Episode 376: Alexa, Light It Up!

FromBack to Work

Start listening View podcast show

Episode 376: Alexa, Light It Up!

FromBack to Work

ratings:

Length:

70 minutes

Released:

May 15, 2018

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Discussed: lame patents, Salvador Dalí, allergy season, backpack discrimination, friend cosplay, things Dan can't say, AT&T woes, Merlin saw a bear, a YouTube rabbit hole, and some excellent historical Disney content.

Dan and Merlin answer a listen's questions about sleep tracking and leveraging Alexa at the office.

Released:

May 15, 2018

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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

Skip carousel

21: Assistant TO the Regional Monkey: Merlin and Dan talk about the problem of permanent zeroes, desiring not to desire, why "hypocrisy" is killing you, stepping back on the path without apologizing, Merlin's new tattoo, and—yeah—going a little easier on yourself. Also, how almost everythi by Back to Work
62 min listen
15: Marionette of my own Design: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin are here to discuss the awareness of fear, asking yourself why, and knowing the problem instead of chasing fake confidence, patches, and hacks. by Back to Work
60 min listen
16: Bracing for the Blow: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin aren't afraid of lawyers, dentists, negative feelings, or of not being afraid of something. by Back to Work
72 min listen
7: Vocational Wheel: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin relate to Richard–a listener in the middle of a quarter life crisis working jobs he doesn't like–with stories from their pasts, suggestions to combat the cascade of seriousness, and some first steps for breaking out of the voc by Back to Work
82 min listen
1: Alligator in the Bathroom: In the inaugural episode of Back to Work, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss why they’re doing this show, getting back to work instead of buying berets, the lizard brain, and compare the Shadow of the Mouse to San Francisco, and eventually get to some p by Back to Work
89 min listen
3: The Second Arrow: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss ADD, Buddhism, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. by Back to Work
71 min listen
19: Corner Casey Kasem: Merlin and Dan talk about mindful tool adoption, screwdriver museums, why Vi users may (or may not) be cannibalistic insects—plus debate on whether a home video of a toy horse falling down in someone's bathroom is about Humanity. Also, Dan effs with Merli by Back to Work
83 min listen
20: Muscle of Failure: Merlin and Dan talk about getting started, putting on your shoes instead of shopping for pedometers, false dilemmas, doing as much work with your hands as you've done in your head, why you should leave some water in the pump, meta-fiddling, and getting be by Back to Work
73 min listen
6: Expectational Debt: Merlin Mann is back from Webstock and ready to recap with Dan Benjamin, which leads back to caring first, performance and fear, meditation, hypnotherapy, and why you really need the hard answer instead just more tips. by Back to Work
64 min listen
10: At Last the 'Inspiration' Show by Back to Work
82 min listen
14: Velocity of Disappointment: Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about problems that are impossible, problems that are boring, problems that you're scared of, and why you need to differentiate between fear and anxiety so you can be scared of something interesting. by Back to Work
68 min listen
4: Failing with Style: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about trying to change other people, how things really aren’t that bad, balancing fear or being driven by fear, leaving capacity for when you get The Pitch, procrastination (eventually), and giving yourself permission to by Back to Work
63 min listen
38: Sorry. You Can't Have a Candle.: On improving presentation culture. Dan and Merlin talk about bombing the deck, advancing the slides, and striving to improve the self-perpetuating bad culture of presentations. Slide?!? (Also, kid germs in the spaghetti, meeting the angry corn gu by Back to Work
79 min listen
