts bounce off a terrific recent episode of Merlin's beloved You're Wrong About; hey, what B2W-ish lessons can be drawn from the response to the Y2K "bug"?; ultimately, it is just so hard to solve one problem without potentially creating five other problems; memories of New Year's Eve, 1999; for once, Dan wasn't concerned at all; more praise for YWA, and a humble apology to Sarah; hey, listen, don't be ashamed to find delight; praise for Slugline 2; a recommendation for a James Franco movie.

Links for this episode:

• You're Wrong About
  With Michael Hobbes & Sarah Marshall
• The Y2K Bug — You're Wrong About — Overcast
  
• You're Wrong About is creating a podcast | Patreon
  
• La La Land: Galileo’s Warning — Cautionary Tales — Overcast
  
• Blood Meridian (Audiobook) by Cormac McCarthy | Audible.com
  
• Is Motorcycle Lane Splitting Legal in Texas? Bike Crash Legal Info
  
• Stranger Danger — You're Wrong About — Overcast
  
• The Satanic Panic — You're Wrong About — Overcast
  
• Konrad Lorenz: Godfather of Animal Imprinting Theory - How Animal Imprinting Works | HowStuffWorks
  
• Slugline
  
• From Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (read by... | kung fu grippe
  
• Brainstorm (1983) - Reference View - IMDb
  Researchers develop a system where they can jump into people's minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerous - perhaps deadly.
• Brainstorm (1983) [Trailer] - YouTube
  
• Y2K | 2 weeks after Mad and I met; 2 weeks before she moved … | Flickr
  
• y2k | New Year's Eve at Michael's house on McAllister. 10 da… | Flickr
  
• Saturday Night (2008) - YouTube
  
• Behind the Planet of the Apes | Considerable
  
• AmazonSmile: On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft eBook: King, Stephen: Kindle Store
  
• Grimes - We Appreciate Power (Lyric Video) - YouTube
  
• Merlin's thoughts on Phillip W. Battery
  
• After Twitter rant, Elon Musk lists two California homes - SFGate
  
• Folk devil - Wikipedia
  
• 5: Chigger Bites on the Bus Driver — Back to Work — Overcast
  
• Basement Jaxx - Rendez Vu ( Official Video ) Remedy - YouTube
  

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DISCUSSED: Merlin is having a strange day, and Dan notices everything; please remember that fear and stress and anxiety are pretty terrible motivators; praise for On Becoming a God in Central Florida and 1Password; security theater vs. security reality; Dan's new mouse is as quiet as a…what's the word?; Brushing with Hardest Available Toothbrush Considered Harmful; Dan is gently exposing his son to one of the great films. So what?; a couple great pieces on making actual good passwords; recommendations for a Sondheim special and a terrific YouTube guy; extensive advice and suggestions for a listener moving to a Mac; learning almost anything is a lot like learning The Metric System; and, finally, praise for the great Peter N. Lewis.

Links for this episode:

• Multiple Level Thinking | Levels Of Thought In Poker
  
• Ep. 378: "Lion, Tiger, Horse, Monkey" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: John has rarely driven a car hard and hung it up wet.
• Ep. 379: "Garbage Island" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: John feels like the world is changing.
• Ep. 380: "The Impossible Me" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: John is trying not to paddle alone in life.
• Password Manager for Families, Businesses, Teams | 1Password
  
• Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration - YouTube
  
• When can Mario retire? | Unraveled - YouTube
  
• brian david gilbert - YouTube
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "You know it's been a sound night's sleep when you wake up at 3:50am thinking, "Huh. It's been a while since I watched Holy Mountain." https://t.co/aVbNYqwTIV" / Twitter
  
• Toward better Master Passwords | 1Password
  The strength of a password creation system is not how many letters, digits, and symbols you end up with, but how many ways you could get a different result using the same system.
• xkcd: Password Strength
  
• COVID-19 Response - Removing trial limits to help businesses work securely from home | 1Password
  
• Amazon.com: Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Mouse – Enjoy Same Click Feel with 90% Less Click Noise, 2 Year Battery Life, Ergonomic Right-Hand Shape for Computers and Laptops, USB Unifying Receiver, Black: Computers & Accessories
  
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Book 3 (Audiobook) by J.K. Rowling | Audible.com
  
• Bartender 3 - Organize your menu bar icons on Mac
  
• Mizage - Shush
  
• Daring Fireball: Interarchy Interview: Peter N Lewis and Matthew Drayton
  
• The Holy Mountain (HD Trailer - HD) | ABKCO Films - YouTube
  
• The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play: Fiore, Neil: 8601400338544: AmazonSmile: Books
  
• Work in multiple spaces on Mac - Apple Support
  
• Witch · Many Tricks
  The built-in macOS app switcher is great if all you use are one-window applications. But you probably have many windows open in many apps, possibly with many tabs, and navigating them all is a pain. Enter Witch, with which you can switch everything…
• uBar - The Dock replacement for the Mac
  The Dock replacement for the Mac. Boost your productivity with the most advanced and versatile app and window manager for the Mac.
• Moom · Many Tricks
  Moom makes window management as easy as clicking a mouse button—or using a keyboard shortcut, if you're one of those types of people.With Moom, you can easily move and zoom windows to half screen, quarter screen, or fill the screen
• folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac!
  BetterTouchTool is a great, feature packed app that allows you to customize various input devices on your Mac.
• Keyboard Maestro 9.0.5: Work Faster with Macros for macOS
  Whether you are a power user or just getting started, your time is precious. So don’t waste it. You can quickly benefit from Keyboard Maestro. Let Keyboard Maestro help make your Mac life more pleasant and efficient.
• Kirsten Dunst Just Couldn’t Let Go of On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Vanity Fair
  
• On Becoming a God: Seasons, Episodes, Cast, Characters - Official Series Site | SHOWTIME
  This dark comedy series stars Kirsten Dunst as Krystal Stubbs, a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes and cons her way up the ranks of the cultish, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin in the first place.
• Acorn 6 | Full Featured Photo Editor for the Mac
  Acorn has everything you need in an image editor.
• Pixelmator Photo
  A powerful photo editor created exclusively for iPad.
• LaunchBar 6
  Start with a single keyboard shortcut to accessand control every aspect of your digital life.
• TextExpander – Communicate Smarter
  Easily insert text snippets in any application from a library of content created by you and your team.
• JAY-Z - Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... - YouTube
  

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• Audible (Start your spring off completely lost—in comedy delight! Escape From Virtual Island. Listen free with a 30-day trial. Just go to audible.com/virtualisland or text VIRTUAL ISLAND to 500500).

DISCUSSED: our perception of value is definitely personal and maybe even a little generational; sometimes, the only thing you can afford is the best; a listener question about where your hosts are with comics; further praise for TaskPaper; updates on macOS text editing; Merlin capitulates to Catalina; Dan answers a listener question about coping with chronic back pain; learning how to stop rehearsing frailty by embracing the wonders of momentum.

Links for this episode:

• CBR and CBZ Files (What They Are and How to Open One)
  
• nvALT - BrettTerpstra.com
  
• Sublime Text - A sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose
  
• Bare Bones Software | BBEdit 13
  
• TaskPaper – Plain text to-do lists for Mac
  
• alefore/edge: Edge - a text editor
  
• Rowing Machine - Model D with PM5 | Concept2
  
• Amazon.com: Clever Coffee Dripper Barista's Choice - Bonus 100 Filters Included (18 oz Large, Clear): Kitchen & Dining
  
• The Incomparable | Kids Have Bad Taste (Episode 104)
  

Brought to you by:

• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

• Audible (Start your spring off completely lost—in comedy delight! Escape From Virtual Island. Listen free with a 30-day trial. Just go to audible.com/virtualisland or text VIRTUAL ISLAND to 500500).

DISCUSSED: Dan loves it when things just work and so does Merlin; Dan is composting, and Merlin is down to clown; ¡repita después de mi!; massive real-time follow-up; playing with iBeacons; excellent follow-up and notes from listeners; many reccomendations; memories of Grad Night; this is a very silly one.

