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DISCUSSED: thoughts on hand-washing and habit-building; Dan has a really good scarecrow joke; Merlin still can't figure out how many 12-year-olds Dan owns; Dan has a question about laptops and backpa…

Merlin is pretty out of it this week, and Dan shares some listener questions.

Links for this episode:

• Reilly's a match for show business / Actor-director here in one-man show - SFGate
  
• The Complete Adv…

DISCUSSED: strongly-held podcast preferences; Skype hates you; praise for Rogue Amoeba and Strong Songs; a small B2W milestone passes; Dan likes 1917; what Jack did; praise for Match Game; a couple a…

DISCUSSED: A fun and creepy new face swap app; Twitter is not creating much new happy; this leads to a discussion of generational perceptions about what's acceptable or even desirable (especially wit…

Merlin needs help in the NOC; Dan discovers sensitive sauce; there are thresholds; hurting your roller skating muscles; new printer; and, finally, Merlin conducts a long exploration of unnecessary ef…

For this very special end of the century, fin de siècle episode, Dan and Merlin make bespoke personal recommendations for music, podcasts, apps, TV shows, YouTube videos, and gadgets.

Links for this…

DISCUSSED: holiday lizard talk; some benefits of using "Environment" and "Journal" calendars; nostalgia for the Palm family of products in general and Graffiti in particular; responses to listener le…

DISCUSSED: Dan presents a curious new bathroom project; some thoughts on OCD, procrastination, and empathy; praise for Fury Road, Inglourious Basterds, and Dunkirk; Dan has follow-up on his awesome n…

DISCUSSED: Drafts for Mac is out!; check out Damon Lindelof on The Watch; suggestions for HomeKit power strips; and responses to listener letters on rediscovering the joys of physical media and getti…

Discussed:

• the commercials you get in your head
• listener feedback on music management
• first results of Merlin's own deep dive on music management alternatives
• thoughts on the "safety" that ends up …

DISCUSSED: Merlin has an email confession; Dan steps up with a shoulder; listeners have given your hosts a season of the show; praise for HBO's Watchmen; a discussion of curating media for kids; Merl…

• updates on travel and packing
• a new notebook Merlin likes
• finding a notebook that accommodates both your brain and the shape of your day
• Merlin's bespoke six-block notebook method
• Dan struggles migh…

Our worst episode ever. Enjoy!

Links for this episode:

• Mark Text
  
• CommonMark Spec
  
• Venice ‘on its knees’ after second-worst flood ever recorded
  
• Sweeping Study Points To Devastating Impact Of Climate Chang…

Dan is getting a Synology, Merlin has been making stuff, plus the return of "Cool Things I Learned This Week."

Links for this episode:

• Keyboards, Computer Keyboards, Wireless Keyboards | Logitech
  
• Shor…

DISCUSSED: coincident birthdays; mathowie's gigantism and very online Ex Machina house; extensive actor and media talk; you probably hadn't heard, but, The Revenant was very difficult to make; Apple …

This week, Dan and Merlin dive into the benefits (and fun) of a NAS project. Also, Merlin goes off about the horror show of letting old people determine the future. Also, also, hey, kung fu movies!

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It's Infrastructure Week! Dan and Merlin start with California's power crisis and end up pivoting to phones, cable TV, and, of course, Apple.

What happens when a resource we think of as a solved par…

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about living in a world of hardware choices.

How do you decide which device is best suited to a given task? Which ones do you find yourself preferring to use because t…

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about Apple's OS rollouts, changes in Apple retail, and week two with the new Apple Watch.

Links for this episode:

• Release dates for iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS Catalina, …

This week, Dan and Merlin focus on the new Apple Watch.

Links for this episode:

• New iPhone set up: Transfer data directly to a new iPhone wirelessly, or using a cable
  
• Siri on Apple Watch: The ultimate…