5: Chigger Bites on the Bus Driver: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about the black art of paying attention to the right things, how lamps are no substitute, that it's hard whether you’re working from home or a cube, being honest about your expertise before looking for independence, and t by Back to Work
80 min listen
13: The Kid's Great: Dan and Merlin talk about "Cranking" - Merlin's latest post at 43folders.com. by Back to Work
90 min listen
42: Coconut Headphones: This week Dan and Merlin talk about asking good questions instead of massaging your real problem until it fits the comforting solution you found on the cover of a magazine. by Back to Work
76 min listen
18: Forking the Question: Merlin and Dan talk about educating "That's Just a Button Guy," practicing more humane pushback, asking better questions, why laundromats don't accept "focus," plus what happens when you put WAY too much crap in your five-pound bag. by Back to Work
85 min listen
30: I'm Not Working in an Abattoir: With Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by Jonathan Coulton to talk about traveling, horn sections, and Jonathan’s new album, "Artificial Heart." by Back to Work
61 min listen
8: Little Velvet Hands: This week, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin eighty-six their restaurant jobs—emptying grease traps, handling logs of meat, and sharing what they learned by bringing mostly bad food to America's table. Dan burns velvet hands, Merlin's Mom gives the guy with th by Back to Work
73 min listen
2: Picture of a Boat: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin formulate a five-minute warning tactic before discussing the reality of bringing change to your company, some patterns that work for startups, solving the right problem at the right level, why you can’t find the innovation but by Back to Work
69 min listen
96: Compensatory Muscles: TOPIC: A Better System for Dealing with Life's "Stuff" by Back to Work
101 min listen
9: Out of Scope!: Dan and Merlin improvise topics this week and get from Synechode, NY to dopamine, being scared and being safe, believing your thoughts and coloring your dreams, and solving problems by moving your hands instead of thinking. by Back to Work
71 min listen
41: Carpal Tunnel Diem: Dan and Merlin talk more about why we get stuck and how might re-think getting "unstuck." Looking at process over product, remembering how you got here, and getting clear about what you're really trying to make. Merlin also has some updates and tips by Back to Work
82 min listen
12: Chewie's Medal is Not Canonical: Merlin Mann has some "followup" before he and Dan Benjamin discuss entrusting your agency to others, how to reclaim it, and picking the right balance between expertise and challenge instead of fixing your metadata. by Back to Work
65 min listen
11: Johnny Heuristic: Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about evolution, investing in roulette, taking smarter chances and futureproofing your passion. by Back to Work
79 min listen
37: It's Never Not Everywhere: This week, Merlin loves and hates iCloud while loving and REALLY loving Dropbox. He and Dan observe angry corn, discuss emailing files to yourself, wonder what to do with an ugly photo, and explore Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle. by Back to Work
124 min listen
46: Not Counting the Mezzanine: Topic: The Meta-Distractions of "Minimalism" by Back to Work
83 min listen
24: The Daddy for your Destiny: Dan's in a closet, but Merlin has a lot of FU from the last show: good jobs don't get posted on Craigslist and while you may not know what's gonna happen next, you're not just gonna install Xcode and retire on your angry bird so either do your research, g by Back to Work
93 min listen
23: Failure is ALWAYS an Option: This week, Dan and Merlin determine that even the Chico Marx of notebooks is the right one if you're writing in it, failure is ALWAYS an option: fully committing didn't do Pickett any good, but you should commit to narrowing scope and deciding what succes by Back to Work
78 min listen
39: A Source of Rice with Velocity: On strength and tolerance. Dan and Merlin talk about the many facets of strength, including the complexity of knowing what to be strong about, to whom, and when. It's about way more than nailing the "clean and jerk" or yelling at Sips-His-Coffee-Rea by Back to Work
80 min listen

