Back to Work

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Back to Work episodes

February 12, 2019Episode 413: Bumbleditch Cumperdam
DISCUSSED: It's the optimistic day, but Merlin really screwed up an edit; there's some Inside Baseball about how podcasts get made; it's nice to have someone notice the shaving cream on your jowl; movie ratings are explored; why all the bosoms in 80s movies?; Dan wonders if he should have approached a celebrity; Merlin introduces further thought technologies for not being a creep with a famous person; the paucity of public experiences; Dan talks about Austin's mussel water; we learn about the prevalence of weevils; meth sourcing; a nice note from a listener about when podcasts are absolutely not evil; and, finally, a desperate plea for podcast platforms to stay independent and open please please pretty please.
Links for this episode:
macOS Keychain Security Flaw Discovered by Researcher, but Details Not Shared With Apple Over Bug Bounty Protest - MacRumors
Austin Water Responds to Unusual Odor in Water - Water is Safe to Drink | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin
AUSTIN - Some customers are experiencing an unusual odor in their water. Water provided by Austin Water continues to meet all regulatory standards and is safe to drink.
Austin Water director apologizes, says zebra mussels a known risk
Exponent 162 — Why Exponent Isn’t on Spotify — Exponent — Overcast
Netflix
Do By Friday
Reconcilable Differences - Relay FM
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1 hr 17 min
February 05, 2019Episode 412: A Hobo in a Cartoon
DISCUSSED: Gong Hei Fat Choy!; follow-up on the FaceTime bug and the complexity of getting bug and security reports from normals; the weirdness of bug-finders demanding a bounty; Merlin is fascinated to learn about "combinatorial explosion" and how it helps to explain why power-cycling fixes stuff; why you should always blow the dust out of the plug; recent examples of how restarting just fixes stuff; Merlin logs out of email apps and recommends an iOS calendar app; a case for killing OAuth where you don't need it; and, finally, your hosts respond to a listener question about whether podcasts can be "evil."
Links for this episode:
How to say Happy New Year in Chinese, just in time for Chinese New Year | Metro News
How a teenage 'Fortnite' player found Apple's FaceTime bug — and why it was so hard to report it
[53:35] Apple goes to war with Facebook and Google — The Vergecast — Overcast
Combinatorial explosion - Wikipedia
In mathematics, a combinatorial explosion is the rapid growth of the complexity of a problem due to how the combinatorics of the problem is affected by the input, constraints, and bounds of the problem. Combinatorial explosion is sometimes used to justify the intractability of certain problems.
2019 Super Bowl was the least-watched in a decade - MarketWatch
Super Bowl Ratings Hit 10-Year Low In Patriots’ Win | Deadline
Boring Game Plus New Orleans Rebellion Leads to Ratings Drop - The New York Times
Diagnosis and Management of Supernumerary (Mesiodens): A Review of the Literature
Bug Reporting - Apple Developer
Blow the dust out of the connector – The Old New Thing
Here's the trick: Don't ask "Are you sure it's plugged in correctly?"If you do this, they will get all insulted and say indignantly, "Of course it is! Do I look like an idiot?" without actually checking.Instead, say "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?"
Calendar 366 by n.spektor - For Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch & iPad
The Dropout Podcast - ABC Radio
Good QA Joke
Olivia Colman — David Tennant Does a Podcast With… — Overcast
David Tennant talks with Olivia Colman. Stories about The Crown, The Favourite, Broadchurch and more. If you’re easily offended, there are some swears.
Merlin Mann's subscriptions
Merlin Mann's podcast subscriptions
Big Star - "September Gurls" (1974) - YouTube
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1 hr 17 min
January 29, 2019Episode 411: It's Not Butt
DISCUSSED: Dan's fighting his computer and explores font corruption; Merlin hates pebbles in his shoe; Dan has an anecdote about massages; Merlin has an anecdote about the FaceTime exploit; this leads to discussion about how big companies deal with huge-scale, unexpected problems; some thoughts on The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect; the problem with journalism about stuff we actually know about; remembering Michael Crichton; Heartbeeps!; a clever way to reduce damage from careless delivery; is there a new Browser War underway?; and answering a question from Listener Stephen about life after Editorial.
