

Back to Work
5by5
Back to Work is an award winning talk show with Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discussing productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 29, 2013 • 1h 22min
Episode 143: Chimpanzee Scallop Throwing
TOPIC: Preparation
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about preparation.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock Over 30 million stock photos, illustrations, vectors, and videos
[SPONSOR] PDFpen Scan+: Scanning and OCR for iPad and iPhonePDFpen Scan enables you to scan multi-page documents, articles, receipts, and more, using the iPhone or iPad camera. Scans are cropped, sized to standard paper sizes, and visually enhanced for legibility. PDFpen Scan includes OCR (optical character recognition), making it possible to copy the text in a scanned document for use in another document or email message, or to export a PDF containing searchable text to a variety of popular cloud services.
Twitter / gruber: This CableCARD stuff is just ...This CableCARD stuff is just weird. Two hours after Comcast tech left, second card started working. Still no HBO (
6 places germs breed in a plane - CNN.comA random sampling of 327 unnamed domestic and international aircraft caused a stir in 2004 when some water samples tested positive for E. coli, one strain of which is the leading cause of food poisoning in the U.S. Coffee and tea are brewed on board with such water and don't typically reach hot enough temperatures to kill E. coli. When bottled water runs out, some planes have been known to fill fliers' glasses from the tank.
"Checkpoint Friendly" Laptop Bags | Transportation Security AdministrationTo help streamline the security process and better protect laptops, TSA recently encouraged manufacturers to design bags that will produce a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop when undergoing X-ray screening. A design that meets this objective will enable TSA to allow laptops to remain in bags for screening.
Incase 13" City Collection Briefcase for MacBook Pro - Apple Store (U.S.)Steam Room Disadvantages | LIVESTRONG.COMThe hot, humid environment of the steam room is an ideal environment for many germs and fungi. Highly trafficked or poorly cleaned steam rooms are particularly likely to be unsafe. If you do choose to use the steam room, make sure it has been recently cleaned. Follow the advice given by "Newsweek," and never enter a sauna with bare feet. Wear rubber shower shoes, or flip flops, to prevent athlete's foot.
Steam Room Disadvantages | Healthy Living - azcentral.comA warm and wet environment is a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. A steam room acts as an expectorant and may cause your nose to run. If a previous user had a cold or cough, his germs may be growing in the steam room. According to Mayo Clinic.com, life-threating infections like MRSA can thrive in these environments. Protect yourself by washing hands and feet upon entering and leaving. In addition, use a towel or other protective barrier between your skin and the seats inside.
Steam room vs. sauna | Go Ask Alice!Also, beware that steam rooms provide ideal breeding conditions for various infection-producing microbes. For example, athletes' foot or other fungal infections can be better avoided if you wear a towel and shower shoes or flip flops in the steam room (and in the sauna, for that matter).
Duck Dynasty - Episodes, Video & Schedule - aetv.comWatch Marc Maron: Thinky Pain Online | NetflixKnown for his "WTF" podcast and hilarious appearances on late-night talk shows, comedian Marc Maron focuses his acidic, self-loathing wit on everything from religion to pornography in this standup special filmed in a New York nightclub.
Pocket universe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaIn narrative, pocket universes are fictional artificially-created universes that exist within the bounds of another universe. The term pocket universe is derived from its illustration in the actual universe where it is usually portrayed as an orb which would fit in a pocket.
Enrico Fermi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaEnrico Fermi (Italian: [en?ri.ko ?fe?.mi]
Amazon.com: UNO 40th Anniversery Edition Card Game: Toys & GamesThe Uno 40th anniversary edition card game features throwback graphics on the fronts and backs of the cards that are sure to invoke a sense of nostalgia in players. The rules are the same as normal Uno, with the only notable difference being the retro design of the cards.
Hundredth monkey effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia? Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance - YouTubeThis week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
HostGator (use coupon code "BACKTOWORK11" for 30% off everything)
Shutterstock (use discount code "BACKTOWORK1113" for 25% off any package)

