Back to Work

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Back to Work episodes

April 23, 2019Episode 423: It Only Hurts for a Minute
DISCUSSED: Dan and Merlin get hungry, but they've had it with all the bread; the trough food is so costly; no one is sweating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Marvel-ish movies are discussed, including the new one with Lady Sansa; Merlin is very concerned about aphasias; Dan introduces us to Forbidden Snacks and endorses his new shoe appliance; shoe appliances are then discussed; Dan hasn't had to use his sword…yet; people sure love them some pencils; there was some weather, so the seder got all fakakte; the finer points of Judaism and sundry Hebraica are clarified; Dan got scrolls-on-tape from a sympathetic cantor; Buster Scruggs is recommended; the boys receive a quick surprise visit from the great Tom Waits; and, finally, your hosts talk about a terrific YouTube video about what we can all learn from our worst trainwrecks.
Links for this episode:
Adam Neely - "My Worst Trainwreck" - YouTube
"Train wrecks happen on the bandstand. This is the story of a particularly nasty one at a wedding where we totally butcher a perfectly decent Elton John ballad."
Adam Neely - YouTube
Forbidden Snacks
Amazon.com: Set of 2 Metal Shoe Horns, 7.5" Long - Top Quality: Shoes
Against the Rules with Michael Lewis — Overcast
Aphasia - Wikipedia
Amazon.com: Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk (9780785120124): Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, Juan Santacruz, Gary Frank, Takeshi Miyazawa: Books
The 12 Marvel movies you need to see to make the most of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ next week – BGR
Home | Peanut Chews | Celebrating 100 Years | Join the Party
Destroying angel (Bible) - Wikipedia
"Planet Hulk" - Netflix
Shabbat elevator - Wikipedia
Activities prohibited on Shabbat - Wikipedia
Tango till they're sore -- Tom Waits - YouTube
Fiasco! - This American Life
Stories of when things go wrong. Really wrong. When you leave the normal realm of human error, fumble, mishap, and mistake and enter the territory of really huge breakdowns. Fiascos. Things go so awry that normal social order collapses. This week's show is a philosophical inquiry in the nature of fiascos — perhaps the first ever.
5by5 | Back to Work #3: The Second Arrow
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1 hr 29 min
April 16, 2019Episode 422: Magic Rub
DISCUSSED: Dan has just started a new pen; there's some pen, pencil, and eraser talk; Dan has an important anecdote about utilizing eraser-based people skills; Dan's iMac is working fine, but he's concerned about the poofs coming out of the balloon blower; Dan saw Venom and has some thoughts; Merlin commends a comic and a podcast and an app launcher; the evolution of computer interaction has rewired our brains; why do they have to make the print so small?; Merlin has songs in his head; and, finally, Merlin apologizes to Nick Fury.
Links for this episode:
My Worst Trainwreck - YouTube
Adam Neely - YouTube
Fun Fact, a podcast by Arik Devens and Allen Pike
Arik Devens and Allen Pike serve up fun facts, including the practical, historical, technical, and trivial. New episode every other Friday.
Fun Fact — Overcast
Two people talk about topics they find interesting.
LaunchBar 6
Start with a single keyboard shortcut to access and control every aspect of your digital life.
Kneaded eraser - Wikipedia
Prismacolor MAGIC RUB Art Eraser, Vinyl, Dozen | OfficeSupply.com
Pentel Clic Eraser Pencil-Style Grip Eraser, Black | OfficeSupply.com
Medium Kneaded Rubber | Winsor & Newton
A medium size ‘plastic’ or ‘putty’ rubber which may be moulded to a fine point for minute erasures. Useful for picking out highlights and erasing pencil, chalk or charcoal without smearing.
Amazon.com : Pilot Precise V7 RT Retractable Rolling Ball Pens, Fine Point, Black Ink, 6 Pack : Gateway
Amazon.com: Sakura 44162 8-Piece Identi-Pen Permanent Marker Set, Assorted Colors: Gateway
Amazon.com : Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm. 780BK : Steatdler Mechanical Pencil : Gateway
Apple Mac Upgrades - RAM, SSD Flash, External Drives and More
Amazon.com: Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender: The Complete Collection Volume 1 (8601418338321): Rick Remender, Leonardo Manco, Jerome Opena, Rafael Albuquerque, Esad Ribic, Billy Tan, Mark Brooks, Robbi Rodriguez: Gateway
Amazon.com: Uncanny X-Force, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Solution (9780785148555): Rick Remender, Jerome Opena, Leonardo Manco: Books
Brian Regan-You Too and Stuff - YouTube
CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share - YouTube
Nick Fury: Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.
