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MacBreak Weekly 85: Wombats, Pystar, NBC's Buggy Whips, Mitchell & Webb, and hacking Time Machine

Merlin Mann — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:07:32 -0400

MacBreak Weekly 85: You Look Mac Today

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, and Andy Ihnatko

Wombats, Pystar clones, Back to My Mac, Aussie iPhones on Vodafone, and more.

Here’s a direct MP3 download of MBW 85.

This week my Audible pick is That Mitchell and Webb Sound, and my application pick is TimeMachineEditor. The former is a wonderful radio series by two British comics that I’m currently obsessed with, while the latter is a very handy app for manually setting how often Time Machine backs up your Mac.

Also, Leo was kind enough to acknowledge You Look Nice Today (iTunes), the new podcast that I do with my more gifted brother Twitterers, @scottsimpson and @lonelysandwich. We also live collectively on Twitter as “ylnt.”

I’m off MBW next week, but we should all be returning from our various conferences and travels with the full crew for taping on the week after.

”MacBreak Weekly 85: Wombats, Pystar, NBC's Buggy Whips, Mitchell & Webb, and hacking Time Machine” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 17, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2008 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 Mann — 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 ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

TWiT 133 with Jonathan Coulton and "Rock Bad"

Merlin Mann — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:04:43 -0500

TWiT 133: Jonathan Coulton - Functional And Elegant

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jonathan Coulton, Merlin Mann, Veronica Belmont, Ryan Block, and Tom Merritt
Jonathan Coulton and niche broadcasting, HD DVD finally kaput, YouTube goes down, frozen RAM and more.

Here’s a free, direct MP3 download of TWiT 133.

Man, I really loved this episode. Jonathan Coulton’s music and performances are inspiring in themselves, but as a fellow (albeit, much more modestly successful) “microbrand,” I have huge respect for how he runs the business of his career. (more after the jump, including why we were all on this episode together in the first place)

Jonathan engages his audience actively (on- and off- stage) and he’s crafted an approach to making a career out of entertainment that is nothing short of disruptive. As I said in this episode, it’s my belief that in about 5 years, Jonathan (along with folks like Jane Siberry/Issa) will be seen as Patient Zero in the unravelling of a 90-year-old, sheet music-based business model that’s based on false scarcity and lawsuits rather than engagement and service.

That said, Jonathan is also a terrifically talented writer and performer who knows how to scratch his audience’s itch. I’ll admit that one of the entertainment highlights of my year-to-date involved joining a roomful of ecstatic zombie nerds on Friday night for the singalong of “All we want to do is eat your brains!”

Also, of passing note in this episode, at least to me: since our last visit, it appears JoCo is now not only a Mac nerd (12” PowerBook), but a sometime Inbox Zero practitioner, and a Kinkless fan. (gulp: we need to get him a license for OmniFocus). Welcome to the Mac family, Jonathan!

So. If you haven’t yet had the “pleasure” of seeing why we all happened to be together on TWiT a couple days after it happened: here’s video of our group — which I’ve dubbed “Rock Bad” — failing at the soon-to-be-released Rock Band version of “Still Alive” (despite the yeoman’s work of Veronica Belmont):

Jonathan Coulton performs “Still Alive” in Rock Band from Joy Stiq on Vimeo.

But, you should hear me sing “Don’t Fear the Reaper” in Rock Band: I kill. Drums? Not so much.

Jonathan’s music can be purchased for digital download from a variety of sources including Amazon.com (in DRM-free MP3s) and iTunes (DRM’d AACs).

”TWiT 133 with Jonathan Coulton and "Rock Bad"” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on February 25, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Merlin on MacBreak Weekly 75

Merlin Mann — 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 ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

MacBreak 74: Hot Lips and Hawkeye

Merlin Mann — 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 ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Back to MacBreak Weekly with Episode 70

Merlin Mann — 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 ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

MBW 58; Pick of the week is Acorn

Merlin Mann — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:25:58 -0400

MacBreak Weekly 58: Repeal the Nerd Tax

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Alex Lindsay, and Chris Breen

Chris reviews the new iPods, screen issues with the Touch, and the trouble with ringtones…

Here’s a direct MP3 download of MBW 58.