Links for this episode:

• The Weirdly Enduring Appeal of Weird Al Yankovic - The New York Times
  
• Estimote – experts in location and proximity solutions
  We are experts in location and proximity solutions
• folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac!
  BetterTouchTool is a great, feature packed app that allows you to customize various input devices on your Mac.
• Netflix - "Unorthodox"
  
• PicPedant (@PicPedant) / Twitter
  
• Celery Man - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: Celery Man: Alexa Skills
  
• Bar None // ShaunInman.com
  
• Mac Power Users #528: The Merlin Awakens - Relay FM
  MPU Hall of Famer Merlin Mann returns to discuss using plain text, home automation, the Apple TV and more.
• Automators #39: Automating iBeacons - Relay FM
  In this episode, David and Rosemary try all sorts of iBeacons and look at why, where, when, and how you use these little devices.
• Releases · JetBrains/JetBrainsMono
  
• Rasmus Andersson on Twitter: "Inter is now available from @googlefonts! https://t.co/IoTMQDefNN Congrats to @ThunderNixon who worked tirelessly on getting Inter on-boarded to Google Fonts. https://t.co/tSVb9nLM2c" / Twitter
  
• How I got to 200 productive hours a month
  
• Bookshop: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.
  
• Botany books!
  
• Paul Bruno on Spotify
  
• Feed the Animals by Girl Talk on Spotify
  
• Dazz Band – Let It Whip Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  
• DisneyWorld Grad Night Bands 1972-2008 - The DVC Boards at MouseOwners.com - the place to talk DVC and Walt Disney World
  
• The Elements of Typographic Style: Bringhurst, Robert: 9780881791327: Amazon.com: Books
  
• The Elements of Typographic Style: Version 4.0 (-20th Anniversary)
  Renowned typographer and poet Robert Bringhurst brings clarity to the art of typography with this masterful style guide. Combining the practical, theoretical, and historical, this edition is completely updated, with a thorough revision and updating of the longest chapter, -Prowling the Specimen Books, - and many other small but important updates based on things that are continually changing in the field.
• The New Typography
  Since its initial publication in Berlin in 1928, Jan Tschichold's The New Typography has been recognized as the definitive treatise on book and graphic design in the machine age. First published in English in 1995, with an excellent introduction by Robin Kinross, this new edition includes a foreword by Rich Hendel, who considers current thinking about Tschichold's life and work.
• Down to Clown (Harris Wittels Tribute) - Chris LaCroix - YouTube
  
• "Feed me," you said, and I was feeding you, Jack.
  
• Felt letterboard trend history: how the vintage product became inescapable.
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "I really like Rachel Maddow, but when she gets particularly worked up, it kinda feels like she's explaining something to her cats." / Twitter
  
• Difference Between Rotate & Revolve
  Rotation and revolution are terms that describe the angular motion of objects, that is, motion about a real or imaginary axis. They are often confused not only for this reason, but also because they often apply in different ways to the same object at the same time (especially in astronomy) and to some extent because the words look somewhat alike in English.
• High School Seniors: What is a Grad Night?
  
• Exile - kiss you all over - YouTube
  
• Pushcut - Triggers & notifications that kick off your automation
  Triggers
• Amazon.com: Exercise? I Thought You Said Extra Fries! Graphic T-Shirt: Clothing
  
• The Meadowlands by The Wrens on Spotify
  
• Rogue Amoeba | SoundSource: A Superior Sound Control
  Get truly powerful control over all the audio on your Mac!
• Parks and Recreation - flintstones work whistle - YouTube
  
• insidegui/PodcastMenu: Put Overcast on your Mac's menu bar
  

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• Molekule (For $75 off your first order, visit Molekule.com and enter BACKTOWORK at checkout).

• Audible (Start your spring off completely lost—in comedy delight! Escape From Virtual Island. Listen free with a 30-day trial. Just go to audible.com/virtualisland or text VIRTUAL ISLAND to 500500).

TW: very brief mention of suicide around minute 24.

DISCUSSED: a classic three-act episode! Expertise is difficult to explain—let alone to teach; the Sunday Scaries are real; it's an interesting (and surprising) time for people with anxiety and depression; let's keep trying to give each other a break; some follow-up on Descript and the One-Drawer Project; You Look Nice Today is back; finally, Dan has some tips on surviving working from home.

Links for this episode:

• Coronavirus Is Making a Lot of People Anxious and Depressed. But Some Sufferers Actually Feel Better Now.
  
• Lucy Dacus - "Addictions" (Official Music Video) - YouTube
  
• Reconcilable Differences #127: Advice Nurse - Relay FM
  In a main topic, your hosts try to share some ideas on sustainably working remotely from home. History and experience can be pretty good teachers, but working yourself to a damaged nub is a terrible game for the young and should be considered harmful.
• You Look Nice Today
  
• California King
  
• California King Episode 1: What is HØL?
  Our work was done. We'd said all we needed to say. We apparated from this world, much like monks who retreat to a mountaintop hovel. Only for us, we apparated via Greyhound and hoveled in an abandoned Bauxite mine outside Eufaula, Alabama.
• Descript | Create podcasts, videos, and transcripts
  
• Bootstrap · The most popular HTML, CSS, and JS library in the world.
  
• Amazon.com: Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM2: Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Microphone - Hi Res Audio and Active Sound Cancellation - Black (2017 model): Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones, 40H Playtime, Hi-Res Audio, Deep Bass, Memory Foam Ear Cups, for Travel, Home Office: Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: Plantronics Wireless Noise Cancelling Backbeat - Headphones (Black & Tan) (Pro 2)
  
• Amazon.com: Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM3: Wireless Bluetooth Over the Ear Headset with Mic for phone-call and Alexa voice control - Industry Leading Active Noise Cancellation – Black: Electronics
  
• Trattoria Da VittorioTrattoria Da Vittorio
  
• Podcast Hosting and Analytics - Welcome to Fireside!
  
• "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
  The earliest attribution of this to Gandhi yet located is in a T-shirt advertisement in Mother Jones, Vol. 8, No. 5 (June 1983), p. 46
• Toxoplasma gondii - Wikipedia
  The OTHER Godii.
• The 'Sunday Scaries' Are Real — This is Why
  This what happens to your body when you get the Sunday blues.
• Generalized anxiety disorder - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
  

Brought to you by:

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• Audible (Start your spring off completely lost—in comedy delight! Escape From Virtual Island. Listen free with a 30-day trial. Just go to audible.com/virtualisland or text VIRTUAL ISLAND to 500500).

In this very intimate episode, Dan and Merlin share some ideas for positive yet do-able projects to improve your life and world in these dumb, scary times.

Also, covered in this episode: recommendations for Max Richter's Sleep and an insane new podcast production app called "Descript".

Links for this episode:

• Sleep (album) - Wikipedia
  
• Max Richter: Sleep Album Review | Pitchfork
  The audacious composer Max Richter has created an eight-hour piece meant to serve as a sleep aid. But it is more than that. For these 31 uninterrupted pieces, Richter accepts the extraordinary challenge of not only aiding sleep but also translating the act into art. If you listen while you’re awake, many of these pieces conjure dreamy states, where ideas seem fluid and flexible and the world around you seems somehow softer.
• Max Richter SLEEP
  The glacially-paced movements slide in and out of focus throughout the concert inviting the audience to experience what Richter essentially considers a protest against our relentlessly ‘switched on’ lives. Offering the unique opportunity to participate in this confrontation of our mechanized way of living.
• On the Mattress for ‘Sleep,’ an 8-Hour Lullaby - The New York Times
  Composers from that movement were Mr. Richter’s earliest inspirations. As a boy in small-town Britain in the 1970s, he would get records from his family’s milkman, an artist who was tapped into the music of La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Philip Glass. He fell in love with Satie’s furniture music, and, eventually, the ambient soundscapes of Brian Eno.
• On The Nature Of Daylight, a song by Max Richter, Louisa Fuller, Natalia Bonner, John Metcalfe, Philip Sheppard, Chris Worsey on Spotify
  
• Descript | Create podcasts, videos, and transcripts
  It’s how you make a podcast.
• folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac!
  BetterTouchTool is a great, feature packed app that allows you to customize various input devices on your Mac.
• Council of Dads author Bruce Feiler on how to be a better family.
  
• Quarantine - YouTube
  
• Hello. We're Sandwich.
  
