Episode 205: Obsolete, circa 1993

FromBack to Work

Start listening View podcast show

Episode 205: Obsolete, circa 1993

FromBack to Work

ratings:

Length:

129 minutes

Released:

Jan 22, 2015

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

With Merlin on sabbatical, Dan is joined by John Roderick to discuss his recent visit to Africa, the military, corporate friends, strategic thinking, the Internet, digital books and albums, echoes, playmobil figures, measuring your arms, the tribal world, selling coats on the internet, and more.

Released:

Jan 22, 2015

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

36: Writing on the Wind: Merlin Mann talks with Dan Benjamin about his dogged obsession with the flexibility of index cards—for propping up tables, giving very small cuts, and getting babies hygienically removed. Then, there is much talk of graphing your focal length against your 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
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
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
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
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
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
32: The Beertruck Scenario: Merlin and Dan talk about Dan's sabbatical, hotdogs, services, triggers, Quicksilver, Launchbar, and why there's no 'I' in 'ordnance.' by Back to Work
87 min listen
25: My Food Court of Functionality: Dan and Merlin talk about nerds getting problems and about using Markdown in BBEdit, Textmate or any text app because you need to find tools that remove friction, not distractions. by Back to Work
74 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
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
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
17: Brick Building Full of Lies: Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about checking email under the table to catch up on your 27 high priority tasks, a good time to use the word priority, blowing cycles on meeting with Narnia's stakeholders, and getting tasks out of your dreamcatcher. by Back to Work
86 min listen
22: My Baby Likes Aluminum Foil!: This week, Merlin and Dan share their Pick: The Macintosh Computer. Also, a 17-minute experimental startup sound, catching conflicts, shivving the stagecoach, machine-gunning with SoundMaster, the dangers of ResEdit, and the future of recumbent bike ba by Back to Work
71 min listen
10: At Last the 'Inspiration' Show by Back to Work
82 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
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
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
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
26: Spaghetti Guy Hits Close to Home: This week Wutang Dan and The MZA bring the ruckus to finding a job, selling your Mustang, and putting your house on the market: remember that you can't negotiate with reality, Merlin can't do anything to make you love him, enthusiasm is irreplaceable, and by Back to Work
93 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
43: I Return Null: Topic: Asking questions in order to find better questions by Back to Work
59 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

