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-enha...
Mar 30, 2021•2 hr 33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 cer...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 S...
Mar 16, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Car...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 02, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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) (Surroun...
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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-wee...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 yoursel...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 wi...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 theor...
Jan 26, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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!...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 worki...
Jan 05, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 retainin...
Dec 29, 2020•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 fil...
Dec 22, 2020•2 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes, no one can see the ball—let alone reach the ball.
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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)....
Dec 08, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Discussed: the paths of thought and emerging from a rut the size of the Grand Canyon.
Dec 01, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 f...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 wi...
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Faceb...
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 tha...
Nov 03, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Fra...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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,...
Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Oct 13, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ecosys...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 re...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 M...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
