Back to Work

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.

Links:uBlacklist for Safari on the App Store — "Blocks sites you specify from appearing in search engine results"uBlacklist for Safari | Search Engine filter for SafariWhy Are There So Many Bad Bosses? - Freakonomics — "When these firms select people to be managers based on their current job performance, they are actively making themselves worse off. In other words: the Peter Principle is as real as Laurence Peter said it was. And, I'm editorializing here, it would also seem to be incredibly stupid."495. Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? — Freakonomics Radio — OvercastRobert Sharl on Twitter: "⁦@hotdogsladies⁩ This is the business. OHTO Super Promecha Pencil PM-1500P | Cult Pens https://t.co/Inzfsujt55" / TwitterAmazonSmile : OHTO Super Promecha Drafting Pencil, 0.5mm (PM-1505P) : Mechanical Pencils : Office ProductsTweaks for TwitterAmazon.com : Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm. 780BK : Steatdler Mechanical Pencil : Office ProductsAmazon.com : Staedtler Mars Carbon Lead, 12 x 2mm, HB (200-HB) : Staedtler Mars Lead Refill Hb : Office ProductsAmazon.com : Staedtler 502 BK A6 Mars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads, 502BKA6,Blue : Pencil Sharpeners : Office ProductsPeter principle - Wikipedia — "…employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another"Casting the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - The First Class - YouTubeWells for Boys - SNL - YouTube — Introducing Wells for Boys, part of Fisher-Price's new Sensitive Boy line.Logo Programming Language — The Logo Programming Language, a dialect of Lisp, was designed as a tool for learning. Its features - interactivity, modularity, extensibility, flexibility of data types - follow from this goal. Links:uBlacklist for Safari on the App Store — "Blocks sites you specify from appearing in search engine results"uBlacklist for Safari | Search Engine filter for SafariWhy Are There So Many Bad Bosses? - Freakonomics — "When these firms select people to be managers based on their current job performance, they are actively making themselves worse off. In other words: the Peter Principle is as real as Laurence Peter said it was. And, I'm editorializing here, it would also seem to be incredibly stupid."495. Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? — Freakonomics Radio — OvercastRobert Sharl on Twitter: "⁦@hotdogsladies⁩ This is the business. OHTO Super Promecha Pencil PM-1500P | Cult Pens https://t.co/Inzfsujt55" / TwitterAmazonSmile : OHTO Super Promecha Drafting Pencil, 0.5mm (PM-1505P) : Mechanical Pencils : Office ProductsTweaks for TwitterAmazon.com : Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm. 780BK : Steatdler Mechanical Pencil : Office ProductsAmazon.com : Staedtler Mars Carbon Lead, 12 x 2mm, HB (200-HB) : Staedtler Mars Lead Refill Hb : Office ProductsAmazon.com : Staedtler 502 BK A6 Mars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads, 502BKA6,Blue : Pencil Sharpeners : Office ProductsPeter principle - Wikipedia — "…employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another"Casting the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - The First Class - YouTubeWells for Boys - SNL - YouTube — Introducing Wells for Boys, part of Fisher-Price's new Sensitive Boy line.

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. Bando (After Pixelmator) Fresh Baby (Before Pixelmator) Fresh Baby (After Pixelmator) Lemongrab (with Pixelmator ML Super Resolution) Octagonal Brass

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:

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.

Taskapalooza begins. Rock me, Joseph Alberto Santiago.

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.

Talking Spider-Man and phones for kids.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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. The Leftovers Neil Breen License to Clown

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.

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.

Dan and Merlin almost talk about iOS 15.

Dan and Merlin almost talk about iOS 15.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.