

Do By Friday
Merlin Mann and Alex Cox
A weekly challenge show hosted by Alex Cox and Merlin Mann.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 2, 2023 • 1h 18min
Lady Butt
The hosts discuss their experience watching Jury Duty and share humorous anecdotes. They also talk about their favorite James Bond actors and movies, confusion around the term 'Bond', and restroom dilemmas in Catholic churches. The conversation touches on Catholic jokes, identifying Catholics in the Christian community, and analyzing the reality show 'Jerry Duty' and the importance of consent and waivers. They explore the behind-the-scenes crew of a TV show, reflect on their experiences with jury duty, and discuss movie miscasting and praise a TV show's characters and relationships.

Aug 26, 2023 • 1h 17min
Slender Manny
This week's challenge: celebrate Coxmas in Julyish.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Produced and Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksJury Duty - Official Trailer | Prime Video - YouTubeAlex Gibney on State of Documentary Market – The Hollywood ReporterStrangers with Candy - WikipediaExit 57 - Vicky!SantaLand Diaries: David Sedaris - YouTube‘Bo Burnham: Inside’ review by Merlin Mann • LetterboxdJFK (film) - WikipediaATP ATP Tier List: Every iMac — Accidental Tech PodcastHow to use Focus modes in iOS 16 - The Verge3D Touch was one of the best technologies Apple ever created - 9to5MacRecorded Wednesday, August 24, 2023Next week's challenge: watch Jury Duty.

Aug 18, 2023 • 1h 23min
Existential ATM for Favors
The hosts discuss owing each other a life debt and reflect on personal growth and aging gracefully. They also talk about celebrities making cameo appearances, upcoming Coxmas celebration, and changing phone usage. They discuss the concept of closing parentheses and canceling plans. They explore finding connections that create comedy and predict concerns for the future of Barbie. They also delve into Conan O'Brien's creative approach to late night.

Jul 25, 2023 • 1h 33min
Queen Grandpa
This week's challenge: look at old computers.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Produced and Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksBill Murray Accuses Phil Donahue Of Dating His Grandmother | LettermanThe inbox makeover | MacworldComputer Chronicles - WikipediaComputer History Archives Project ("CHAP") - YouTubeThe Computer Chronicles - YouTubePalm VII - WikipediaThe Mother of All Demos, presented by Douglas Engelbart (1968) - YouTubeAlex’s Old Computers PlaylistMerlin’s Old Computers PlaylistRecorded Wednesday, July 19, 2023Next week's challenge: have Coxmas in July!

Jul 14, 2023 • 55min
Keep Asking for the Corn Holder
This week's challenge: play stitch.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Produced and Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - WikipediaTom Cruise - WikipediaClaude 2.0: Anthropic deploys new AI chatbot Claude 2. Know how it compares to ChatGPT, more details - The Economic TimesThe Wachowskis - WikipediaWhite Gladis Was Pregnant When She Started Orca Boat Attacking TrendHouse of Wax (1953 film) - WikipediaHouse of Wax (2005) - IMDbAmerican Prometheus - WikipediaThe Bear 2 Beta is here! - Updates - Bear BetaEvernote acquisition FAQ – Evernote Help & LearningiTextEditors - iPhone and iPad text/code editors and writing tools compared(1) Stitch., our new puzzle game about embroidery. Coming soon to Apple Arcade. - YouTubestitch. on the App StoreRecorded Wednesday, July 12, 2023Next week's challenge: look at old computers!

Jul 1, 2023 • 1h 28min
Transatlantic Accent
This week's challenge: watch That Guy… Who Was in That Thing.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Produced and Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksParlor Parlor Fan ArtYou Look Nice Today - “Parlor Parlor” (XOXO 2015) on VimeoEp. 503: "A Still Period" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin MannBob Dylan - Nashville SkylineSnapseed on the App StoreDinner for Five - WikipediaKenny Rogers - She Believes In Me (Audio) - YouTubeDinner for Five - Season 3 Episode 4: Joe Mantegna, Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean, Jeff Garlin - MetacriticMissing Persons - Walking In L.A. - YouTubeThat Guy... Who Was in That Thing - WikipediaThat Guy... Who Was in That Thing (2012) - IMDbThat Gal... Who Was in That Thing: That Guy 2 (2015) - IMDbRecorded Wednesday, June 28, 2023Next week's challenge: play _stitch.

Jun 24, 2023 • 1h 23min
Nubbins of Crisp
This week's challenge: watch the movie Brick.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Produced and Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksSteve Albini - WikipediaLegendary audio engineer Steve Albini built his Chicago studio brick by brick : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPRTwitter just doubled the character limit for tweets to 280 - The VergeThat Guy... Who Was in That Thing (2012) - IMDbYou’re Wrong About: We Need to Talk About the New York TimesCat Fancy - WikipediaRoland Barthes - WikipediaS/Z - WikipediaGardetto's - WikipediaGardetto's Special Request Garlic Rye Chips - Gardetto'sTimeline of the Trump Classified Documents Investigation - The New York TimesSoloflex: World's First Infomercial - YouTubeThe Elements of Style, Fourth Edition: Strunk Jr., William, White, E. B.On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction: Zinsser, WilliamAlex in High SchoolTurtles all the way down - WikipediaTurtles All the Way Down (novel) - WikipediaBarry (TV series) - WikipediaSamantha Kirby articleRian Johnson - WikipediaRian Johnson — The Movie Database (TMDB)Dashiell Hammett - WikipediaManic (2001 film) - WikipediaBrickRecorded Wednesday, June 21, 2023Next week's challenge: watch That Guy… Who Was in That Thing.