Oh, brother, I was totally high on cold medicine when we did this episode. But, not so high that I couldn’t recommend Flying Meat’s amazing new Acorn, a stripped-down, and very inexpensive graphics app. It’s one my favorite Mac programs of the year.

Like I said on the show, there’s so many little things you want to do with screen shots or photos — just weird little tweaks like Dooce’s “Lovely Glow Effect” — and high-end graphics apps like Photoshop can seem really heavy for the job. Acorn is in the sweet spot for most of what I want to do, and so far it’s stood up to every task I’ve needed. And, the price is sure right at an intro rate of $39.95 (0.057 of an “Alex”).

And, for the next show, I’ll try to be less medicated. I promise. Unless it’s something people like. In which case I’ll consider getting wasted. Up to you.

”MBW 58; Pick of the week is Acorn” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on September 24, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2008 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 Mann — 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 ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

On MBW 48: Pick of the Week is Fly Gesture

Merlin Mann — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:35:43 -0400

MacBreak Weekly 48: The Next Big Thing

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Andy Ihnatko, The Macalope

Variable pricing comes to iTunes, iPhone hacks, and where’s the Mac?

Here’s a direct MP3 download of MBW 48.

My pick for this week’s MacBreak Weekly is Fly Gesture, which is a nifty little freeware app from Flying Meat’s boy genius, Gus Mueller. Like it says on FG’s home page:

FlyGesture is activated like Exposé or Dashboard, bringing up a transparent window of “guides” to move your mouse through. Moving your mouse through the guides lets FlyGesture know what action or actions you want to be performed, such as closing a window or opening an application.

Mac users are familiar with doing stuff by clicking predefined menus with a mouse or by executing key commands, but Fly Gesture — like Quicksilver’s Abracadabra or Firefox’s mouse gestures — takes a different approach, allowing you to invoke bits of Mac functionality by drawing shapes with your mouse.

For certain kinds of tasks — changing tabs in a browser, jumping to a favorite page — gestures can be a faster and more painless way to get around. Regardless of preferences, though, I think this is just a really pretty application, and it’s cool of Gus to give it away for free.

(Maybe say thanks by picking up the awesome VoodooPad.)

”On MBW 48: Pick of the Week is Fly Gesture” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on July 11, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

MacBreak Weekly 47: Merlin's picks

Merlin Mann — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:06:51 -0400

MacBreak Weekly 47: That’s Our Shooby!

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

Universal challenges iTunes, iPhone hacks, and our software picks of the week…

Here’s a direct MP3 download of MBW 47.

This time we did our usual weekly software picks, but I also got to choose our Audible.com audiobook of the week. Can you guess what it is?

Audible.com Audiobook Pick - It’s All Too Much - I was glad I got a chance to mention the book that inspired 43f’s current series on clutter. Peter Walsh offers a perspective on getting rid of clutter that goes beyond shuffling and organizing “stuff,” to breaking down the emotional barriers that make you keep so much crap in the first place. Highly recommended for rethinking the way your current possessions (and the space they inhabit) map to the life you want. Also, if you’re not up for joining Audible, the audiobook is also available on iTunes, plus there’s always the dead tree edition.
(Hear Merlin’s Audiobook Pick at 00:59:10 of the podcast.)
Software pick - Mozy - Mozy (say: MOH-zee) is an online service that securely backs-up your files in the background. It’s easier to use than most online and S3-based services and much more robust than Apple’s .Mac and Backup.app. Mozy has a “set it and forget it” functionality that might save your butt. You can even schedule backups and throttle bandwidth usage during the day. The Mac-friendly version is in beta, but seems to work fine; free account gives you 2GB of storage while $4.95 gives you “unlimited” space each month.
(Hear Merlin’s Software Pick at 01:11:56 of the podcast.)

”MacBreak Weekly 47: Merlin's picks” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on July 06, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2008 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"