• Podcast Method
  
• Merlin's Tweet About Descript
  Includes cool screen grabs
• It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff - Kindle edition by Walsh, Peter. Crafts, Hobbies & Home Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
  
• The Only Thing Better Than Netflix's Tiger King Are the Memes / Twitter
  
• Four Yorkshiremen- Monty Python - YouTube
  
• Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Black Sheep [HD] - YouTube
  
• 5 Hours of The Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4! - YouTube
  
• Very low cello music with binaural effect, peaceful and mourning - YouTube
  
• Windham Hill Records – Windham Hill Fan Discography and Community
  
• In the Age of Disco, Windham Hill Founder Will Ackerman Helped Solo-Acoustic Guitar Thrive – Acoustic Guitar
  
• Sleep by Max Richter on Spotify
  
• quotes to get right runx.md
  Merlin's very good quotes text file
• "Rock Island" The Music Man (opening scene) - YouTube
  
• The Eisenhower Matrix: Introduction & 3-Minute Video Tutorial
  
• Duck Soup (1933) - IMDb
  
• Speech disfluency - Wikipedia
  A speech disfluency, also spelled speech dysfluency, is any of various breaks, irregularities, or non-lexical vocables which occur within the flow of otherwise fluent speech.
• Definitions and Examples of Filler Words
  
• Drums and Wires - Wikipedia
  Drums and Wires is the third studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 17 August 1979 on Virgin Records. It is a more pop-oriented affair than the band's previous, Go 2 (1978), and was named for its emphasis on guitars ("wires") and expansive-sounding drums.

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Difficult times and the Venn overlap between anxiety and OCD. Hang in there, everybody.

Links for this episode:

• Epistemic Trespassing | Mind | Oxford Academic
  Epistemic trespassers are thinkers who have competence or expertise to make good judgments in one field, but move to another field where they lack competence—and pass judgment nevertheless. We should doubt that trespassers are reliable judges in fields where they are outsiders.
• On "epistemic trespassing"
  In which Merlin has learned a useful new concept!
• Found My Place - Blog
  Found My Place is a creative musical project by me, Merlin Mann. It is generously sponsored by Squarespace, in conjunction with their kind support of the Back to Work podcast I do with my pal Dan Benjamin. I hope you enjoy it, and many thanks to Squarespace for making this possible.
• Attractive nuisance doctrine - Wikipedia
  It states that a landowner may be held liable for injuries to children trespassing on the land if the injury is caused by an object on the land that is likely to attract children.
• The Picard, a Podcast About Star Trek: Picard
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

DISCUSSED: “CATS — Now and Forever!”; BokBok.wtf; on civic responsibility; Dan browses worms, and Merlin finds him a spider; Dan wants some keyboard advice, and Merlin just needs a ride; some thoughts on engaging versus escaping right now; praise for Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo; suggestions for leveraging the wonder of libraries today; Dan is working on a big Minecraft project, also some listener letters.

Links for this episode:

• Bok Bok — Merlin Mann (BokBok.wtf)
  'How come Merlin says “Bok Bok” on Back to Work?'
• Amazon's Supply Chain Is Breaking and Small Businesses Are Screwed - VICE
  
• Live Insects & Feeders | Josh's Frogs
  
• Episode #302 – CATS The Flop House
  
• Silent Mechanical Keyboard - Razer BlackWidow Lite
  silent
• Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries
  
• Libby, by OverDrive - an app for library ebooks and audiobooks
  
• 15 Things You Didn't Know You Could Get From the Library | My Money | US News
  
• 11 Things You Can Borrow From Libraries Besides Books | Mental Floss
  
• 200 Things You Can Check Out of a Library Besides Books | Money
  
• An Incomplete List of the Non-Book Things You Can Get at the Library | Literary Hub
  
• Local files - Spotify
  
• Richard Reid - Wikipedia
  aka ““The Shoe Bomber””
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Here's the origin of my oft-quoted line about The Flintstones and why I think it's important. https://t.co/2Lis7nciE7" / Twitter
  Here's the origin of my oft-quoted line about The Flintstones and why I think it's important.
• Mr. Trump Sir / Twitter
  Thank you for your service Mr. Trump Sir
• Oingo Boingo - "Dead Man's Party" - YouTube
  
• Oingo Boingo - "Weird Science" - YouTube
  
• Watch Parks and Recreation Streaming Online | Hulu (Free Trial)
  
• Elizabeth Warren Is Unlikely to Endorse Bernie Sanders. Here’s Why. - The New York Times
  “But at the same time, I come from the lens of an organizer, and if someone doesn’t do what you want, you don’t blame them — you ask why. And you don’t demand that answer of that person — you reflect. And that reflection is where you can grow.” —AOC
• Alf Clausen - Wikipedia
  
• Kelso on Twitter: "From UCSF COVID-19 Panel: A bit of a read but a somewhat scary realization I think people should be aware of. https://t.co/JhUU8fYAb2" / Twitter
  From UCSF COVID-19 Panel: A bit of a read but a somewhat scary realization I think people should be aware of.
• Jobbo — You Look Nice Today — Overcast
  
• CHVRCHES - "The Mother We Share" - YouTube
  
• Bat'leth - Wikipedia
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "From my anxiety and minor situational depression, may 10,000 flowers bloom! https://t.co/AtVStqSrTg" / Twitter
  

Brought to you by:

• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

• MasterClass (Get unlimited access to every MasterClass, and as a Back to Work listener, you get 15% off the Annual All-Access Pass! Go to masterclass.com/backtowork).

DISCUSSED: heck, yeah, there's a lot of uncertainty; the woeful knock-on effects of COVID-19, from SxSW to presidential handshaking; Dan graciously accepts Merlin's apology; it's so important that you not touch the fish's face; Dan's Podcast Method is back, baby; you can tell an ecosystem is healthy when the advice about it diversifies; Dan explains the Kelvin Timeline and why he hates it; a Celebration of Bones emerges; Merlin is intrigued by Otter and a little unsure about Jumbo; Dan wants you to know it's still him; breaking handshake news; the boys get a nice letter from a listener; Merlin kinda busts a gut about where his head was at when Back to Work launched; audio is afoot; recommended starter episodes are offered; and, finally, praise for Lost and Japanese Queer Eye.

Links for this episode:

• Otter Voice Meeting Notes - Otter.ai
  
• Jumbo: Take back control of your data and privacy
  At Jumbo, we believe that your data belongs to you. That’s why our app empowers you to take control of your privacy and security, right from your phone.
• Podcast Method
  
• Iran's Coronavirus Problem Is a Lot Worse Than It Seems - The Atlantic
  The surprising number of Iranian government officials succumbing to COVID-19 offers a hint that the disease is far more widespread than the official statistics indicate.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #95: She's Five for a Living
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #52: Walk the Coastline, Bitches
  
• #158 The Case of the Missing Hit — Reply All — Overcast
  
• Kelvin Timeline - Official Star Trek Online Wiki
  
• Yesterday's Enterprise - Wikipedia
  Critic Marc Bernardin described the episode as Star Trek's "smartest time-travel experiment" and a fan favorite.
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Sei kein schmutziger kleiner Junge. Wasche deine Hände. https://t.co/RnreVrwYqM https://t.co/7BkCmaNpJj" / Twitter
  Sei kein schmutziger kleiner Junge. Wasche deine Hände.
• Omakase - Wikipedia
  a Japanese phrase that means "I'll leave it up to you"

Brought to you by:

• Native (For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code BACKTOWORK during checkout).

• Handy (Get your first 3-hour cleaning for ONLY $29 when you sign up for a cleaning plan by visiting the link).

DISCUSSED: Merlin's uvula thing is back; some handy one-liner suggestions; the boys are loving uBar, and this leads to a dive on how they use the macOS Dock; praise for Witch; Ultraman is back, baby!; 500,000° is very, very hot; some nebulous, initial thoughts about a bracing call to focus on doing the work (and not how it looks to others when you're doing the work); a listener letter on alternatives for music hosting and streaming in the Apple ecosystem; wow, hard drives sure got super-cheap, huh?; nostalgia for those awesome old Jasmine BacPac hard drives; and, finally, a listener needs your help finding good episodes about surviving and thriving while working in a corporate environment.