Jun 15, 2023 • 1h 35min
Diagnosing from a Difference
This week's challenge: watch Blackberry.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Produced and Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksAri Aster's Closet Picks - YouTubeNetflix Presents: The Characters - WikipediaBeau Is Afraid - WikipediaThe Wicker Man - Wikipediawww.creedthoughts.gov - The Office US #shorts - YouTubeIt Ain't Over (film) - WikipediaGal Gadot admits celebrity sing-along of 'Imagine' amid COVID outbreak was 'in poor taste' | EW.comAnxiety and What I Would Tell #MyYoungerSelf | Bill Hader - YouTube2/26: How Two Llamas And A Dress Gave Us The Internet's Greatest DayWatch 30 Rock Web Exclusive: Tracy Jordan vs. the Blue Man - 30 Rock - NBC.comGreasemonkey – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)Scott Meets Ramona Flowers - Scott Pilgrim VS The World - RomComs - YouTubeBlackBerry | Official Website | May 12 2023Saul Rubinek - IMDbLosing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry: 9781250096067: McNish, Jacquie, Silcoff, Sean: BooksPalm VII - WikipediaBallmer Laughs at iPhone - YouTubeIntroducing Apple Vision Pro - YouTubeMark Zuckerberg on Apple Vision Pro | Lex Fridman Podcast Clips - YouTubeRecorded Wednesday, June 15, 2023Next week's challenge: Brick and mic.

Jun 10, 2023 • 1h 23min
Nothing But Faster Horses
This week's challenge: cover the WWDC show floor.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!——Edited by Alex Cox——Show LinksPachyrhizus erosus - WikipediaHealth Benefits of JicamaTaylor Swift and Matty Healy Relationship Timeline: What We KnowMatty Healy Responds to Taylor Swift Breakup and Backlash During Concert AppearanceWho Is Matty Healy? | The New YorkerTaylor Swift - All Too Well: The Short Film - YouTubeWhy You Can't Remember Parts of the Concert You Just Went To | TimeHugging Face – The AI community building the future.Hugging Face launches open-source version of ChatGPT in bid to challenge dominance of closed-source models | VentureBeatThe Brian Williams helicopter scandal: a clear timeline - VoxBatman Returns (1992) - The Penguin Dies Scene (10/10) | Movieclips - YouTubeCharlie's dating profile - It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - YouTubeFagin - WikipediaMorning zoo - WikipediaOswald Cobblepot (Gotham) - WikipediaBlackBerry (film) - WikipediaLipstick effect - WikipediavisionOS - Apple DeveloperSpotlight on developing for visionOS - Discover - Apple DeveloperBack to Work Episode 617: Trailer for the FutureEyes (and head) on with the Apple Vision Pro – Six ColorsThe features that didn’t get discussed onstage at WWDC – Six ColorsWith iPadOS 17, Stage Manager Is (Finally) Moving in the Right Direction - MacStoriesWWDC 2023: Federico's Experience with Apple Vision ProMad Tv - IPad - YouTubeNASCAR Chicago Street Race | ChicagoNASCAR Street Race Chicago: Details on the course, street closures, parking restrictions around downtown event - ABC7 ChicagoKinect - WikipediaFirst Macbook Air Commercial - YouTubeThe best laptop ever made – Marco.orgMNEMOSYNE Notebook 8.27 x 5.83 Inches (A5)Recorded Wednesday, June 7, 2023Next week's challenge: watch Blackberry.

Jun 3, 2023 • 1h 32min
Claude is Google
This week's challenge: plug in to ChatGPT.You can hear the after show and support Do By Friday on Patreon!—Edited by Alex Cox—Show LinksRolls MS111 Mic Switch Latching or Momentary Microphone Mute Switch with SM Series XLR Microphone Cable -6' : Musical InstrumentsCanada Geese and Diet Dr Pepper | The Anthropocene Reviewed | WNYC StudiosPEN15 - WikipediaCalico Critters | Official SitePose (TV series) - WikipediaThe Times of Harvey Milk poster - The Times of Harvey Milk - WikipediaDykes on Bikes - WikipediaTop AI researchers and CEOs warn against ‘risk of extinction’ in 22-word statement - The VergeStephen Wolfram on Generative AI – Fireside Chat at Phorum 2023 - YouTubeI Am Not Nicholas | Podcasts on Audible | Audible.comLensa: Magic AvatarsGoogle-backed Anthropic launches Claude, an AI chatbot that’s easier to talk to - The VergeWhen can Mario retire? | Unraveled - YouTubeSmash Bros. owes millions of dollars in OSHA violations | Unraveled - YouTubeChatGPTThe Real Story Behind Friends’s 'Smelly Cat' Lyrics | Mental FlossChatGPT action for Drafts app — ldstephensChatGPT-Dan-Jailbreak.md · GitHubPromptPerfect - Elevate Your Prompts to Perfection with AI Prompt EngineeringPrompt engineering - WikipediaA lawyer used ChatGPT and now has to answer for its ‘bogus’ citations - The VergeChat with ChatGPT plugin Show Me DiagramsChatGPT Plugin - SceneXplain | GPTStore.aiDaytumChatGPT Plugin - Bibliography Crossref | GPTStore.aiChat with ChatGPT plugin DALL·EThe Power of ChatGPT Plugins: The Code Interpreter | by NapSaga | Artificial Intelligence in Plain EnglishChatPDF - Chat with any PDF!Planet of the Apes back payBrit Pop Band ReccomendationsPromising Transcript helpFilling in Links for show notesThe Johns + Master and CommanderRecorded Wednesday, May 31, 2023Next week's challenge: report from the digital show floor.