Links for this episode:
Gell-Mann amnesia effect - Wikipedia
Why This Bike Company Put a TV on Its Box
Microsoft exec riles Firefox faithful by telling Mozilla to embrace Chrome - CNET
Runaway (1984 American film) - Wikipedia
Duracel Plastic Family & Creepy Parrot - YouTube
The Hudsucker Proxy - Wikipedia
5by5 | Back to Work #372: Hole That Rabbit
Drafts: How Merlin uses it and what Greg's doing next | iMore
Drafts is developed by Greg Pierce and used the hell out of by Merlin Mann. They sit down together to talk direction, workflows, and what's coming next.
1Writer - A beautiful and rich-featured Markdown editor for iPhone and iPad
Bear - Notes for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Bear is a beautiful, flexible writing app for crafting notes and prose.
How a teenage 'Fortnite' player found Apple's FaceTime bug — and why it was so hard to report it
Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle Devices - The New York Times
In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them.
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1 hr 22 min
January 22, 2019Episode 410: The Childhood Cocktail
DISCUSSED: dreams and whether people like hearing them; turns out: Merlin recommends a podcast episode about mental stuff; practice vs. rehearsal; visualization as a rehearsal thing; follow-up on science fair projects; our new, post-search-engine habits; Math is hard; Merlin didn't get Anna's emails; cool screen-grabbing mojo; and Dan reviews excellent listener book recommendations.
Links for this episode:
363. Think Like a Winner — Freakonomics Radio — Overcast
Great athletes aren’t just great at the physical stuff. They’ve also learned how to handle pressure, overcome fear, and stay focused. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to be an athlete to use what they know.
Raul Riera on Twitter: "TIL about COMMAND + SHIFT + 5… "
Artemis Fowl: Eoin Colfer: 8601400259580: Amazon.com: Books
The Chronicles of Prydain: Lloyd Alexander: 8601200472110: Amazon.com: Books
The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree: Susan Cooper: 9781442489677: Amazon.com: Books
Sub-Human (Post-Human): David Simpson, Autumn J. Conley, Jennifer Simpson: 9781478343981: Amazon.com: Books
Wool: Hugh Howey: 9781476733951: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: So You Want to Be a Wizard: The First Book in the Young Wizards Series (9780152162504): Diane Duane: Books
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians): Brandon Sanderson, Hayley Lazo: 9780765378941: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: Skyward (9780399555770): Brandon Sanderson: Books
Amazon.com: The Last Magician (9781481432085): Lisa Maxwell: Books
Amazon.com: Divergent Series Four-Book Paperback Box Set: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, Four (0752423331765): Veronica Roth: Books
Amazon.com: The Maze Runner Series Complete Collection Boxed Set (5-Book) (9781524771034): James Dashner: Books
Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire: John August: 9781250294258: Amazon.com: Books
Mortal Engines 8 Book Collection: Philip Reeve: 9781338348910: Amazon.com: Books
Wings of Fire Boxset, Books 1-5 (Wings of Fire): Tui T. Sutherland: 9780545855723: Amazon.com: Books
Bartimaeus Series 4 Book Set including: The Amulet of Samarkand / The Golem's Eye / Ptolemy's Gate / Ring of Solomon Prequel: Jonathan Stroud: 0719534865596: Amazon.com: Books
Fablehaven Complete Set (Boxed Set): Fablehaven; Rise of the Evening Star; Grip of the Shadow Plague; Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary; Keys to the Demon Prison: Brandon Mull, Brandon Dorman: 8601419663026: Amazon.com: Books
The Land of Stories Complete Paperback Gift Set: Chris Colfer: 9780316480840: Amazon.com: Books
The Ranger's Apprentice Series (Complete 12 Book Set) : John Flanagan: 0680474137794: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: Another Fine Myth (Myth, Book 1) (9780441023622): Robert Asprin, Walter Velez: Books
Amazon.com: Janitors (Janitors series Book 1) eBook: Tyler Whitesides, Brandon Dorman: Books
Amazon.com: Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle) (9780375846311): Christopher Paolini: Books
Amazon.com: Stormbreaker (Alex Rider) (9780142406113): Anthony Horowitz: Books
The Ender Quartet Boxed Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (The Ender Quintet): Orson Scott Card: 8601419656288: Amazon.com: Books
The Land of Stories Complete Paperback Gift Set: Chris Colfer: 9780316480840: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: The White Tower (The Aldoran Chronicles: Book 1) eBook: Michael Wisehart: Books
The Belgariad, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3): Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit: David Eddings: 8601404908262: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: Redwall (9780142302378): Brian Jacques, Gary Chalk: Books
Amazon’s Wish List with Stacy Mitchell — Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes — Overcast
What does Amazon want from us? For consumers, Amazon can be a frictionless gateway to find everything from bed frames to dog food, baby clothes to award winning original tv series. There’s nothing quite like it – a position they’re in not by accident but by design.