Links for this episode:

• Drafts | Where Text Starts
  
• Typora — a markdown editor, markdown reader.
  
• Marvel reveals cover and story details for ULTRAMAN
  
• uBar - The Dock replacement for the Mac
  The Dock replacement for the Mac. Boost your productivity with the most advanced and versatile app and window manager for the Mac.
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Early candidate for the best 26 seconds of wisdom I've heard this month. Minister describing why he welcomes all visitors to his church—including gawking white tourists. https://t.co/OPwwvrV7op" / Twitter
  
• 695: Everyone’s a Critic — This American Life — Overcast
  
• Merlin’s Playlists — Merlin Mann
  I love making playlists for myself and my pals, and, since you're a pal, you may enjoy these too.
• Tot
  
• The Official DragThing Home Page
  
• PCalc
  
• bashoneliners.com | Bash One-Liners
  
• maxresdefault.jpg (JPEG Image, 1280 × 720 pixels)
  
• Setapp | The best apps for Mac in one suite
  
• Witch · Many Tricks
  
• Ultraman (1966 TV series) - Wikipedia
  Beta
• Ultraman (character) - Wikipedia
  
• In-group and out-group - Wikipedia
  
• Tracy K. Smith changed how I read poetry — The Ezra Klein Show — Overcast
  
• moved off of itunes | malvasia bianca
  
• Prism | A versatile music player for iOS
  
• Amazon.com: Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC Laptop (STEB8000100): Computers & Accessories
  
• Ultra Rare Jasmine BacPac Hard Drive for Compact Macs - 100mg | eBay
  
• The Official DragThing Home Page
  
• JustWatch - The Streaming Guide
  
• 1970s Vintage Dixie Cups Mod Fruit Design | Etsy
  
• Archers of Loaf - Raleigh Days (Official Audio) - YouTube
  
• Raleigh Days, a song by Archers Of Loaf on Spotify
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #1: Alligator in the Bathroom
  In the inaugural episode of Back to Work, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss why they’re doing this show, getting back to work instead of buying berets, the lizard brain, and compare the Shadow of the Mouse to San Francisco, and eventually get to some practical tips for removing friction.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #5: Chigger Bites on the Bus Driver
  Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about the black art of paying attention to the right things, how lamps are no substitute, that it's hard whether you’re working from home or a cube, being honest about your expertise before looking for independence, and the need to move past inspiration.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #7: Vocational Wheel
  Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin relate to Richard–a listener in the middle of a quarter life crisis working jobs he doesn't like–with stories from their pasts, suggestions to combat the cascade of seriousness, and some first steps for breaking out of the vocational wheel.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #9: Out of Scope!
  Dan and Merlin improvise topics this week and get from Synechode, NY to dopamine, being scared and being safe, believing your thoughts and coloring your dreams, and solving problems by moving your hands instead of thinking.

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

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DISCUSSED: Skype steals focus, and Merlin ate your poem; music is pretty great; some odds and sods and recommendations; everyone should have a bell; learning to trust your system (and yourself); listener mailbag; Dan loves his new backpack; more on bulwarks against madness.

Links for this episode:

• Carole King 1971 - YouTube
  
• USBPre 2 Troubleshooting Steps - Sound Devices
  
• How to turn your Mac startup chime back on
  
• Say It, Don't Spray it: Specific Tasks for Specific Outcomes - YouTube
  
• BBC Four - In Concert, Carole King
  
• The Midnight Special (TV series) - Wikipedia
  
• Rick Wakeman - Wikipedia
  
• "Don't Mine At Night" - A Minecraft Parody of Katy Perry's Last Friday Night (Music Video) - YouTube
  
• Rick Wakeman The Myths and Legends of King Arthur / Knights of the Round Table Vinyl Album Side 1 - YouTube
  
• AppleInsider Podcast
  
• How novelty and comedy songs topped the charts before memes.
  
• Daypack - Ballistic Nylon - DSPTCH
  
• Where's the One? on Spotify
  
• Amazon.com | Side by Side Travel Tech Bag Organizer - Cables & EDC Gear Pouch - Electronics & Cord Case. Power Packer Shadow | Packing Organizers
  
• FruitJuice -- battery maintenance app for Apple Mac laptop computers. —
  
• George Carlin Talks About "Stuff" - YouTube
  
• YouTube
  
• Bee Gees - Musical Evolution (1960-2016) - YouTube
  
• Category:Songs written by Carole King - Wikipedia
  
• List of songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin - Wikipedia
  
• Culture Gabfest: Gender Swap — Slate Culture — Overcast
  

Brought to you by:

• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

• HealthIQ (To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/backtowork to take the proprietary Health IQ quiz where it's possible to save up to 41% on your life insurance premiums compared to other providers)!

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

Links for this episode:

• Podcast Method
  
• Audient iD4
  Merlin's guitar interface.
• The world needs all kinds of minds | Temple Grandin - YouTube
  Autism activist Temple Grandin talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.
• RØDE Microphones - PodMic
  
• Video: Editing Podcasts with Ferrite and Apple Pencil - Six Colors
  
• Home+ 4 Released with Refreshed Design and iOS 13 Features - MacStories
  
• Home+ 4
  Home+ 4 is the only full featured HomeKit app on the App Store which supports all HomeKit automation features. You can control all your HomeKit accessories from different manufacturers in one app and create your very own smart home.
• Mouseless
  
• WMNF | Community Conscious Radio
  
• Vintage Ross Solid State Stereo Cassette Deck Tape Player Recorder Model 6350 for sale online | eBay
  
• The Very Best of Jiminy Glick - YouTube
  
• Don’t Kiss Your Pet Hedgehogs, C.D.C. Warns - The New York Times
  
• 5by5 | Podcast Method
  

Brought to you by:

• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

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

Links for this episode:

• Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel | TED Talk
  
• Mouseless on Setapp | Unleash your keyboard’s superpower
  
• Amazon.com: Pro Co Sound CDPB Panic Button Microphone Routing Box: Musical Instruments
  Allows entertainers to switch the mic signal path from front-of-house to backstage or an alternate location. The A/B switch allows the unit to be used as a muting switch. Built-in status indicator light. AC power supply is included.
• Pretty Lady Mouth | Do By Friday
  This week's challenge: do more with Drafts.
• Fall of Civilizations Podcast
  
• LBJ and the Great Society — Overcast
  
• The Top 15 Star Trek Fanfiction 'Ships
  
• Van Tour | 2019 Sprinter Conversion, Full Shower, Kitchen, Garage, & Open Concept - YouTube
  
• Apollo Robbins: The art of misdirection | TED Talk
  
• Introduction | IBM Plex
  
• IBM/plex: The package of IBM’s typeface, IBM Plex.
  
• GitHub - fabrizioschiavi/pragmatapro: PragmataPro font is designed to help pros to work better
  DownloadingWant to be notified of new releases in fabrizioschiavi/pragmatapro?Sign inSign up
• PragmataPro coding font designed by Fabrizio Schiavi
  
• PragmataPro - Wikipedia
  
• Task Management Software Built For Pros - OmniFocus - The Omni Group
  
• Dogs' Dazzling Sense of Smell | NOVA | PBS
  
• She Transformed A $1,900 Vintage RV Into A Gorgeous Tiny House On Wheels - YouTube
  
• Woman Builds £1000 Tiny Earthen Home To Live Close To Nature In Welsh Woods - YouTube
  
• This Ultra Modern Tiny House Will Blow Your Mind - YouTube
  
• Adam Friedland on Twitter: "Took my dog to the beach to piss https://t.co/jjsrWfc1mb" / Twitter
  "Took my dog to the beach to piss"
• West Side Story - Tonight Quintet and Chorus (1961) HD - YouTube
  
• Great Performances | "Company" Opening Number with Neil Patrick Harris | PBS - YouTube
  
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity: David Allen: 9780142000281: Amazon.com: Books
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• MasterClass (Get unlimited access to every MasterClass, and as a Back to Work listener, you get 15% off the Annual All-Access Pass! Go to masterclass.com/backtowork).