"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on."

—Nick Fury (2012)
WTOG 44 Tampa - Commercials from 1986 - YouTube
Maido — Kinokuniya USA
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1 hr 11 min
April 09, 2019Episode 421: Black Dress Cowboy Boots
DISCUSSED: What we talk about when we talk about optimism; the power of "Act as Though"; on edibles; a YouTube recommendation, then more YouTube recommendations; how even do we tell YouTube what we never want to see again? HOW?!; the difficulty of sensible algorithms; the fascinating concept of "pareidolia"; Professor Shoelaces's extensive metatags; your hosts answer a listener's question about when to go physical versus when to go digital.
Links for this episode:
Chris Nagele on Twitter: "In other words, I'm trying to treat my computer more like a sewing machine or table saw. Something to do a job when I need it, and to walk away from it when I don't."
In other words, I'm trying to treat my computer more like a sewing machine or table saw. Something to do a job when I need it, and to walk away from it when I don't.
Stopping the Noise in Your Head : the New Way to Overcome Anxiety and Worry: Dr. Reid Wilson PhD: 9780757319068: Amazon.com: Books
Forgery Experts Explain 5 Ways To Spot A Fake | WIRED - YouTube
Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 31 Actors Playing Real People | WIRED - YouTube
Exploring the World of E-Ink - YouTube
Ripple Training - YouTube
Larry Jordan - YouTube
Remain Seated Please - The Hoot and Chief Story (Epcot Horizons) - YouTube
Exploring the World of E-Ink - YouTube
Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 31 Actors Playing Real People | WIRED - YouTube
Aglet - Wikipedia
Ian's Shoelace Site – Introduction
ProfessorShoelace - YouTube
Back to Work Listener Survey 2019
Pacific Rim (2013) - Quotes - IMDb
Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!
Nick Fury: Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.
Nick Fury: "Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on."
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1 hr 13 min
April 03, 2019Episode 420: Baby Thorin
DISCUSSED: Merlin is back on his old cans; Dan is pivoting to video; Cash stepped in paint, and kids are terrible storytellers; a book recommendation; a case for the Oxford comma, please and thank you; Dan starts asking for help with his new iMac; gross nickel–and-diming by Apple; praise for Southwest Airlines; Dan (finally) gets to finish asking for help with his new iMac; a cool new open source Mac video app; the Mac laptop keyboard problems ain't going away; Dan really likes Final Cut; Merlin fights with UPS, both on principle and as a game; Merlin thinks Dan's egg cooker rules.
Links for this episode:
Rogue Amoeba | Get Audio Hijack 3
Brian Regan- You Too! - YouTube
"Best Buy Rewards Card"- Pacific Rim Animatic - YouTube
Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style: Benjamin Dreyer: 9780812995701: Amazon.com: Gateway
Fresh Air for Feb. 5, 2019: Random House Copy Chief Benjamin Dreyer : NPR
Menu for Ted's Farm Barbecue & Coffee Austn, TX Menu
Oxford commas, Nelson Mandela, and Stephen King | Sentence first
IINA - The modern media player for macOS
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Dave Itzkoff on Twitter: "“Walter, I’m sure there’s a reason you brought your dirty undies.” “That’s right, Dude. The weight. The ringer can’t look empty.”… https://t.co/edrOW3ELK5"
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1 hr 8 min
March 26, 2019Episode 419: The Elephant in the Sword
DISCUSSED: allergy attack!; big anniversary today; elegy for Two Cats Comics; some D&D talk; Dan got a sword!; yet more D&D talk; key commands for line-moving; Dan got his YouTube URL back; a Theranos book recommendation; Dan almost got cast in a TV show; some observations and reckons about Apple's big Services event.