Thieves' World - Wikipedia
Dungeons and Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History: Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, Sam Witwer, Joe Manganiello: 9780399580949: Amazon.com: Books
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1 hr 2 min
January 15, 2019Episode 409: He Says Hard
DISCUSSED: moisture; kids and watches; some recent media consumption; encouraging kids to have good taste; memories of watching VHS movies in school; follow-up on Dan's new keyboard experiment; Drobo concerns; thinking about modern backup and, gosh, how that's evolved; frustrating typos; Dan and Merlin have iOS concerns; Dan has further thoughts on Bandersnatch.
Links for this episode:
Becket (1964 film) - Wikipedia
The Beths 'A Little Death' | RNZ Music Live Session - YouTube
Weirdly, Merlin's kid likes this one too.
The Beths - "Happy Unhappy" (official lyric video) - YouTube
Amazon.com: Vortexgear 75% Programmable Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Grey Alu Casing - PBT DSA Profile Dye Sub Keycaps - Cherry Mx Switches [CNC Aluminium Casing] RGBY Modifiers (Cherry Mx-Brown): Computers & Accessories
Amazon.com: Das Keyboard 4 Professional for Mac Clicky MX Blue Mechanical Keyboard (DASK4MACCLI): Computers & Accessories
Merlin's primary Mac keyboard.
Amazon.com: Glorious Gaming Wrist Pad/Rest - SLIM TENKEYLESS - Black - Mechanical Keyboards,Stitched Edges,Ergonomic | 14x4 inches/13mm Thick (GSW-87) Slim Tenkeyless (Black): Computers & Accessories
LenovoEMC - Wikipedia
West Side Story - "Maria" (1961)
"Say it soft and it's almost like praying."
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1 hr 5 min
January 08, 2019Episode 408: The Pwn Key
DISCUSSED: Optimistic Tuesdays; office cleanup; a grave bleach mishap; follow-up on Wirecutter; a listener suggestion on, of all things, acupressure; Dan loves his cool new keyboard, but has a big caveat; Merlin is working with magnets; on "Hardware Disease"; request for Riordan-style book recommendations; exciting follow-up on the Burger Decay Project; plus, some closing thoughts on Apple's recent results dustup and what it might suggest about near-future tech trends.
Links for this episode:
iPhone, move over. Make room for Alexa.
Upgrade #227: Twenty Nine TeeVee - Relay FM
The new year starts with a bang, as Apple misses its iPhone sales forecast and announces surprising partnerships with Samsung and other TV makers in advance of the launch of its new video service. We discuss these earth-shattering issues in detail, not to mention Jason's world-exclusive trial of a new iPad Pro keyboard.
Upgrade 227: Twenty Nine TeeVee — Upgrade — Overcast
It’s a new year and the news is huge: Apple missed its iPhone sales forecast and announced surprising partnerships with TV makers. Also Jason got to try the forthcoming Brydge keyboard for his iPad Pro.save in overcast
Amazon.com: Nayoya Back and Neck Pain Relief - Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set - Relieves Stress, Back, Neck, and Sciatic Pain - Comes with a Vinyl Carry Bag for Storage and Travel - As Seen in USA Today: Health & Personal Care
Science Snacks: Projects and Activities You Can Do! | Exploratorium
Hungry for fresh, exciting science activities based in amazing phenomena? Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested, and use cheap, available materials. Satisfy your curiosity without ever getting full.