More Episodes from Back to Work

Skip carousel

Episode 644: A Tony Bennett Hair Hat: It hurts every time. by Back to Work
61 min listen
Episode 643: The Price of Lies: Merlin thinks LLMs have raised the bar for voice assistants in general and Siri in particular. Dan and his kid watch the excellent HBO series, "Chernobyl." by Back to Work
89 min listen
Episode 642: A Better Roll of Toilet Paper: Your hosts discuss facial hair, notebooks, the metric system, flexing about local weather, and becoming the bathroom supplies you want to see in the world. by Back to Work
103 min listen
Episode 640: Bob's Big Mess: A classic odds n' sods episode. Plus, Merlin has thoughts about memory and ecosystems, and Dan is considering jetting through an eclipse. by Back to Work
80 min listen
Episode 641: Germans in the Wild: Travel is not always about traveling, but it is definitely always about your life. by Back to Work
77 min listen
Episode 639: The Commodore's Club: Dan talks about what he's learned from traveling a bunch, and Merlin thinks a lot of weirdness comes from our twin fears of boredom and inconvenience. by Back to Work
76 min listen
Episode 638: A New Kind of Bullet: A classic odds n' sods episode. by Back to Work
134 min listen
Episode 637: The Minimally Viable Log Cabin Channel: A deep dive on being busy versus being time-constrained. by Back to Work
95 min listen
Episode 636: Honoring My Pivot Table: Dan is navigating the landscape of task management apps, and, shockingly, Merlin has some thoughts. by Back to Work
81 min listen
Episode 635: Buffet de Canard: Dan and Merlin kick off the new year with a wide-ranging look at how tools and motivations evolve with how we work. by Back to Work
80 min listen
Episode 634: Nominally Future-Resistant: A fairly epic episode covering health tracking and self-quantization. Remember: data doesn't have to hurt. by Back to Work
81 min listen
Episode 633: A Self-Aware Old Man: Your hosts talk about how we perceive the world and the challenge of mindfully updating our perceptions. by Back to Work
58 min listen
Episode 632: Big Strong Beef Boy: Dan and Merlin are excited about technologies that have found a place in their lives. What a blessed season of thanks! by Back to Work
83 min listen
Episode 631: Little Bit of Dirty Grey: Merlin has more on generative AI, and Dan has a sweet new watch. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 630: Monchichabowsky: On AI and curiosity. by Back to Work
75 min listen
Episode 629: Benjamin Franklin's Disease: And and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion. by Back to Work
51 min listen
Episode 628: Beating Yourself Up at Scale: Talk of eyes, intentionalities, and HDMI. by Back to Work
58 min listen
Episode 627: Unscheduled Dirt Event: Merlin claims he's not going to do any work for this one, and Dan has some advice for travelers. by Back to Work
67 min listen
Episode 626: Chekhov's Lightsaber: Your hosts catch up on some great media, and Merlin expounds on the magic of Channels. Also, Merlin logrolls a recent podcast episode and re-extolls the power of dictation. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 625: Chapters of Madness: Dan and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion. by Back to Work
45 min listen
Episode 624: Rectangle Time: Dan and Merlin have a wide-ranging discussion about technology, and Merlin lays the groundwork for several spirited rants. by Back to Work
54 min listen
Episode 623: My Terrible Adhesion: Over the course of this classic Odds n' Sods episode, it becomes clear that all Merlin cares about is babies and 3D printing. by Back to Work
61 min listen
Episode 622: A Gentleman's Malt Liquor: Dan returns from a nice trip, and Merlin has been printing lizards. by Back to Work
74 min listen
Episode 621: Hairy Legs and the Whole Nine: You’re either early or you’re late; leave time for a flat tire; have you tried melatonin?; a new search engine and some enthusiasm for blogs. by Back to Work
70 min listen
Episode 620: Happy to be a Chair: With Merlin on the mend, your hosts discuss actors named Hurt, comic books, and old Macs. by Back to Work
58 min listen
Episode 619: A Beautiful Jam-Up: A self-hypnosis recommendation leads to another look at meditation (as well as not-meditation), plus Merlin has a few more beta finds that contribute to the Tiny Life Improvement Project. by Back to Work
75 min listen
Episode 618: The Living Room Test: Dan sets up his little office, your hosts talk about the new Apple dingus, and Merlin highlights some strong OS updates. by Back to Work
67 min listen
Episode 617: Trailer for the Future: Dan needs your help with a flooring dilemma, and your hosts share some thoughts on WWDC announcements. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 616: Archipelagos of Functionality: Dan dives deep on his Sonos setup, and Merlin explores official state things. by Back to Work
71 min listen
Episode 615: An Attractive Nuisance by Back to Work
76 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