Links for this episode:
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup: John Carreyrou: 9781524731656: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm Closed Dynamic Headphones Bundle with Blucoil Audio 6-Ft Extension Cable and Stick-On Under Desk Dual Headphone Stand Mount: Home Audio & Theater
Texas Renaissance Festival – Tickets and Information
Player's Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons): Wizards RPG Team: 8601421717694: Amazon.com: Gateway
Amazon.com: Frienda Zinc Alloy Metal Polyhedral 7-Die Dice Set for Dungeons and Dragons RPG Dice Gaming D&D Math Teaching, d20, d12, 2 Pieces d10 (00-90 and 0-9), d8, d6 and d4 (Black and Red): Toys & Games
The Satanic Panic — You're Wrong About... — Overcast
Merlin Mann on Twitter: "“I would marry my firstborn daughter to a juggalo before I let her date a juggler.” —Justin McElroy"
Lawrence M. Schoen - Wikipedia
"Schoen founded the Klingon Language Institute…"
KeyBindings - BrettTerpstra.com
Dan Benjamin - YouTube
Apple Arcade - Apple
Apple Card - Apple
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1 hr 43 min
March 19, 2019Episode 418: This Man…This Monster!
DISCUSSED: Top o' the Morling!; praise for the home release of Spider-Verse; Dan and Merlin offer some more TV recommendations; Merlin endorses an excellent "turns out" podcast; a deep dive on slow-rise squishes and related stress toys; Merlin wears his childhood privilege on his sleeve.
Finally, the guys answer an excellent listener question about the complex work of maintaining a household with someone you love.
Links for this episode:
Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #25 — Merlin Mann
MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, Do By Friday, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invites you to drop by Two Cats Comics on the evening of Thursday, March 21st to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
You're Wrong About... — Overcast
Returning to misremembered history
PEN15 - Wikipedia
Love Death + Robots Trailer: David Fincher Presents Animated Anthology | IndieWire
Stranger Danger — You're Wrong About... — Overcast
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Pomodoro Technique - Wikipedia
Reconcilable Differences #98: You’re Killing Your Father - Relay FM
John has a mental model about how the TV remotes flow, but no one seems very interested. Unsurprisingly, this leads to the airing of household grievances.Can't we just always have the flaps face the same way? Shouldn't we just stack the forks here in the forks area? Why is Daisy leaving caltrops in the hallway? Does a child's backpack really need to extend seventeen feet? Can we please just leave some space that accommodates the snack bags? Do we really need all this toothpaste?
Question from Listener Sophie
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1 hr 14 min
March 12, 2019Episode 417: Fish Bishop
DISCUSSED: Merlin is trying some new things and probably needs to adjust his DIP switches; audio equipment is discussed; remembering Hal Blaine; German words; fish dropsy; dining at Alamo Draft House; kids and crafts; follow-up on Power Puttering; recommending a Siracusa anecdote; recommending a philosophy podcast; recommending several cool products; some strong (if muddled) thoughts on the Michael Jackson documentary.
Links for this episode:
Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #25 — Merlin Mann
MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, Do By Friday, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invites you to drop by Two Cats Comics on the evening of Thursday, March 21st to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
Hal Blaine - Wikipedia
Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky
Philosophize This! – A free podcast dedicated to sharing the ideas that shaped our world!
Philosophize This! — Overcast
Episode #121 … Michel Foucault pt. 1 — Philosophize This! — Overcast
Reconcilable Differences #99: Coconut Scenario - Relay FM
Merlin needs to be rebooted, and John shares a harrowing ordeal involving Apple IDs.
Reconcilable Differences 99: Coconut Scenario — Reconcilable Differences — Overcast
Siracusa's Apple ID ordeal begins after 1:14:09
Arrow | Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface | Universal Audio
Amazon.com: Universal Audio Arrow Portable Studio Recorder, Gray: Musical Instruments
Amazon.com: WHOOSH! Award-Winning Screen Cleaner – Safe for All Screens – Smartphones, iPads, Eyeglasses, Kindle, LED, LCD & TVs – Includes 3.4 Oz Bottle + 1 Premium Antimicrobial Microfiber Cloth: Electronics
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Amazon.com: TechMatte MagGrip Universal Air Vent Magnetic Mount Car Phone Holder with Powerful Magnetic Grip Technology (1 Pack) - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories
Addalock - (1 Piece ) Portable Door Lock, Travel Lock, AirBNB Lock, School Lockdown Lock - Door Levers - Amazon.com
Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Michael Jackson abuse documentary Leaving Neverland.
This week, Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss Leaving Neverland, a new documentary from HBO that centers on Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege that they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson beginning when they were 7 and 10 years old, respectively.
Michael Jackson, the Leaving Neverland documentary, and the limits of cancel culture.
Nor would that be going far enough.
Merlin Mann - "Go Through Hell"
Merlin's pop song based on The Waste Land and Dan.