Hardware disease - Wikipedia
Hardware disease is a common term for bovine traumatic reticuloperitonitis. It is usually caused by the ingestion of a sharp, metallic object. These pieces of metal settle in the reticulum and can irritate or penetrate the lining.
Magnetic Lines of Force: Physics & Magnetism Science Activity | Exploratorium Teacher Institute Project
Iron filings trace out the lines of a magnetic field in three dimensions.
Portal from Facebook: Voice Enabled Hands-Free Video Calling
Fixing HomePod for 2019 - YouTube
I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone - Motherboard
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1 hr 16 min
January 03, 2019Episode 407: The Wad-Shooter Option
DISCUSSED: "Rabbit Rabbit!"; partial shutdown and the toilet problems it creates; updates on options for Bluetooth keyboards; some extremely random and anecdotal reckoning about the recent Big Apple News; your hosts' beef with Wirecutter; some odds and sods recommendations and cool life hacks.
Links for this episode:
Logitech Backlit Wireless Keyboard for Apple Mac, iPad, iPhone & TV
Logitech K380 Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard, Multi-Device with Most OS's
Netflix categories codes - Find all categories codes
Amazon.com: Vortexgear 75% - Grey CNC Case - PBT DSA Keycaps - Cherry Mx [CNC Aluminium Casing] (Mx-Brown): Computers & Accessories
My (current) keyboard: Vortex Race 3 - Six Colors
This is the rare mechanical keyboard that’s civilized to come with a set of alternate keycaps for Mac users (Command and Option rather than Win and Alt), as well as a few variant color keycaps for modifier keys and the arrow keys. (It’s also got a Mac keyboard mode, so all the keys work properly without any remapping required.) The keycaps feature very pleasant capital letters dead center, and come in shades of gray. I’ve swapped in a red Esc key, yellow arrow keys, and a blue Enter key.
Twitter: Scott McNulty on the Apple News
Here’s my hot take: most people look at their smartphones as an appliance not as a device that needs to be upgraded often. Just check out how many people are using phones with shattered screens. Only nerds with too much money and not much sense update every cycle (I’m one!).
Daring Fireball: Steve Jobs and Apple’s Last Previous Earnings Warning
FruitJuice -- battery maintenance app for Apple Mac laptop computers. —
coconutBattery 3.7.2 - by coconut-flavour.com
Brimley/Cocoon Line (@BrimleyLine) | Twitter
When 'Cocoon' reached theaters on June 21, 1985, Wilford Brimley was 18,530 days old. This account makes note of people who have reached that age.
The Best Shower Curtain for 2018: Reviews by Wirecutter | A New York Times Company
NetFlix Streaming by Alternate Genres
Fraser Speirs (@fraserspeirs) | Twitter
The teacher who set up the world's first 1:1 iPad school. Between podcasts right now.
On Switching from iOS to Android — Fraser Speirs
I may be having the most boring mid-life crisis that any man has ever had, or I may be opening a whole new chapter of my computing life. I don’t know.
On Switching from an iPad Pro and a Macbook to a Pixelbook — Fraser Speirs
The point, though, is that GSuite is so powerful and so much at the heart of everything I do at school that if you asked me to decide between giving up GSuite and giving up iPad, I’m afraid iPad has to go. It is for this reason that I have been vocally advocating that Apple make iOS Safari as close to a “desktop class” browser as it can be. I don’t know the technical reasons why GSuite can’t be accessed in Safari on iOS. I don’t know if the browser has limitations that mean the apps genuinely can’t run in it, or whether they could but Google just chooses not to allow it.
Reviews and Ratings - RTINGS.com
Straight to the point buying recommendations. We purchase our own products and put them under the same test bench, so that you can compare the results easily. No cherry-picked units sent by brands. No ads. Only real tests.
List of Movies and TV Shows on Netflix | Flixable
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1 hr 34 min
December 24, 2018Episode 406: Peak Burger Decay
It's the most wonderful time of the year, so the boys answer listener mail and get a little silly.
Happy Holidays, jackals.
