Back to Work

TOPIC: The Minimum Viable Waste of Time.

Some awesome odds and sods, a great new Markdown editor for OS X, and a main topic on dealing with those aggressive email follow-up people.

Links for this episode:

• Typora — a minimal markdown reading & writing app
  Typora will give you a seamless experience as both a reader and a writer. It removes the preview window, mode switcher, syntax symbols of markdown source code, and all other unnecessary distractions. Replace them with a real live preview feature to help you concentrate the content itself.
  

TOPIC: A Surfeit of Merlin Mannsplaining.

This week, Dan and Merlin produce an undisputed instaclassic odds and sods episode.

Links for this episode:

• Flow (psychology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Ep. 218: "The Valve" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
  The Problem: He tried to solve his darkness.
  

TOPIC: The Unreliable Narrator of You

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about weather, compost, small changes, plus some Sling TV followup.

The main topic involves Merlin helping Dan sanely enter the Philips Hue Light ecosystem. It's not just for nerds any more. (Although, sure, yeah, it's still mostly for nerds.)

Links for this episode:

• 80 hi-res, textless posters - Imgur
  
• Amazon.com: Fitbit Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband, Black, Large: Health & Personal Care
  
• Breathe: How Apple Watch's new app will help you live and feel better | iMore
  
• Aetna to Provide Apple Watch to 50,000 Employees, Subsidize Cost for Customers - Mac Rumors
  
• Automatic: Connect Your Car to Your Digital Life
  
• Philips 456210 Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Bulb Starter Kit 2nd Generation, Works with Alexa - - Amazon.com
  
• "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants" - YouTube
  
• Reconcilable Differences #35: A Lot of Them Are Tricks - Relay FM
  
• Philips 456186 Hue White and Color Ambiance Extension A19 Bulbs, 2nd Generation - - Amazon.com
  
• Amazon.com : Canary All-in-One Home Security Device - Black : Camera & Photo
  
• Philips 458158 Hue Dimmer Switch - Frustration Free Packaging - - Amazon.com
  
• Amazon.com: Fitbit Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband, Black, Large: Health & Personal Care
  
• Drew Struzan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Archer - Phrasing Compilation - YouTube
  

TOPIC: Nobody's favorite thing.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about update failures, magic, and attention.

Their ongoing dive into the fractured and frustrating world of the modern cord-cutter ecosystem continues.

It's ponderous.

Links for this episode:

• Star Wars Stickers on the App Store
  
• Sticker Pals: Animate Your Messages! on the App Store
  
• Amazon.com: Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router: Electronics
  
• Linksys WRT54G series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Brick (electronics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film - YouTube
  
• You Can’t Think and Hit at the Same Time | Quote Investigator
  
• The art of misdirection | Apollo Robbins - YouTube
  
• You Suck at Drinking: Matthew Latkiewicz: 9780762451043: Amazon.com: Books
  
• You Can Do Better - truTV - Official Site
  
• Sling TV - Watch Live TV Programming Any Time and Anywhere
  
• Watch in any room, on any screen. | TiVo
  
• Acromioclavicular joint - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Sherlock (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody? - YouTube
  
• Apparently Rihanna Can’t Wink and the Internet Is Losing It | TIME
  
• Jargon File - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Watch Annals of Ideas | The Tricks of a Master Pickpocket | The New Yorker Video | CNE
  
• Cortex #37: Doomsday Bunker - Relay FM
  
• David Brent's first scene - YouTube
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #285: A Baller VCR
  

TOPIC: Every week (and every time you think of it)

This week, Dan and Merlin start by talking about some of the great updates iOS 10—alongside the usual strident advice about backing up before you do anything. Merlin also shares the late-night debacle of trying to order a new iPhone.

There's some talk about weird 80s Budweiser commercials and then a deep dive on how (and whether) to setup and use the neato Plex DVR.

Links for this episode:

• iOS 10 is now available to download | The Verge
  
• PSA: Be careful when considering an install of iOS 10 - Six Colors
  
• Status overview | Down Detector
  
• Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly) - Icicle Works - YouTube
  
• Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation: Chris Turner: Amazon.com: Books
  
• What Is That Song?
  
• Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell - Amazon.com Music
  
• Plex DVR for Cord Cutting | Plex
  
• Amazon.com: Mohu Leaf 50 TV Antenna, Indoor, Amplified, 50 Mile Range, Original Paper-thin, Reversible, Paintable, 4K-Ready HDTV, 16 Foot Detachable Cable, Premium Materials for Performance, USA Made, MH-110584: Home Audio & Theater
  
• Amazon.com: Mohu Leaf 30 TV Antenna, Indoor, 30 Mile Range, Original Paper-thin, Reversible, Paintable, 4K-Ready HDTV, 10 Foot Detachable Cable, Premium Materials for Performance, USA Made, MH-110598: Home Audio & Theater
  
• Amazon.com: SiliconDust HDHR4-2US HDHomeRun CONNECT (2-Tuner): Computers & Accessories
  
• Amazon.com: SiliconDust HDHomeRun EXTEND.FREE Broadcast HDTV (2-Tuner): Electronics
  
• Top-Rated Online Fax Service | HelloFax
  
• iOS 10: The MacStories Review – MacStories
  
• Getting iOS 10 right from the start - Six Colors
  
• Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) - IMDb
  
• Devo - Girl U Want - YouTube
  
• Apple is attemping to sort out iPhone Upgrade Program preorder issues | Macworld
  
• Nuzzel: News From Friends And Influencers
  
• When does new HBO original programming become available on HBO NOW?
  
• Simultaneous release - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  

TOPIC: Find My Mac. Please.

With Apple's big iPhone event coming tomorrow, Dan and Merlin discuss what makes this particular day such a black box in Apple's history. This is likely to be the last day for some time when we will know SO very little about where Apple is heading.

Also, there's some discussion of which kinds of technology we're most resistant to and maybe why that is.

Links for this episode:

• Amazon.com: 100 Gram Pack of 10 "Dry&dry" Silica Gel Packets Desiccant Dehumidifiers: Home & Kitchen
  
• iPhone 6s best-selling smartphone both in U.S. & worldwide, iPhone SE #3 in U.S. | 9to5Mac
  
• ‘Epic’: Hillary suffers 2 violent coughing fits
  
• The Worst Yet! Hillary Clinton Suffers Serious Coughing Fit In Cleveland - Breitbart
  
• Childhood's End - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Arrival (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Humans Need Not Apply - YouTube
  
• The Simple Solution to Traffic - YouTube
  
• 1982 Aamco "Wait for an Appointment" Commercial - YouTube
  
• The Mind of an Architect - 99% Invisible
  
• Upton Sinclair - Wikiquote
  "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"
  

TOPIC: Frantic SM 10 Pieces

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the problem with wraps, the problem with notebooks, and the problem with Amazon reviews.

Links for this episode:

• Apple Is Working on iPad Upgrades and Refreshed Mac Lineup - Bloomberg
  
• Amazon.com : Rocketbook Wave Smart Notebook : Launchpad
  Rocketbook Wave Smart Notebook
  

TOPIC: Hey, try this.

This week, Dan and Merlin have a shortie, so they talk about stuff they're loving right now and make some recommendations on gadgets, music, movies, and more.

Also, the scientific link between chemtrails and morgellons can finally be revealed.

Links for this episode:

• NEET Zippered Cable Tie M - Cable Organizer Sleeve designed for all mo | NEET Products
  
• The Mindset List: Class of 2016 List | Beloit College
  
• Amazon.com: MicFlip 2.0 - Fully Reversible Cable [ Micro USB & Standard USB Plugs ] Red Black 6 ft Braided Aluminum Shell Strong Best Charger (Red Black 6 ft ( 200cm )): Computers & Accessories
  MicFlip 2.0
  

TOPIC: Kids don't need VCR Plus+.

This week, Dan and Merlin continue their series on updates.

The topic this week is all about media consumption—in particular, the massive changes to how they learn about, locate, obtain, schedule, and consume media over the past decade or so.

Sure, there's the usual old man talk about how How It Used To Be, but there's a heavy focus on how these changes are changing the way media is funded and produced. What's that media landscape gonna look like when a 5-year-old playing with an iPad becomes the producer of media in a very few years?

Links for this episode:

• iOS, Android, and macOS Apps Now Open Source | Simplenote
  
• The Inner Light (Star Trek: The Next Generation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• The Measure of a Man (Star Trek: The Next Generation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Star Trek: The Next Generation In 40 Hours — Maxistentialism Blog — Medium
  
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine In 82.5 Hours — Maxistentialism Blog — Medium
  
• Random Trek | "Death Wish" (VOY) with Merlin Mann (Episode 55)
  
• Creamed, Canned And Frozen: How The Great Depression Revamped U.S. Diets : The Salt : NPR
  Do people think about food more in times of scarcity than in times of plenty? Married culinary historians Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe think so. Ziegelman and Coe are the authors of A Square Meal, which examines the impact of the country's decade-long Great Depression on American diets.
  

This week, Dan and Merlin open with an unintentionally deep dive on how Merlin has been tricking out his house with home automation stuff.

The main topic this week returns to the theme of updates; in this case, how ubiquitous devices have changed pretty much everything.

Links for this episode:

• Weiner (2016) - IMDb
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #280: The Big Filter
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #281: The Mayor of Chocolate Sundaes
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #283: Cognition to Completion
  
• Everything From This 1991 Radio Shack Ad You Can Now Do With Your Phone
  There are 15 electronic gimzo type items on this page, being sold from America’s Technology Store. 13 of the 15 you now always have in your pocket.