338: Ambush Site: TOPIC: It's like elevator buttons. by Back to Work
87 min listen
427: C. Thomas Hobbled: With only three days of school left, Dan receives a very concerning email. by Back to Work
98 min listen
S1E1 - Isn't Lumity a hoot? (The Owl House): Dana Terrace's The Owl House by In Media Les
55 min listen
Arrow 4x20 – Genesis | Review: SPOILERS/NSFW - DC on SCREEN #171 - Arrow 4x20 – Genesis | Review - Andy lures Diggle out, captures him, tortures him, and lets him get rescued in order to track him to Lilah, who has a chip in her arm that will give Damien Darhk access and control to... by DC on SCREEN | DC Studios News/Review
19 min listen
383: Funding the Unicorn: This week: Dan may or may not be *sanguine*, and Merlin is having another meetup; comics, movie and TV discussion (and recommendations) abound. by Back to Work
76 min listen
Wild Thing by 90210MG
55 min listen
Pumpheads Ep. 8 - I Just Wanna Make Sure We're Cool w/ Dan Allegretto by Sexy Unique Podcast
130 min listen
Dungeons and Dragons by How D'Ya Like Me Now?
75 min listen
328: Donkey in a Biscuit: TOPIC: Asterisks and Question Marks. by Back to Work
103 min listen
100: Go Ahead, Caller.: TOPIC: Yes. The caller is there. by Back to Work
89 min listen
Episode 596: Turkey Legs in the Renaissance: Merlin is playing with his new dingus; Dan almost talks about wallets; try Tailscale to make your stuff work better together; why you (yes, *you*) need a VPN; Dan is getting enthused about Obsidian; Merlin is freshly re-enthused about Daytum; and finally Dan is very excited about a Dracula he saw. by Back to Work
77 min listen
The Catcher in the Rye: Q&A Episode by Close Reads
94 min listen
363: She's My Horcrux: This week, Dan and Merlin talk about lots of recent experiences with the weird and often-frustrating world of streaming TV. What a mess. by Back to Work
80 min listen
368: Call the Mouse Guy: This week, your hosts discuss Steely Dan, digital mastering, The Police, Dune, high-quality VCRs, and Dan's brother-in-law's close call. by Back to Work
74 min listen
121. I'm Always Right: After more than twenty years together, you would think that Danielle and Adam would be over some of the same disagreements they have had over and over a trillion times. But, that's definitely not the case. In this episode, they discuss ways in whi... by Marriage and Martinis
66 min listen
Backyard Time Travel, Kendrick/Drake & Baby Reindeer: In this all over the place episode Daniela discusses anxiety & all the things she watched while dealing with insomnia- Late Night with the Devil, Baby Reindeer, OA rewatch, Menendez Brother documentaries and TikTok time travelers. Plus, we try and... by Broads Next Door
26 min listen
Legends of Tomorrow 2x10 - The Legion of Doom | Recap & Review: SPOILERS/NSFW - DC on SCREEN #310 Legends of Tomorrow 2x10 - The Legion of Doom | Recap & Review This episode we get to see things from the Legion of Doom’s perspective, and the in-fighting is rampant. Darhk and Merlyn can’t get any secrets out of... by DC on SCREEN | DC Studios News/Review
9 min listen
144 - Nobody's Fault but Mine (and Yours, and Isildur's): Gandalf and Elrond come to terms with their own past mistakes while Aragorn reveals the lengths to which he’s gone to repair the faults of Isildur. As the story continues to unfold, the truth becomes clear to all at the Council of Elrond: Frodo’s ring... by The Prancing Pony Podcast
84 min listen
#136 A Rock Throw Away by The Nikki Glaser Podcast
85 min listen
419: The Elephant in the Sword: Some observations and reckons about Apple's big Services event. by Back to Work
102 min listen
Tamra gets Naked… again by Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge
73 min listen
Episode 213 - You Can't Handle The Truth (About Air McDoodles): If you can't handle the truth (about Air McDoodle… by The Great Dive Podcast
72 min listen
260: Stuck in Green Forever: TOPIC: Grab Bag. by Back to Work
122 min listen
41. The Jock Who Joins the Glee Club.: On Legolas Greenleaf. by By-The-Bywater: A Tolkien Podcast
55 min listen
Hand In The Dirt | Episode 89 by Hand In The Dirt
125 min listen
The Bigfoot Influencers #14 Bigfoot Audio with David Ellis: Pre-recorded: Tim and Dana have a compelling discussion with audio specialist, David Ellis. They chat about the thousands of potential audio he has collected over the years and why they could be related to unknown creatures. In addition, David share... by Untold Radio Network
71 min listen
'Paradise' S4 Week 2 with Diggy Moreland: We can’t wait for the girls to have the roses again. Please end this mess! Guys like Dean and Adam should not be juggling two perfect women apiece. After the break, joining by phone is Diggy, aka Kenneth Moreland. We talk about his surge in popularity... by Love to See It with Emma and Claire
90 min listen
Ep.146 – SAG Episode 146: The Return Of The Vest by The Stone Age Gamer Podcast
82 min listen
Chad Daniels - Phallic Fiasco by Dumb People Town
56 min listen
Nintendo Shack 23 - No News Here by The Nintendo Shack
58 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Episode 376: Alexa, Light It Up!

Episode 376: Alexa, Light It Up!

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Back to Work

Related podcast episodes