DISCUSSED: thoughts on hand-washing and habit-building; Dan has a really good scarecrow joke; Merlin still can't figure out how many 12-year-olds Dan owns; Dan has a question about laptops and backpacks; the Tao of Backpacks; how to listen to a podcast; Dan has a question about iPhone cases; what we talk about when we talk about ad blocking; Merlin recommends a TED talk and a podcast about delight; Dan's new Picard podcast is going well; Dan has questions about OmniFocus; finally, Dan has questions about Los Angeles and, then, repeatedly ruins Merlin's very good endings.

Links for this episode:

• Ligatures in programming fonts | Butterick’s Practical Typography
  
• Tim Harford — Cautionary Tales
  
• Cautionary Tales — Overcast
  
• A powerful way to unleash your natural creativity | Tim Harford - YouTube
  
• The Show of Delights - This American Life
  In these dark, combative times, we attempt the most radical counterprogramming we could imagine: a show made up entirely of stories about delight.
• Amazon.com: Pro Co Sound CDSS Short Stop Mute Box: Musical Instruments
  
• Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel | TED Talk
  
• Myriam Sidibe: The simple power of hand-washing | TED Talk
  
• DSPTCH Daypack Review - Matterful
  
• Daypack - Ballistic Nylon - DSPTCH
  
• Synapse 25 - Backpacks - Travel Bags – TOM BIHN
  
• Short Stop - Pro Co Sound
  
• How To Use Plaque Disclosing Tablets
  
• Talking Heads - Live in Rome 1980 [Full Concert] - YouTube
  

Brought to you by:

• [Health IQ][(http://healthiq.com/backtowork) (To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/backtowork to take the proprietary Health IQ quiz. Depending upon your score, as well as other related qualifying factors, you can save up to 41% on your life insurance premiums compared to other providers).

Merlin is pretty out of it this week, and Dan shares some listener questions.

Links for this episode:

• Reilly's a match for show business / Actor-director here in one-man show - SFGate
  
• The Complete Adventure Time Timeline | Channel Frederator - YouTube
  
• The Picard
  
• Amazon.com: Tul Retractable Gel Pens 0.5mm Needle Point, Black 4/pk: Office Products
  
• The Sopranos - Wikipedia
  
• Mad Men - Wikipedia
  
• The Duffer Brothers - Wikipedia
  
• Dust Brothers - Wikipedia
  
• LADDA Rechargeable battery - IKEA
  
• Download your data - Google Account Help
  
• Charge Apple Watch
  
• john on Twitter: "hbd to this man https://t.co/xajeX4NoZD" / Twitter
  
• I Remember You | Adventure Time Season 4 DVD | Cartoon Network - YouTube
  
• Adventure Time | Simon and Marcy's Origins Story | Cartoon Network - YouTube
  
• Adventure Time | Simon & Marcy | Cartoon Network - YouTube
  

Brought to you by:

• Molekule (For $75 off your first order, visit Molekule.com and enter BACKTOWORK at checkout).

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

Links for this episode:

• “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin — Strong Songs — Overcast
  
• “Tiny Dancer” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John — Strong Songs — Overcast
  
• “Satisfied” from Hamilton — Strong Songs — Overcast
  
• The Talk Show: ‘SPORT MODE’, WITH SPECIAL GUEST MERLIN MANN
  Special guest Merlin Mann returns to the show. Topics include the renewal of U.S. law enforcement officials’ disingenuous campaign against iPhone encryption, the Houston Astros cheating scandal, how that cheating scandal relates to the Trump impeachment saga, and Catalyst and the art of Mac software design. But mostly we talk about finding a good pair of slippers.
• JetBrains Mono: A free and open source typeface for developers | JetBrains: Developer Tools for Professionals and Teams
  
• Introduction | IBM Plex
  
• GitHub - insidegui/PodcastMenu: Put Overcast on your Mac's menu bar
  PodcastMenu is a simple app which puts Overcast on your Mac's menu bar so you can listen to your favorite podcasts while you work.
• Download Logitech Options to Increase Work Productivity
  Logitech Options is a powerful and easy-to-use application that enhances your Logitech mice, keyboards, and touchpads. Customize your device with Options and do more than you thought possible.
• Mac keyboard shortcuts - Apple Support
  By pressing certain key combinations, you can do things that normally need a mouse, trackpad, or other input device.
• LaunchBar Help
  
• LaunchBar Help - Instant Send
  Instant Send is an extremely efficient way to send files or text selections to LaunchBar, and optionally send them further to other items such as applications, folders, email contacts or search templates.
• LaunchBar Help - Instant Open
  Instant Open is a powerful technique to open items via LaunchBar even more quickly. You no longer have to press the Return key - you just hold down the last entered abbreviation character and the selected item opens immediately.
• LaunchBar Help - Modifier Taps
  As an alternative to LaunchBar’s Command-Space shortcut it’s also possible to activate LaunchBar by tapping a modifier key.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #1: Alligator in the Bathroom
  In the inaugural episode of Back to Work, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss why they’re doing this show, getting back to work instead of buying berets, the lizard brain, and compare the Shadow of the Mouse to San Francisco, and eventually get to some practical tips for removing friction.
• No man's land - Wikipedia
  
• Dan's Mouse: Logitech G305
  
• Amazon.com: Kidrobot Adventure Time The Lich 8-Inch Medium Vinyl Figure: Kidrobot: Toys & Games
  
• Amazon.com: Zeiss Lens Care Pack - 2 - 8 Ounce Bottles of Lens Cleaner, 2 Microfiber Cleaning Cloths: Health & Personal Care
  
• Star Wars (radio series) - Wikipedia
  An expanded radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy was produced in 1981, 1983, and 1996. The first two radio series, based on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, were produced and broadcast by National Public Radio (NPR) as part of NPR Playhouse. A dramatization of Return of the Jedi was produced by most of the same team and it was also broadcast on NPR.
• Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy.
  What makes a song a smash? Talent? Luck? Timing? All that—and more.
• Song Exploder
  
• Strong Songs
  
• The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom [Official Music Video] - HQ - YouTube
  
• English Beat: "Save It For Later" - YouTube
  
• Merlin Mann | Patreon
  The excellent projects to which Merlin gives money.
• Match Game Marathon (Top 25 Best Episodes Of All Time) - YouTube
  
• MBMBaM - "PLAY with me in the space!" - YouTube
  
• Back to Work dot Limo
  Nailed it.
• Guardian Firewall - Guardian Firewall
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

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DISCUSSED: A fun and creepy new face swap app; Twitter is not creating much new happy; this leads to a discussion of generational perceptions about what's acceptable or even desirable (especially with Apple products); praise for the podcast, The Dream; Merlin gets a new clock; the origin of #MerlinsPoopList; who pays $168 for a bikini?; Merlin has uvula problems; Dan explores P&S Liquid and an upsetting gurgling noise; and, finally, "Back to the Mac 2020™" kicks off with a first dive into the magic of Obdev's LaunchBar.

Links for this episode:

• Digital Calendar Alarm Day Clock - with 8" Large Screen Display, am pm, 5 Alarm, for Extra Large Impaired Vision People, The Aged Seniors, The Dementia, for Desk, Wall Mounted, White
  
• LaunchBar 6
  
• Instant Send
  
• Amazon.com: JALL
  
• Hypercritical: Front and Center
  
• Hypercritical: Front and Center
  
• DOUBLICAT | Face swap in GIFs
  
• Hour of Code
  
• Smartphones: 72% of people will use only mobile for internet by 2025
  
• S2 E4: Take With Caution — The Dream — Overcast
  
• S1 E1: Wanna Swim in Cash? — The Dream — Overcast
  
• Phenol topical Reviews & Ratings at Drugs.com
  swall
• Action Movie FX
  
• Home | Masquerade
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "I legit love you guys, but here’s one thing to think about: The happier I am, the less I look at Twitter. And, the less I look at Twitter, the happier I am." / Twitter
  
• Christmas Eve Twitter feels like the raw and ill-advised Twitter of 2007
  
• Toolbox Pro
  
• Pushcut - Smart notifications that trigger your automation
  
• LaunchCuts | LaunchCuts is a powerful, customizable, and elegant launcher for shortcuts on iOS. Organize your shortcuts manually into folders or create smart folders using tags.
  
