Episode description

TOPIC: My place is here—I fight with you!

This week, Dan and Merlin cover a meetup announcement, Merlin's Les Mis obsession, Dan's new Hackintosh Method, and the Benjamin Family's slippery bar problem. Merlin advocates for "The Tiny Life Improvement Project." Pens and pencils are recommended, desks are discussed, and LBJ speaks out about his bespoke slack needs.

The boys talk about the FTC's actions over Vizio's super-creepy user tracking, and wonder what questions to ask about the future of privacy on our smart devices.

Things wrap with a quick discussion of culture-specific cargo culting and why we still cut the ends off the roast.

Links for this episode:

• Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #15 — Merlin Mann
  MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invites you to drop by Two Cats Comics on the evening of Thursday, February 23rd to hang out, talk about comics, and just say, “Hi.” It's free and it's fun.
• Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Concert - "One Day More"
  "Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in Heaven has in store!"
• macfixer on Twitter: "@danbenjamin @hotdogsladies In “Didn’t we cover that years ago?” news — there are now Shabbat-friendly LED light bulbs. https://t.co/hp1X4WzH3F"
  
• What Vizio was doing behind the TV screen | Federal Trade Commission
  
• LorAnn Oils
  
• Government Confirms Vizio TVs Spy on You: How to Stop It
  "Add it all up and Vizio captured as many as 100 billion data points each day from millions of TVs."
• Amazon.com: VIZIO E3D420VX 42 Inch Class Theater 3D LCD HDTV with VIZIO Internet Apps (2011 Model): Electronics
  
• Hackintosh Method
  
• Podcast Method
  
• Bacon Method
  
• Blackwing - Palomino
  
• Amazon.com : Pilot Precise V7 RT Retractable Rolling Ball Pens, Fine Point, Black Ink, 6 Pack : Office Products
  
• Amazon.com : Palomino Blackwing Pencils - 12 Count : Wood Lead Pencils : Office Products
  
• Amazon.com : KUM Long Point Pencil Sharpener with Lead Pointer : German Pencil Sharpener : Office Products
  
• List of Oval Office desks - Wikipedia
  
• Resolute desk - Wikipedia
  
• Walk and talk - Wikipedia
  
• Lyndon Johnson Held Meetings On The Toilet - KnowledgeNuts
  
• Vizio TVs were spying on their owners, the government says - Chicago Tribune
  
• Vizio settles case that said its smart TVs spied on owners - LA Times
  
• Most smart TVs are tracking you — Vizio just got caught - The Verge
  
• Jewish Jokes - GantsehMegillah.com
  "I don't know why you do it" says the old woman, "but I never had a pan that was large enough!"
• LBJ's Bunghole Needs Room! - YouTube
  

• 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).

• FreshBooks (To claim your month long unrestricted free trial, go to FreshBooks.com/backtowork and enter BACK TO WORK in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section).