Back to Work

TOPIC: Wait, what'd I DO?!?

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about anger, misunderstandings, and trying to do the right thing. How bewildering (and emotional) it can be to feel misunderstood—as well a…

TOPIC: Thinking, Thinking, Thinking.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the inextricable links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They also take some time to fondly remember Robin Williams.

While Merlin takes a short sabbatical, Dan is joined by special guest David Sparks to talk about presentations, making your thing, balancing acts, iBooks author, paying for your kids' school with sid…

TOPIC: Stupid can't stick to me.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the distinction between being against something vs. not having an opinion about it vs. just choosing not to let the world stick …

TOPIC: A Personal History of Personal Publishing

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the constantly-changing landscape of online publishing. How we got from home pages to blogs to social media and …

TOPIC: Yes. Yes.

This week, Dan and Merlin follow-up on their recent 5by5 at the Movies episode about Glengarry Glen Ross, talking more about sales culture, media consumption, how our personal data …

TOPIC: Motivation

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about their upcoming 5by5 at the Movies episode on Glengarry Glen Ross, which segues naturally into a discussion of the many aspects of motivation.

…

TOPIC: (Not) Solving People Problems With Technology.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the challenge of finding business workflows that…actually work. And, what happens if you try to fix a "peop…

TOPIC: "Creativity" where you din't expect it.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about PIXAR, creativity, and FoldingText before finally succumbing to the treachery of Skype.

Links for this episode:

• Fo…

TOPIC: Dan & Merlin in Fancy San Francisco

This week, Dan and Merlin visit across a table in a darkened room to talk about WWDC, San Francisco's lesser-known features, and how to spend less time bog…

TOPIC: Culture is what we DO.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about processing a hotel room and leading by example.

Links for this episode:

• John Dickerson - How to Process a Hotel Room
  
• HOWTO process y…

TOPIC: How to undig a river.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about an email message from a listener who's having trouble getting away from his inbox long enough to do what he needs to, introducing a …

TOPIC: It's like wallets and backpacks.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about H.R. Giger, Dan's latest Android experiment, more on app privacy, and why we need both wallets, backpacks, and suitcases.…

Merlin and Dan talk about Marked, Drafts, MLKSHK shutting down, App.net, routers, Hong King Phoey, poisoned meatballs, and more.

Links for this episode:

• Hansure - Product Details
  HansureTM is a wearab…

Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin talk about comiXology and the future of online digital purchases.

Links for this episode:

• Wonder Woman (2009) (V)
  A modern man's trespass of the island of the Amazons enab…

TOPIC: Standing up to Attention Bullies.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the world's impossible expectations regarding each of our own time, attention, and access.

What happens when we tacitly…

TOPIC: Ubi Sunt, LCS?

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the uneasy future of local comic shops—especially in light of Amazon's announced acquisition of comiXology.

Links for this episode:

• [SPONSO…

TOPIC: The future we can't know.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about how quickly technology is evolving, how janky that evolution can be, and how terrible we all are at forecasting what will come n…

TOPIC: Words mean things.

This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the blight of buzzwords, jargon, and douchespeak writ large.

Links for this episode:

• Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism - Wi…

TOPIC: Curiosity & Creativity

This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about expertise and how it relates to the ineffable qualities of curiosity and creativity. Can curiosity be inspired or taught? Or, …