Podcasts

Back to Work: Evolution, Roulette, and Futureproofing Your Passion

Merlin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:21:40 -0400

Episode #11: Johnny Heuristic

Back to Work #11: Johnny Heuristic - 5by5 on Huffduffer

Merlin Mann joins Dan Benjamin to talk about futureproofing your passion by finding your obsession and voice, putting away your buggy whip and evolving, spreading your chips out across safe and risky investments, and taking smarter chances.

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April 12, 2011 at 3:00pm • Short URL
Runtime: 1:18:47 • Filesize: 36.1 MB

”Back to Work: Evolution, Roulette, and Futureproofing Your Passion” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 13, 2011. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

"Back to Work" - Merlin's New Thing with Dan Benjamin at 5by5.tv

Merlin — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:15:15 -0500

[update 2011-01-18 @ 16:07:40: We're up!]

5by5 Live

Before Christ was a corporal, Dan Benjamin was already a bit of a hero to me.

Since the early aughts–long before his insanely great 5by5.tv podcast network–Dan’s Hivelogic Enkoder was saving us millions of spam messages. His thoughtful tutorials on OS X (including unmissable advice on doing sane installs of MySQL and Rails, among others) are among the best on the web. His CSS has been widely stolen and reused without acknowledgment by thieves as diverse as other people and me. And his polymath posts on everything from Buddhism to The Paleo Diet to how to record a “Double-ender” have shown a charming combination of curiosity and empathy that, amongst numerous other reasons, clearly makes Dan a better human than me.

A propos of nothing, Dan’s also the guy who conducted one of (mp3) the three best interviews with me in which it’s been my good fortune to participate.1

Today, I’m honored to say that Dan and I are starting a thing together.

If it suits you, drop by 5by5.tv/live in about 35 minutes–at Noon Eastern/9am Pacific–to find out what we’re up to. I think it might be good. I’ll just say I’m as excited about this as I’ve been about any new project I’ve started in the past year or so.

Anyway. You can judge for yourself. Whether you can tolerate me or otherwise, definitely do not miss the work Dan’s doing at 5by5. Because it really is outstanding and very polished stuff.

As for our thing? My own goal, to paraphrase a bit from that interview with Dan, is to help you get excited, get better–and then?–Back to Work.

More soon. Thanks.

Favorite interviews. Just for the sake of completion, my all-time favorite interview was conducted by Colin Marshall for The Marketplace of Ideas (mp3); Dan’s “The Pipeline” eppy with me was a close second; and David and Katie’s recent nerderrific interview on my Mac workflow (mp3) on Mac Power Users has turned out to be a lot of peoples’ favorite thing I’ve done in years (love LOVE David’s stuff). ↩

And...we're up

Back to Work | Ep.#1: Alligator in the Bathroom

Download MP3 of "'Back to Work,' Ep. 1"

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 practical tips for removing friction.

It's a start.

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”"Back to Work" - Merlin's New Thing with Dan Benjamin at 5by5.tv” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 18, 2011. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

43f Podcast: John Gruber & Merlin Mann's Blogging Panel at SxSW

Merlin — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:33:08 -0400

SxSW ’09 - Gruber & Mann - HOWTO: 149 Surprising Ways to Turbocharge Your Blog With Credibility! (audio mp3, free on iTunes)

My pal, John Gruber (from daringfireball.net), and I presented a talk at South by Southwest Interactive on Saturday, March 14th. We talked about building a blog you can be proud of, trying to improve the quality of your work, reaching the people you admire, and maybe even making a buck (in a way that doesn’t blow your deal). Here’s what we had to say:

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N.B.: Awesome drawing by Dave Gray. Here's more.

Selected Notes

”43f Podcast: John Gruber & Merlin Mann's Blogging Panel at SxSW” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on March 25, 2009. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

43f Podcast: Gangs, Constraints, and Courageous Blocks

Merlin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:57:36 -0500

iTunes: "Gangs, Constraints, and Courageous Blocks"

Learn how ganging and constraints can help you create the blocks of time you need to devote 100% of your attention to making your best work. (10:32)

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Thanks for your patience, everybody. Nice to be back.

”43f Podcast: Gangs, Constraints, and Courageous Blocks” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on February 03, 2009. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

43 Folders Podcast

Merlin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:10:18 -0500

43 Folders Podcast [RSS Feed]

Fresh episodes of the 43 Folders Podcast now available.

Important. Chances are strong that your iTunes subscription to the show expired some time during the Truman administration, so resubscribe now via iTunes.

What is it?

The 43 Folders Podcast is a fast and funny audio trip through the trials of trying to produce great creative work in a world beset by distraction and shiny objects — with a special focus on making the best use of your time and attention toward whatever stuff matters most to you.

Hosted by your old internet friend, and the creator of 43 Folders, the surprisingly-unproductive Merlin Mann.

Subscribe to the 43f Podcast, via iTunes.

Recent episodes

”43 Folders Podcast” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on February 01, 2009. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

MBW 81: Throbbers, excess moisture, Johnson Rods, and Male Answer Syndrome

Merlin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:10:06 -0400

MacBreak Weekly 81: Click the Throbber

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Andy Ihnatko, and Alex Lindsay Safari 3.1, security update, Apple mulls music subscription plan, this week's picks and more.

Here's a direct MP3 download of MBW 81.