Links for this episode:
Elmore Leonard: 10 Rules for Good Writing - Gotham Writers Workshop
How Many Exclamation Points Do Great Writers Use?! - The Atlantic
Apple says some 2018 iPad Pros might ship with a bent chassis, but claims it's not a defect - 9to5Mac
They Might Be Giants-Ana Ng - YouTube
Purple Toupee - Wikipedia
Lincoln (album) - Wikipedia
AutoSleep
Automatically track your sleep from your Apple Watch.
No buttons to press. Even the Watch app is optional. Just sleep!
Is This Andre the Giant Holding a Beer Can?
AutoSleep 6: Effortless Sleep Tracking More Accessible Than Ever – MacStories
Uvex S0360X Ultra-spec 2000 Safety Eyewear, Orange Frame, SCT-Orange UV Extreme Anti-Fog Lens - Safety Glasses - Amazon.com
The True Size Of ...
@americanbeetles
Power Marketing - Upright Citizens Brigade (Video Clip) | Comedy Central
Apple confirms some iPad Pros ship slightly bent, but says it’s normal - The Verge
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1 hr
December 18, 2018Episode 405: Can You Feed Coke to Rocks?
Discussed: the harsh mistress of holidays, Hanukah presents, Cash's cool gift, the joys of good UX, some excellent very good recommendations, an exciting Science experiment involving hamburgers, kids are terrible at writing things down, things that changed Merlin's game, and some excellent follow-up on how we recognize number patterns.
Happy Holidays, you jackals.
Links for this episode:
Disney•Pixar Short Film "Bao" - YouTube
The Impossible Feat inside Your VCR - YouTube
Closed Captioning: More Ingenious than You Know - YouTube
Amazon.com : GPD XD Plus [2018 Update] 5" Touchscreen Android 7.0 Handheld Gaming Console Portable Video Game Player Laptop MT8176 Hexa-core CPU, PowerVR GX6250 GPU, 4GB/32GB, 6000mAh Battery : Computers & Accessories
ODROID-GO – ODROID
Death Cab For Cutie - 405 (with lyrics) - YouTube
Moby 'Honey' - Official video - YouTube
Recomendo: 500 brief reviews of cool stuff: Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson: 9781726743655: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com : Melitta Coffee Maker, 6 Cup Pour-Over Brewer with Glass Carafe, 1-Count : Single Serve Brewing Machines : Grocery & Gourmet Food
Amazon.com: Clever Coffee Dripper, Large, 18 Ounces: Kitchen & Dining
Technology Connections - YouTube
Alice Walker under fire for praise of 'antisemitic' David Icke book | Books | The Guardian
DECONSTRUCTING: Dear Evan Hansen - YouTube
How Long Does it Take for Fast-Food Burgers to Decay? | First We Feast
byta - insulated stainless tumbler
Whole Earth Catalog - Wikipedia
Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap - YouTube
Mark Rober - YouTube
Giuliani’s Quest to Confuse Us Into Submission — Omnishambles — Overcast
Will Sommer (@willsommer) | Twitter
Tech and internet reporter @thedailybeast—I write a newsletter about conservative media http://www.rightrichter.com —email william.sommer at http://thedailybeast.com
Numbers Guy | The New Yorker
Dayenu - Wikipedia
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1 hr 23 min
December 11, 2018Episode 404: Very Advanced Camping
Discussed: Merlin worries that Dan is getting ground down; web sites are getting very thirsty; Dan thinks it's like pads in football; Dan has updates and more thoughts about doing development work on an iPad; Merlin thinks we should talk more about which devices we choose for doing which things; the boys also have some recommendations.
Links for this episode:
Amazon.com: Clever Coffee Dripper, Large, 18 Ounces: Kitchen & Dining
Smudging - Wikipedia
Mosh for iOS, Best SSH Client - Blink Shell for iOS
Quantum Computing Expert Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED - YouTube
5 Levels - YouTube
Linea Sketch – Drawing tools for your iPad
Reconcilable Differences #85: Comedy’s Not Funny - Relay FM
Finally, the horn fires off at 1:23:13 for a Spoiler Slot on A Quiet Place (2018).
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1 hr 14 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.