• Quicksilver (software) - Wikipedia
  
• Alfred - Productivity App for macOS
  
• Butler · Many Tricks
  
• Comparison of desktop application launchers - Wikipedia
  These desktop application launchers work with the Apple macOS operating system only.
• That's a Reference on Twitter: "233-31:40 @Siracusa “That should be the title of my biography…” DONE cc @hotdogsladies https://t.co/s30a7O70Bl" / Twitter
  
• Narrow your search results on Mac - Apple Support
  
• A Slack comment by Merlin
  "…how many of the folks at Apple right now grew up using iOS way more than a Mac?"
• Connected #276: Symbiosis, Osmosis, Whatever - Relay FM
  

Brought to you by:

• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

• HealthIQ (To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/backtowork to take the proprietary Health IQ quiz where it's possible to save up to 41% on your life insurance premiums compared to other providers)!

Merlin needs help in the NOC; Dan discovers sensitive sauce; there are thresholds; hurting your roller skating muscles; new printer; and, finally, Merlin conducts a long exploration of unnecessary efficiencies, evolved technologies, and the minimum viable productivity system.

Links for this episode:

• Sensitive Marinara Sauce | Rao's Homemade
  
• Amazon.com : Rao's Sauce Homemade Marinara Sensitive, 24 oz : Tomato And Marinara Sauces
  
• Amazon.com: Lenox Gold Titanium Coated Utility Knife Blades - 10 Pack - Last 3X Longer Than Standard Blades: Home Improvement
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• Native (For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code BACKTOWORK during checkout).

For this very special end of the century, fin de siècle episode, Dan and Merlin make bespoke personal recommendations for music, podcasts, apps, TV shows, YouTube videos, and gadgets.

Links for this episode:

• Pen Computing Magazine: VisorPhone
  
• Handspring (company) - Wikipedia
  
• Setapp | The best apps for Mac in one suite
  The frontier platform that packs 160 Mac apps into just one. A personally curated membership for $9.99/mo.
• MailMate
  
• Fastmail
  
• Amazon.com: Tenergy TN438 16 Bay Smart Charger with LCD and Built-in IC Protection, AA/AAA NiMH/NiCd Rechargeable Batteries Charger with AC Wall Adapter and Car Adapter: Home Audio & Theater
  
• Text Case
  
• Interact Scratchpad for Mac | Agile Tortoise
  
• Zotero | Your personal research assistant
  
• Jellyfish - Joining a Fan Club - YouTube
  
• Dan Reeder - Clean Elvis - YouTube
  
• CHARMPIT - Bridges Go Burn (Official Music Video) - YouTube
  
• Pete Holmes & Friends: "Ex-Men"
  
• Amazon.com: Sony 4K Ultra HD Blu Ray Player with 4K HDR and Dolby Vision + 6FT HDMI Cable - (UBP-X700): Electronics
  
• 40. David Letterman — Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend — Overcast
  
• 45. Paul Rudd — Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend — Overcast
  
• You're Wrong About... — Overcast
  
• The O.J. Simpson Trial: Nicole Brown Simpson Part 1 — You're Wrong About... — Overcast
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: "Dammit, that guy who plays Ethan on Silicon Valley—what the hell do I remember him fr…oooohhh, yeah! Snikt! https://t.co/Q4lP37XRN5" / Twitter
  
• Predestination streaming: where to watch online?
  
• Halide
  
• Filmic Pro Mobile Video
  
• Amazon.com: Attmu 50 PCS Reusable Fastening Cable Ties, Microfiber Cloth 6-Inch Hook and Loop Cord Ties, Black: Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: Nintendo Switch – Neon Red and Neon Blue Joy-Con - HAC 001 (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Video Games
  
• Official site | Minecraft
  
• The Top 10 TV Shows of the Decade | The Watch — The Watch — Overcast
  
• Amazon.com: Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard – Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, Android, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV Compatible – with FLOW Cross-Computer Control and Easy-Switch up to 3 Devices – Dark Grey: Computers & Accessories
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #38: Sorry. You Can't Have a Candle.
  Dan and Merlin talk about bombing the deck, advancing the slides, and striving to improve the self-perpetuating bad culture of presentations.Slide?!?
• Full text of "Harrison Bergeron (& Activity)"
  
• Folk devil - Wikipedia
  
• ‘Star Trek’ Movie: ‘Fargo’s Noah Hawley In Talks To Write & Direct For Paramount – Deadline
  

Brought to you by:

• [Health IQ][(http://healthiq.com/backtowork) (To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/backtowork to take the proprietary Health IQ quiz. Depending upon your score, as well as other related qualifying factors, you can save up to 41% on your life insurance premiums compared to other providers).

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

Links for this episode:

• Brumation Dormant Period in Reptiles
  
• Amazon.com : Feeding Tongs 15" 2 Pcs Super Thick Stainless Steel Forceps Curved and Straight Snakes, Reptile, Lizards, Gecko, Spider Long Tweezer : Pet Supplies
  
• Amazon.com : Josh's Frogs Hornworms Habitat Cup (25 Count Cup) : Pet Supplies
  
• bearded dragon cat friends - Google Search
  
• Palm VII - Wikipedia
  
• Graffiti (Palm OS) - Wikipedia
  
• Doonesbury comic strip on Newton - CHM Revolution
  
• Amazon.com : Palm V Hand held PDA : Handhelds And Pda Gps Peripherals : Electronics
  
• Revisiting the Palm Pilot's uncanny alphabet: Design Observer
  
• The Gadget We Miss: The Palm V - People & Gadgets - Medium
  
• Wemo Mini WiFi Smart Plug
  
• Wemo Mini Smart Plug, 2-pack
  
• The Social Life of Paper | The New Yorker
  The solution to our paper problem, they write, is not to use less paper but to keep less paper.
• Mark Text
  
• Mind Mapping by Tony Buzan, a great effectiveness tool | ToolsHero
  
• Tony Buzan – Inventor of Mind Mapping
  
• David Allen (author) - Wikipedia
  "Allen was also one of the founders of Actioneer, a company specializing in productivity tools for the PalmPilot."
• Mitch Kapor Introduces Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet Software - YouTube
  
• The Hacker's Diet - Wikipedia
  
• Using Drafts 5 Taskpaper with OmniFocus – Rosemary Orchard
  
• TaskPaper – Plain text to-do lists for Mac
  
• Take Control of Shortcuts for iOS with Rosemary Orchard's New Book – The Sweet Setup
  
• Take Control of Shortcuts – Take Control Books
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #5: Chigger Bites on the Bus Driver
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #7: Vocational Wheel
  
• Tim Harford — Podcasts
  
• Tim Harford — Article — Cautionary Tales Ep 7 – Bowie, jazz, and the unplayable piano
  
• Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano — Cautionary Tales — Overcast
  
• Benefits of Forced Experimentation: Striking Evidence from the London Underground Network* | The Quarterly Journal of Economics | Oxford Academic
  We show that a strike on the Underground, which forced many commuters to experiment with new routes, brought lasting changes in behavior. This effect is stronger for commuters who live in areas where the Underground map is more distorted, which points to the importance of informational imperfections.
• "A mistake is a Buddhist gift."
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

DISCUSSED: Dan presents a curious new bathroom project; some thoughts on OCD, procrastination, and empathy; praise for Fury Road, Inglourious Basterds, and Dunkirk; Dan has follow-up on his awesome new laptop and the state of Unix shells; Merlin makes the case for occasionally getting unused to things.

Links for this episode:

• I’ll Do The Procrastination Episode Tomorrow
  
• The MacBook Adorable — Liss is More
  
• Moving to zsh – Scripting OS X
  
• Apple replaces bash with zsh as the default shell in macOS Catalina - The Verge
  
• Amazon.com: Samson Q2U USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone Recording and Podcasting Pack (Includes Mic Clip, Desktop Stand, Windscreen and Cables): Musical Instruments
  
• Causality
  
• Compartmentalization (psychology) - Wikipedia
  Compartmentalization is a subconscious psychological defense mechanism used to avoid cognitive dissonance, or the mental discomfort and anxiety caused by a person's having conflicting values, cognitions, emotions, beliefs, etc. within themselves.

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

DISCUSSED: Drafts for Mac is out!; check out Damon Lindelof on The Watch; suggestions for HomeKit power strips; and responses to listener letters on rediscovering the joys of physical media and getting started with addressing chronic pain.