Very fun episode this week if I do say so. Andy and I nerded out a lot, there was much jollity, we worked blue a few times, and my (repeat) pick o' the week is SafariStand -- specifically for the amazing "Copy Link as Markdown" and "Copy Link HTML Tag" functionality. Dammit: go pimp your Safari!

Update, 2008-03-20 16:29:45

Next Week: Patrick Wilson from Weezer

Oh, man. How did I forget this? Next week, MacBreak Weekly's special guest will be Pat Wilson, the drummer from Weezer and The Rentals and the multi-instrumental leader of That Special Goodness. Yeah, I know; I can't believe it, either, but he actually asked Leo if he could be on the show. Weird. I wonder if he sent email to the wrong place and actually thinks we're Grammar Girl or something.

Anyhow, it's on, and I'm thrilled, because I go way back with Weezer. After the jump's a live video of an old Weezer favorite (which, according to WikiPee, Pat co-wrote), "My Name is Jonas."

Weezer - "My Name is Jonas"

”MBW 81: Throbbers, excess moisture, Johnson Rods, and Male Answer Syndrome” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on March 20, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Merlin on MacBreak Weekly 75

Merlin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:47:32 -0500

MacBreak Weekly 75: MacHeist Replies

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Andy Ihnatko, Scott Bourne, and Alex Lindsay

Guests: Philip Ryu of MacHeist, Andrew Welch of Ambrosia.

> >

Apple reports record earnings… then stock tanks, Philip Ryu of MacHeist and Andrew Welch of Ambrosia give counterpoints to MacHeist discussion, and more.

Here's a direct MP3 download of our marathon 107 minute, nearly-ruined-by-Skype-farts MBW 75.

And, hey, whaddaya know? MBW is having its Diamond Anniversary. I should pick up a necklace or an industrial drill for Leo.

This week, Leo invited Philip and Andrew on to talk about MacHeist. I hope they feel like they got a fair hearing and were able to say their piece. For myself, I'm still not sure how I feel about MacHeist, but I'm persuaded that the process is improved over the first time it was offered. On a personal level, it was cool to be given a chance to talk to Andrew, whose Ambrosia Software has been with me like a secret friend for almost as long as I've used a Mac.

This time around my pick of the week is Airfoil by Rogue Amoeba (although I also profess my affection for lots of other stuff Paul makes). Good interview from last year with Paul over on Ars Technica.

”Merlin on MacBreak Weekly 75” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 30, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

MacBreak 74: Hot Lips and Hawkeye

Merlin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:31:17 -0500

MacBreak Weekly 74: Hot Lips and Hawkeye

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Andy Ihnatko, and Rich Siegel

A look back at Macworld, Office spreads out, MacHeist, .Mac future bright and cloudy, certain gestures and more.

Here's a direct MP3 download of MBW 74.

I think this might be one of my favorite episodes of MacBreak Weekly. Say what you will about the podcast medium, it's amazing to be able to pull an articulate person like Rich Siegel into your conversation midway -- (~00:38:15) -- just via IM and a phone number. Very cool.

So. That said. I really want the promoters and developer-fans of MacHeist to have their opportunity to respond to what Rich (and we) had to say. Clearly we all think a lot of the Mac indie community, so it'd be valuable to continue the conversation in a way that's fair and civil for everybody.

Directions on how to get your voice heard appear around (~00:57:11) of this episode.

update 2008-01-25 08:21:01

”MacBreak 74: Hot Lips and Hawkeye” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 23, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Back to MacBreak Weekly with Episode 70

Merlin — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:40:51 -0500

MacBreak Weekly 70: Happy Life Day!

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, Chris Breen, Merlin Mann, and Scott Bourne

It's the Macbreak Weekly Year Ender!

Here's a direct MP3 download of MBW 70.

And here's linkage to a few of the things I mentioned (adapted from this episode's show notes):

MenuCalendarClock from Objectpark Software is a a handy and functional way to get at your iCal task list from the menu bar. ($19.95)
Remote Buddy at IOspirit.com looks like a very cool way to run your Mac from your iPhone. I was chickenshit to finish the install after seeing something about "Kernel insertion". Anybody tried it? (19.99 EUROS)
FlexTime from Red Sweater Software is a swell multi-timer that's an awesome tool for procrastinators (from 7/2006: "2 OS X timers to watch: Flextime & Meridian"). ($18.95)

And, of course, here's the full, 2-hour version of the truly unbelievable Star Wars Holiday Special.

Happy Life Day, indeed.

”Back to MacBreak Weekly with Episode 70” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on December 26, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

MBW: New iMacs; iLife & iWork '08; .Mac; Anti-picks; and Merlin's dirty little secret

Merlin — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:38:03 -0400

MacBreak Weekly 52: Ten Cents A Dance

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Scott Bourne, Andy Ihnatko, and Alex Lindsay

We take a look at Apple's new iMacs, and iLife and iWork 08...

Here's a direct MP3 download of MBW 52.

Of course, when I chose iCal as my anti-pick, I said it with love. Much love.

iCal and me are like family. Except in this case, I'm the Dad and iCal is the at-risk kid whose grades keep dropping and who always forgets to take the trash to the curb. Damned kid.

Tough love? You bet. But, still: love.

Also, in unrelated news, I quietly outed myself as a new iPhone owner. So there you go. My dirty little secret, revealed.

”MBW: New iMacs; iLife & iWork '08; .Mac; Anti-picks; and Merlin's dirty little secret” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on August 10, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"