#296 Listener Questions: Dirk and David gather for another round of listener questions! They answer how to balance mechanical options and variety in a game, trends in how genres are under- or over-utilized, and the impact of live streaming on designing and marketing a game.... by The Game Design Round Table
54 min listen
EPISODE 11 - BEING A NERD IN THE 90’s WITH KFC & SUPER PRODUCER BC by My Mom's Basement
87 min listen
22 Joshua Tallent: News - Rand McNally introduces a Road Atlas specifically designed for the Kindle. Featuring a brief telephone interview with Joel Minster, Rand McNally's senior vice president and chief cartographer. Tech Tip - Will DeLamater of EduKindle creates a... by The Kindle Chronicles
32 min listen
Arcane Artistry with Ed Greenwood! PLUS More on Campaign 2 with the Cast!: Jarred & Ron are joined by writer and creator of The Forgotten Realms, Ed Greenwood! They share an in-depth discussion on writing, gaming and world-building, including the creation of an original magic item for the new campaign! Then later, Jessica &... by The Dungeon Run Podcast
198 min listen
GLD 270 - The Shallow End Of The Dating Pool: Been a while since you waded into the murky waters of online dating? Brian heads to Dallas and dives into a lively round of Tinder Roulette with dating app aficionado Megan David. What to look out for, dead giveaways, red flags, hopeful prospects,... by The Great Love Debate with Brian Howie
53 min listen
#5 How Nat Geo connects content, community and commerce: Jill Dvorak, director of merchandising and marketing at National Geographic Partners by Retail Gets Real
21 min listen
FourPlay Episode 23: Is PS4 Winning?: This week in video games: Joe, Dan, Dave, and Chris gather to discuss Far Cry 4, The Division, 3DS' disappearance, and Halo 5. We discuss just why Sony has been so successful with the PS4 and why Nintendo and Microsoft aren't where they used to be,... by The Free Cheese
73 min listen
Nerder She Wrote: Harden, Spurs D, 76ers' Pieces, Paul George: Nerder She Wrote: Dave DuFour and David Thorpe Rundown Harden on fire, can it last? Guarding Harden The Spurs on a run Defense DeMar DeRozan story time 76ers without Butler Simmons with Embiid Putting the pieces together Lessons from Showtime Lakers Simmons & Giannis and improvement Paul George vs Russ MVP!! Victor Oladipo injury What do the Pacers do now? Damian Lillard and Nurkic Time to trade CJ McCollum Closing thoughts End Support us on www.patreon.com/countthedings Find us: www.countthedings.com Social: @back2backpod @countthedings Facebook: www.facebook.com/countthedings by The Athletic NBA Show
67 min listen
Designing the MCU, New Marvel Games, Deadpool & DC, She-Hulk, and more!: Alligator Loki, Moon Knight, the Deviants & Celestials...what do they all have in common? Rodney Fuentebella helped bring them to life in the MCU! Ryan and Lorraine chat with Rodney and celebrate Marvel Puzzle Quest’s anniversary with one of the mobile game’s producers. Plus, we get ready for a lot of Deadpool - his line of DC Shoes comes out very soon and he’ll be joining Marvel’s Midnight Suns next year! by This Week in Marvel
63 min listen
#241: Larry Gets Coached: Knowledge Fight by Knowledge Fight
85 min listen
512: You Have a Mustard Fetish: Some people see forests, while others see trees. by Back to Work
73 min listen
Geek Shock #605 - Tapioca: Reborn: This week Torgo gets called out as we talk about Disney alcohol, Dungeons and Dragons, FTL Multiverse, Code 8, Hades, Cloverfield, Reminiscence, Surprise Vanish Kill, Triplets, Marvel Infinity Comics, Eraser: Reborn, Teddy Ruxpin, The Penguin, Live-actio... by Geek Shock
115 min listen
The Geekbox: Episode 86: Wherein we discuss fake Facebooks, more Minecraft, Limbo story analysis (spoilers!), Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Kirby's Epic Yarn, bad art, the Nintendo 3DS, the stupid PSP, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, DC Universe Online delays, Zack Snyder's... by The Geekbox
77 min listen
#186 How to build….your personal brand, project or business (or all 3!): In this weeks episode Sarah is in conversation with creative strategists and authors of the book: How to build it, Niran Vinod and Damola Timeyin. Together they chat about what it takes to build any type of brand, particularly the importance o... by Squiggly Careers
22 min listen
Leslee Sullivant & Cassandra Khaw: Spring is here and so are Leslee (Design Producer on Marvel Strike Force at Scopely, previously a writer and development manager at Riot, and held a variety of narrative design and production roles at 2K and Dorian) and Cassandra (award-winning game & fiction writer who’s worked on such games as Sunless Skies, Wasteland 3, and Falcon Age)! They join us to talk about being stubborn, knowing when to stop pushing for something, writing barks, overlapping dialogue, where they start when creating characters, whether they’re plotters or pantsers, what their writing habits are, how to force yourself to start writing, how COVID has changed their habits, navigating bureaucracy, knowing when to leave your environment for a better one, dealing with people overstepping their boundaries, and more! by Script Lock
74 min listen
Episode 184: The Puddle in the Bucket: Content warning for some ableist language. Danielle, Natalie, Rob, and Patrick settle in for an in-depth discussion of "puddlegate"—the kerfuffle that occurred when some gamers thought the new Spider-Man game on PS4 had downgraded visuals c... by Waypoint Radio
69 min listen
The craziness behind James Harden-76ers rumors by The Glue Guys: A Brooklyn Nets Podcast
42 min listen
06/21/21 DPS Best Of by The Dan Patrick Show
58 min listen
11 O'Clock Comics Episode 487: Plastic #4 by Doug Wagner, Daniel Hillyard, and Laura Martin from Image, Tarantula OGN by Alexis Ziritt, Fabian Rangel Jr., and Evelyn Rangel from AdHouse Books, Spy Seal and Rich Tommaso, Aftershock-O-Rama: Babyteeth by Donny Cates, Garry Brown, and Mar by 11 O'Clock Comics Podcast
168 min listen
"Kill Your Internet" Podcast Episode 57 "What is Going On With This Election?" ft. Nate Moran & Gerard Longo: Foxtrot & the Get Down by Barstool Backstage
112 min listen
Danny Miranda — Attracted to the Light (EP.180): Danny Miranda’s ambition is to sell out Madison Square Gardens for a live edition of his podcast. Now, on episode 402 (and counting), he is getting closer to that goal every week. He joins the show to discuss the art of interviewing, why he’s... by Infinite Loops
66 min listen
#417 – A Kinda Funny Story by This Week in Marvel
66 min listen
iFanboy.com Pick of the Week #364 - Avengers #1 by iFanboy - Comic Books
62 min listen
DC253 - Tacoma's DEF CON Group: Cody and Hurchel from DC253 join the guys on this episode! DC253 is Tacoma's area DEF CON Group. They're a gathering point for folks interested in the alternate applications of modern technology, referred to properly as hacking. They meet the last Friday of the month at Devils Reef. On July 27th, they'll be at The Grand Cinema for a pre DEF CON movie screening of the 1983 hacker classic War Games. by The Grit City Podcast
63 min listen
1807 - April 2021 Previews by Comic Geek Speak Podcast - The Best Comic Book Podcast
151 min listen
60) Most Popular Halloween Costumes of 2019: Halloween is right around the corner, so it's time to review the Top 10 Most Popular Halloween Costumes of 2019, according to Google Search trends. PLUS...What are the pop culture costumes of the year, what are the long-lasting costumes independent... by 10ish Podcast
65 min listen
Nick’s ERT #44- The Weird & Wonderful World of Cupcakes & Coaster’s 2018 w/ Jordan Christine: The Weird and Wonderful World of Cupcakes and Coaster’s 2018 - with Jordan Christine by The Season Pass: The Essential Theme Park Podcast
72 min listen
Series 4 - Episode 35: Interview with Karl Dickson, The Sarries/Farrell Incident; Journey into reffing; Social Media and abuse, Aspirations and World Cup plans by Cherry Jam - A Gloucester Rugby Supporter Podcast
65 min listen
Interview with Dean Norris - Behind The Scenes by Mahalo With A Bullet
12 min listen
84) Smartest Presidents in U.S. History: Lincoln. Kennedy. Roosevelt. TRUMP? Who is the smartest President in U.S. History? Nick tries to guess Brandon's list of the Top 10, based on a university study estimating the IQ Score of every President. PLUS...what personality traits indicate... by 10ish Podcast
68 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Episode 205: Obsolete, circa 1993

Episode 205: Obsolete, circa 1993

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Back to Work

Related podcast episodes