Links for this episode:

• Plex launches a free, ad-supported streaming service in over 200 countries | TechCrunch
  
• Drafts | Where Text Starts
  “Easily one of the best iOS apps I’ve ever used.” – Merlin Mann
• Damon Lindelof on the World-building of ‘Watchmen’ | The Watch — The Watch — Overcast
  
• Amazon.com: VOCOlinc Smart Power Strip Multi Outlet, Surge Protector, Energy Monitoring, USB Fast Charging (QC3.0), Timers, Works with HomeKit, Alexa and Google Assistant, No Hub Required, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, PM2: Home Improvement
  
• Amazon.com: Smart Power Strip WiFi Power Bar 5ft  Extension Cord Compatible with Alexa,Google Home and IFTTT, TECKIN Surge Protector with 4 USB Charging Ports and Smart AC Plugs for Multi Outlets: Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: Wemo Bridge - Works with Apple HomeKit
  
• CDs and vinyl are more popular than digital downloads once again - The Verge
  
• The Official Watchmen Podcast — Overcast
  The official podcast of the HBO series Watchmen. Over three episodes, host Craig Mazin (HBO’s Chernobyl) discusses Watchmen with its Executive Producer and Writer, Damon Lindelof. Join Mazin and Lindelof as they divulge narrative choices, explore the show’s connection with the groundbreaking graphic novel, and how it reflects our modern times. Watchmen airs Sundays on HBO at 9 PM.
• It's My Plastic Straws | Do By Friday
  
• Chris Walker on Twitter: "me to my kid: “if you trip while running that way, you’ll Naruto Knock Your Front Teeth Out.”" / Twitter
  

Discussed:

• the commercials you get in your head
• listener feedback on music management
• first results of Merlin's own deep dive on music management alternatives
• thoughts on the "safety" that ends up making us less safe
• the perverse magic of "ghoti"
• thoughts on Dan's cool new laptop
• getting the shell you want
• sometimes Daddy needs to go in the closet

Links for this episode:

• The Plain Text Project
  
• MusicBrainz Picard
  
• JRiver Media Center software
  
• Volumio - The Audiophile Music Player
  
• foobar2000
  
• MinimServer
  
• DLNA
  
• What is the difference between DLNA and UPNP? - Super User
  
• Audio Station | Synology Inc.
  
• La La Land: Galileo’s Warning — Cautionary Tales — Overcast
  
• Tim Harford — Podcasts
  
• The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety: Alan W. Watts: 8601300190136: Amazon.com: Books
  
• Ghoti - Wikipedia
  
• “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead — Strong Songs — Overcast
  
• Turbo Boost Switcher for OS X – rugarciap.com
  

Brought to you by:

• Bombas (Save 20% on your first purchase when you shop at Bombas.com/backtowork).

• eero (For free overnight shipping to the US or Canada, visit eero.com and at checkout select overnight shipping then enter BACKTOWORK to make it free).

• HealthIQ (To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/backtowork to take the proprietary Health IQ quiz where it's possible to save up to 41% on your life insurance premiums compared to other providers)!

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.

Links for this episode:

• Amazon.com: Inteset 4-in-1 Universal Backlit IR Learning Remote for use with Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku, Media Center/Kodi, Nvidia Shield, most Streamers and other A/V Devices: Electronics
  
• google sheets - how do I find the values that are in one column but not in the other - Stack Overflow
  ISNA
• Amazon.com: Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC Laptop (STEB8000100): Computers & Accessories
  
• Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families
  
• Over the Garden Wall (TV Mini-Series 2014) - Reference View - IMDb
  
• Nathan Hale
  
• Over the Garden Wall - Wikipedia
  
• Nathan Hale
  
• List of expressions related to death - Wikipedia
  
• 28 Profoundly Beautiful Quotes About Life And Death
  
• 360 Death Quotes That Will Bring You Instant Calm
  
• SoundJam MP - Wikipedia
  
• Over The Garden Wall | Potatoes and Molasses | Cartoon Network - YouTube
  
• MusicBrainz - The Open Music Encyclopedia
  
• MusicBrainz Picard
  
• mr. joshua (@pants) / Twitter
  
• LUMBERJANES
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• Kensington (Test drive a docking solution today with the Kensington Pro C program by visiting Kensington.com/backtowork).

• 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

Links for this episode:

• STANDARD ISSUE NOTEBOOK No.12 | GREEN – DesignWorks Ink
  
• STANDARD ISSUE NOTEBOOK NO.3 | GREEN – DesignWorks Ink
  
• Having a bad day? Dave Eggers can help. — The Ezra Klein Show — Overcast
  
• Tweet on iOS Voice Control
  
• Use Voice Control on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
  
• How to use Voice Controls on iPhone and iPad | iMore
  
• The Trick That Lets You Set Your Hotel Thermostat to Any Temp You Want
  
• Amazon.com: WD 8TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive - USB 3.0 - WDBWLG0080HBK-NESN: Computers & Accessories
  
• Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC Laptop (STEB8000100)
  
• WD 8TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 - WDBBGB0080HBK-NESN
  
• Seagate IronWolf 4TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 5900 RPM 64MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage – Frustration Free Packaging (ST4000VN008)
  
• “The Theme System Journal” graphic notebook by Cortex Podcast. | Cotton Bureau
  
• Panobook – Studio Neat
  
• Mead Data Center - YouTube
  
• Mead Data Center & The Organizer (1986) Trapper Keeper - YouTube
  
• Amazon.com: Inteset 4-in-1 Universal Backlit IR Learning Remote for use with Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku, Media Center/Kodi, Nvidia Shield, most Streamers and other A/V Devices: Electronics
  

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• Native (For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code BACKTOWORK during checkout).

Our worst episode ever. Enjoy!

Links for this episode:

• Mark Text
  
• CommonMark Spec
  
• Venice ‘on its knees’ after second-worst flood ever recorded
  
• Sweeping Study Points To Devastating Impact Of Climate Change On Global Health : Goats and Soda : NPR
  
• Notational Velocity - Wikipedia
  
• Bunch - BrettTerpstra.com
  
• nvUltra - Searchable, portable, MultiMarkdown notes
  
• Accidental Tech Podcast: 352: No One Else Had Calipers
  
• Pi-hole®: A black hole for Internet advertisements – A black hole for Internet advertisements
  
• TitleCase - Text Conversion Solutions
  
• Drafts | Where Text Starts
  
• TableFlip - Simple Table Editor for Mac
  

Brought to you by:

• RingCentral (Sign up today and get instant access to RingCentral’s award-winning powerful phone system with phone, fax, video conferencing and more. Take advantage of a special holiday bundle offer; don’t pay a single penny until 2020 by visiting RingCentral.com/backtowork).

• eero (For free overnight shipping to the US or Canada, visit eero.com and at checkout select overnight shipping then enter BACKTOWORK to make it free).

• HealthIQ (To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/backtowork to take the proprietary Health IQ quiz where it's possible to save up to 41% on your life insurance premiums compared to other providers)!

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

Links for this episode:

• Keyboards, Computer Keyboards, Wireless Keyboards | Logitech
  
• Shortcuts - Drafts User Guide
  
• Draft It
  
• Merlin's Bluetooth Keyboards - Google Sheets
  
• Keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets - Computer - Docs Editors Help
  
• Amazon.com: Seagate IronWolf 4TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 5900 RPM 64MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage – Frustration Free Packaging (ST4000VN008): Computers & Accessories
  
• TaskPaper – Plain text to-do lists for Mac
  
• Shortcuts Archive - MacStories
  
• iOS and iPadOS 13: The MacStories Review - MacStories - Part 17
  
• Rana Foroohar joins Slate Money to discuss political ads on social media, the NCAA, and the California wildfires.
  
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli) / Twitter
  

Brought to you by:

• RingCentral (Sign up today and get instant access to RingCentral’s award-winning powerful phone system with phone, fax, video conferencing and more. Take advantage of a special holiday bundle offer; don’t pay a single penny until 2020 by visiting RingCentral.com/backtowork).

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• Bombas (Save 20% on your first purchase when you shop at Bombas.com/backtowork).

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.

