Back to Work
Back to Work is an award winning talk show with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discussing productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 83 minutes
- Episodes
- 643
- Years Active
- 2011 - 2024
Episode 604: Grandpa's Automation
DISCUSSED: After settling some confusion about Anna Borg, the boys settle into an amble about the state of voice assistants and the future of the theoretically smart home. As ever, Merlin is pretty e…
Episode 603: A Jaws of Life for Playgrounds
DISCUSSED: Merlin is extremely happy with a suggestion that Dan made, and Dan has a bunch of apps he's excited about.
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Episode 602: Apple Juice Flood
Typing on an iPad, rhyming compulsively, default media, and taking a young foodie out on the town.
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Episode 601: Big Broom
DISCUSSED: Merlin is excited about reading, and Dan sometimes puts his time in a box. Also: Breaking Bad.
Links:
- Living In Expectation of the Unexpected Gift — This text discusses how modern society …
Episode 600: The Trauma of My Chumby
DISCUSSED: Merlin recommends an exciting new beta; Dan gets a new e-reader; and Merlin has a lot to say about taking notes.
Links:
- Readwise's Reader Beta — "Huge news: after 1.5 years of private be…
Episode 599: Self-Involved at Scale
DISCUSSED: a classic odds n' sods episode encompassing a missing remote (and a failed system), some wallet FU, cool help with playlist management, unsubscribing in dribs and drabs, and a big-ass RV.
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Episode 598: Chewbacca Credit Union
Merlin is still on Island Time, so discussion is mostly limited to Columbo, Star Wars, Merlin's playlists, Ellsworth, and, of course, wallets.
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Episode 597: The Bronze Hour
DISCUSSED: Dan has a new concern; some thoughts on resistance; Merlin shares a new insight on creativity and sleep; Dan has FU directly from the Nosferatu band; Merlin serves a turducken of suggestio…
Episode 596: Turkey Legs in the Renaissance
DISCUSSED: 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 O…
Episode 595: Blessèd Vessel
DISCUSSED: Halloween Follow-Up; exit interview for Season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows; how Apple could build users' confidence and stimulate their curiosity with better documentation; Merlin makes…
Episode 594: Honey Sun Bear
Fortunately, Merlin had thoroughly prepared for 62 minutes of lizards, Morgellons, animal powers, and Tom Cruise.
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Episode 593: One of the Eel Women
Sleep, practice, infrastructure, power, and OCD are themes. As per usual.
Links:
- ⭐️👉 How to wield power to improve the workplace : Invisibilia : NPR — "Bad bosses. Obnoxious coworkers. Unfair compe…
Episode 592: Dirt Cat
Dan has Covid, so Merlin agrees to carry him, and yet Dan improbably carries them both.
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Episode 591: A Closeted Magical Thinker
There are a few odds and sods, but, yeah, it's mostly about adjudicating Peak Cruise.
Runner-Up Titles
- Bespoke Slime Hole
- Gavin Assumed
- Nom De Repair
- Species-Ending Annoyance
- Mosquito Tasks
- One …
Episode 590: A Load-Bearing Feeling
Feeling bad about feeling bad is ultimately optional.
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Episode 589: The Outgassing of Ancient Woods
From choosing a pencil to relocating your ladder, one big and complex part of Knowledge Work is deciding how to do what you do.
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Episode 588: Quid Pro Crow
DISCUSSED: Your hosts talk about some of their favorite Mac apps available via Setapp.
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Episode 587: I'm a Map
We've got a man on the boat.
Links:
- Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard - Wikipedia
- The Day Breaking Bad Was Born - YouTube — Exploring the origins of Breaking Bad, and the elements that made it great, until we…
Episode 586: We Have Met the Audience, and He Is Us
DISCUSSED: A very moist man's lawyer learns how Dropbox works; Merlin introduces "The Bump"; Dan has a cool new calendar technology; and Merlin speed-rounds some odds and sods.
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Episode 585: The Wahlberg Uncertainty Principle
Frankly, it was a bit of a fever dream, but your hosts discuss sportsball, collective singular nouns, Coleridge's trap street, LEGO, and a handful of Merlin's recent wins.
Links:
- Matter — via Alex …