The Ronettes - Be My Baby (Audio) - YouTube
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1 hr 11 min
March 05, 2019Episode 416: A Squishy for the Ages
DISCUSSED: Merlin is living the Domino lifestyle; R.I.P. Two Cats Comics; praise for iA Writer; Merlin needs help with his sudden Gmail spam; a meditation on comics as some awesome fun and an ugly damned business; nostalgia for hobby shops and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks; and finally Merlin reintroduces the concept of "Power Puttering."
Links for this episode:
Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #25 — Merlin Mann
Friend, it’s time for this epic arc to come to its conclusion. After five years, twenty-five meet-ups, and countless new friends made and awesome comics recommended, this will be our last Ungainly X-Mann Meetup with our dear friends at Two Cats Comics Three-Twenty West Portal Avenue. My all-time favorite comic shop will be closing for good on March 26th.
Amazon.com: AIKEMI Easter Cute Pig Squishy Slow Rising Soft Scented Animal Long Eyelashes Stress Relief Baby Toys Gifts: Toys & Games
iA Writer: The Focused Writing App for Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone and iPad
Ep. 326: "The Cat and the Kettle" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
The Problem: John could funny crash.
5by5 | Back to Work #344: The Microwave Moment
Dude smokes the world's hottest pepper(Carolina Reaper) : HadToHurt
Brave man vapes a Carolina Reaper, the world's hottest pepper - YouTube
Domino (comics) - 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.
Domino (Neena Thurman) | Characters | Marvel
Given good luck thanks to her powers, Neena Thurman has served as both a dangerous mercenary and a tough and resilient hero.
Domino | Comics | Marvel.com
Domino’s “good luck” powers activate, she escapes and takes up the life of a mercenary and eventually becomes a super hero as a mainstay member of X-Force.
"One Last Time" - Hamilton At The White House #ObamaLegacy - YouTube
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks - Wikipedia
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is a 1980 adventure module for the Dungeons
Reconcilable Differences #97: Invisible Work - Relay FM
This week's sprawling main topic is "Emotional Labor." Why is it that women usually get saddled with being the Office Mom (as well as the "House Mom"), and why the heck doesn't Ralphie's dad help Randy put on his snowsuit? Who ends up ordering the birthday cake as well as justifying the ways of boss to employee? Further, how do we account for the tonnage of invisible work that, by custom more than policy, some people end up having to both identify and do?
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1 hr 16 min
February 26, 2019Episode 415: Fifty and Monogamous
DISCUSSED: Dan has an awesome new video; Spider-Verse is out!; Merlin's dorky Segway is discussed; app recommendations for a clean new Gmail and an even-smarter Dark Sky; Dan spills the beans on his new sound bar setup; TV selection and purchase is a known thistle; idiot trolls hassle poor Carol Danvers; Dan has an important new egg technology; and, finally, the boys fret about Apple's new 2FA requirements a little.
Links for this episode:
This Is Fireside - YouTube
Dark Sky
Hyperlocal weather forecasting.
What Is HDMI ARC?
HDMI :: Manufacturer :: HDMI 1.4 :: Audio Return Channel
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Reviews and Ratings - RTINGS.com
LG E7 OLED Review (OLED55E7P, OLED65E7P) - RTINGS.com
Sorry, trolls: Rotten Tomatoes will no longer let users review a movie before its release
Yubico | YubiKey Strong Two Factor Authentication for Business and Individual Use.
Apple being sued because two-factor authentication on an iPhone or Mac takes too much time
The curse of the Twitter reply guy
On Twitter, a place where a lot of bad things happen, there's a mostly harmless but decidedly annoying phenomenon. A lot of people, mostly women, have noticed that one or two men always, no matter what, reply to their tweets.
Dash Rapid Egg Cooker: 6 Egg Capacity Electric Egg Cooker for Hard Boiled Eggs, Poached Eggs, Scrambled Eggs, or Omelets with Auto Shut Off Feature - Black
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1 hr 11 min
February 19, 2019Episode 414: Inheritance of Pain
Mostly one big topic: screen time.
Links for this episode:
How to Fix “Cellular Update Failed” on iPhone with iOS 12.1.2 SMS, LTE, Cellular Data Issues
16 Surprisingly Funny Palindromes | Grammarly Blog
Pessimists Archive Podcast
Moral panic - Wikipedia
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Frinkiac - S09E18 - WHAT IS YOUR FASCINATION WITH MY FORBIDDEN CLOSET OF MYSTERY?
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1 hr 12 min

About Back to Work

From the publisher's feed

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