Links for this episode:

• Locke (film) - Wikipedia
  
• The Drop (film) - Wikipedia
  
• Amazon.com: Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard – Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, Android, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV Compatible – with FLOW Cross-Computer Control and Easy-Switch up to 3 Devices – Dark Grey: Computers & Accessories
  
• See on Apple TV+: Less Game of Thrones, more unintentionally funny SyFy | Ars Technica
  
• Amazon.com: APC Sine Wave UPS, 1500VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector, Back-UPS Pro Uninterruptible Power Supply (BR1500MS): Electronics
  
• Amazon.com: ARRIS SURFboard Docsis 3.1 Gigabit Speed Cable Modem, Approved for Cox, Spectrum and Xfinity, (SB8200 Frustration Free): Computers & Accessories
  
• NAS Selector | Synology Inc.
  
• Amazon Prime Now: Logitech K400 Plus Wireless Touch TV Keyboard with Easy Media Control and Built-In Touchpad: Computers & Accessories
  
• 5by5 | Hypercritical #44: A Little Bit More Sad
  

Brought to you by:

• RingCentral (Sign up today and get instant access to RingCentral’s award-winning powerful phone system with phone, fax, video conferencing and more. Take advantage of a special holiday bundle offer; don’t pay a single penny until 2020 by visiting RingCentral.com/backtowork).

• Kensington (Test drive a docking solution today with the Kensington Pro C program by visiting Kensington.com/backtowork).

• Zapier (Right now through November, try Zapier free for 14 days by going to Zapier.com/backtowork).

This week, Dan and Merlin dive into the benefits (and fun) of a NAS project. Also, Merlin goes off about the horror show of letting old people determine the future. Also, also, hey, kung fu movies!

Links for this episode:

• Kids these days: Why the youth of today seem lacking | Science Advances
  
• Merlin Mann on Twitter: ""I don't need my Dad to understand why I think 'Future is Good.'" —Andy Greenwald https://t.co/WatUkVcQCl" / Twitter
  "I don't need my Dad to understand why I think 'Future is Good.'" —Andy Greenwald
• Amazon.com: Synology 6 Bay NAS DiskStation - DS1618+ (Diskless): Computers & Accessories
  
• Amazon.com: ARRIS SURFboard (16x4) DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem, approved for Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity & more (SB6183 Black): Computers & Accessories
  
• Amazon.com: ARRIS SURFboard Docsis 3.1 Gigabit Speed Cable Modem, Approved for Cox, Spectrum and Xfinity, (SB8200 Frustration Free): Computers & Accessories
  
• Breaking Down the Season Premiere of ‘Watchmen’ | The Watch — The Watch — Overcast
  
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Reference View - IMDb
  
• Ip Man (2008) - Reference View - IMDb
  
• Hero (2002) - Reference View - IMDb
  
• Adam Ruins Everything - truTV - Official Site
  
• Adam Ruins Himself | Adam Ruins Everything Full Episodes | truTV
  
• A Former TV Critic Puts Himself Under the Microscope - The New York Times
  
• Regina King on Twitter: "Part 1 of a note to all who are already devoted fans of Watchmen and to those who will hopefully soon become fans. #WatchmenHBO tonight 9pm.. https://t.co/1H9578Dtmx" / Twitter
  
• Hiija EZ RJ45 Crimp Tool Pass Through Cat5 Cat5e Cat6 Crimping Tool for RJ45/RJ12 Regular and End-Pass-Through connectors with 50PCS Connectors, 50PCS Covers and Network Wire Stripper - - Amazon.com
  
• Amazon.com: Monoprice Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable - Network Internet Cord - Solid, 500Mhz, UTP, CMR, Riser Rated, Pure Bare Copper Wire, 23AWG, 250ft, Blue: Computers & Accessories
  
• How to Make a Category 6 Patch Cable
  

Brought to you by:

• RingCentral (Sign up today and get instant access to RingCentral’s award-winning powerful phone system with phone, fax, video conferencing and more. Take advantage of a special holiday bundle offer; don’t pay a single penny until 2020 by visiting RingCentral.com/backtowork).

• Molekule (For $75 off your first order, visit Molekule.com and enter BACKTOWORK at checkout).

• Native (For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code BACKTOWORK during checkout).

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."

Links for this episode:

• Episode 925: A Mob Boss, A Garbage Boat and Why We Recycle : Planet Money : NPR
  
• Episode 926: So, Should We Recycle? : Planet Money : NPR
  
• Episode 926: So, Should We Recycle? : Transcript
  "China was not very careful about what got into their ocean for a long period of time. And if some of the plastic piles were just too corrupted, they could do whatever they wanted with it."
• Brian EdwardsTiekert on Twitter: "Hello everyone who's mystified by all the blackout posts coming from California's #Powerpocalypse , here's an explainer thread:" / Twitter
  
• Twitter - Bando - @BandoManndo
  "Chill West Coast Lizard."
• #925: A Mob Boss, A Garbage Boat and Why We Recycle — Planet Money — Overcast
  
• #926: So, Should We Recycle? — Planet Money — Overcast
  
• Compost, Recycle, & Landfill | Recology San Francisco
  
• How to Recycle and Compost in San Francisco | sfenvironment.org - Our Home. Our City. Our Planet
  
• S.F. Reacts to the Bin-sanity of the New Recycling Landscape - May 22, 2019 - SF Weekly
  
• Dr. Drang on Twitter: "Given the past few weeks of software releases from Cupertino, I didn’t think this needed explaining, but I guess it does. I’m not complaining about the quality or style of the presentations." / Twitter
  
• Hetch Hetchy System
  The cities, water districts and private utilities represented by the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) rely upon the Hetch Hetchy system for water to protect the health, safety and economic well being of 1.8 million citizens, businesses and community organizations.
• National Sword - 99% Invisible
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

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• Feals (Become a member today by going to Feals.com/backtowork and you'll get 50% off your first order with free shipping).

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about living in a world of hardware choices.

How do you decide which device is best suited to a given task? Which ones do you find yourself preferring to use because they're friction-free—or just fun?

And, in what ways do our previous behaviors, habits, and expectations end up unconsciously coloring our future decisions?

Links for this episode:

• Spotify rolls out Siri support and new Apple TV app - The Verge
  
• SmartSockets® Table Top Surge Protector with USB | Surge Protector & Power Strips | Smartsockets® - Kensington | Kensington
  
• THE CHURCH | The Blurred Crusade | Live Concert 1982 - YouTube
  
• The Church - Almost With You (Video) - YouTube
  
• KLOE4 Outlet eu - Koogeek.com
  
• Amazon.com: VOCOlinc Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip Multi Outlet, Surge Protector, USB Charging, Timers, Works with HomeKit, Alexa and Google Assistant, No Hub Required, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, PM2E: Electronics
  
• Amazon.com : Wyze Cam Pan 1080p Pan/Tilt/Zoom Wi-Fi Indoor Smart Home Camera with Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Person Detection, Works with Alexa & the Google Assistant : Electronics
  
• Amazon.com : Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Person Detection, Works with Alexa & the Google Assistant : Electronics
  

Brought to you by:

• Kensington (Test drive a docking solution today with the Kensington Pro C program by visiting Kensington.com/backtowork).

• Zapier (Right now through November, try Zapier free for 14 days by going to Zapier.com/backtowork).

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

Links for this episode:

• Release dates for iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS Catalina, watchOS 6, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and more | Macworld
  
• Broken iCloud reminders are the latest reason to delay your iOS 13 upgrade - The Verge
  
• This App May Be the Culprit Causing Your Apple Watch's Battery to Drain
  
• Bunch - BrettTerpstra.com
  
• Apple confirms iOS 13 Reminders will be fixed with macOS Catalina rollout
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• Bombas (Save 20% on your first purchase when you shop at Bombas.com/backtowork).

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

Links for this episode:

• New iPhone set up: Transfer data directly to a new iPhone wirelessly, or using a cable
  
• Siri on Apple Watch: The ultimate guide | iMore
  
• What is a Moonphase? | Complete Guide to Moon Phases on Watches
  
• Missing Meridian watch face - Apple Community
  

Brought to you by:

• Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at Squarespace.com and when you sign up make sure to use the offer code ITSYOURSHOW to get 10% off your first purchase).

• Native (For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code BACKTOWORK during checkout).