Oct 22, 2013 • 1h 34min
Episode 142: 86 Jam Pack
TOPIC: Traveling Like a Gentleman.
This week, Dan and Merlin revisit the travails of air travel. How to prepare, how to survive--and how to be a better and more mindful person along the way.
Also, some timely discussion of this morning's Apple product announcements.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Build a Website — Squarespace[SPONSOR] Air Display 2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App Store[SPONSOR] Web Hosting Services, Reseller Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Servers by HostGatorSquarespace for Musicians — The Official Squarespace BlogWith audio collections, you can upload music directly to Squarespace and easily share your albums from your website, complete with a beautiful, integrated player and album art display. To add an audio collection, log into your website and click “Add Page” under the Content area of your site manager. Select “Album”, then upload your album art and music files by dropping them directly into the collection. Squarespace recognizes the metadata of your audio files, so information like song title and artist name will be populated automatically.
New Template Design: Forte — The Official Squarespace BlogForte provides a powerful way to display your portfolio with full-screen imagery, putting your best shots front and center, then allowing visitors to navigate to projects they want to see. It’s a template that’s especially well suited for creative firms, designers, or artists.
Twitter / scottjohnson: So lets see what I got here ...5by5 | Mac Power Users #160: Getting Ready for MavericksDavid and Katie talk about getting your Mac ready for OS X Mavericks.
Mac Pro - Buy Mac Pro Computers - Apple Store (U.S.)MacBook Pro - Buy MacBook Pro with Retina display - Apple Store (U.S.)Apple - iPad mini with Retina displayApple - iPad AirApple — iPad — Compare iPad models.Twitter / maxvoltar: Apple now sells 20 different ...Travelpro Flight Crew 4 22" Rollaboard - Luggage - ProductsRed Oxx Air Boss Carry-on Bag Designed for 1 Bag Business Travelers.SeatGuru Seat Map American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (M80)Airport | Video | Saturday Night Live | NBCBBC iPlayer - Digital Human: Series 4: WanderNow that off-grid is on-grid and we can send emails from mountaintops, have we sacrificed the pleasure of travelling to discover new places and ourselves?
Why We Cry on Planes - Elijah Wolfson - The AtlanticThe Incredible Shrinking Plane Seat - WSJ.comThis week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
Air Display 2 by Avatron
HostGator (use coupon code "BACKTOWORK10" for 30% off)
Squarespace (use offer code "GOBLIN" for 10% off)

Oct 15, 2013 • 1h 14min
Episode 141: Counterclockwise. Like a Gentleman.
TOPIC: Learning the Wheres and Whens of Productivity
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about learning from how you work to improve your basic productivity infrastructure, with specific attention to using Perspectives in OmniFocus.
Whether it's consolidating shopping lists, eliminating task rot, or leveraging geolocation, there are innumerable tricks for lightly tweaking a system in powerful, non-fiddly ways.
Also: learn Dan's Unified Field Theory of Grocery Shopping.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock[SPONSOR] Web Hosting Services, Reseller Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Servers by HostGatorSquarespace for Musicians — The Official Squarespace BlogWith Audio Collections, you can upload music directly to Squarespace and easily share your albums from your website, complete with a beautiful, integrated player and album art display. To add an Audio Collection, log into your website and click “Add Page” under the Content area of your site manager. Select “Album”, then upload your album art and music files by dropping them directly into the collection. Squarespace recognizes the metadata of your audio files, so information like song title and artist name will be populated automatically.
5by5 | Back to Work #140: Silicon CircusTOPIC: Special Guest, Matt Alexander
This week, Merlin is joined by Bionic co-host, Matt Alexander. They discuss ““technology ecosystems,”” life as a self-described trans-atlantic, tech scenes that thrive and don't, dating someone from Florida (and her Mum), and getting back into Marvel comics.
Special guest Matt Alexander.
5by5 | Systematic #65: Mimicking Normalcy with Merlin MannMerlin Mann joins Brett to talk about caffeine replacements, feeling normal and mature approaches to nerding out.
[VIDEO] "Ex-Men: Wolverine"Wolverine gets fired for cause.
How to Care for Domestic Rabbits - PetfinderRabbits may be easy to love, but they’re not quite as easy to care for. These lovable, social animals are wonderful companions for people who take the time to learn about their needs. Though providing care for these adorable creatures isn’t difficult, rabbits have a long lifespan—more than 10 years—and many specific care requirements. Anyone considering adding a rabbit to their family should carefully research books and web sites on rabbit care before making a decision.
Using OmniFocus | Mastering ProductivityCreating Flow with OmniFocus helps you build your day to do the things you want to do with a clear mind. Learn to easily guide your work, play, and productivity throughout the days, weeks, and years using the strength of OmniFocus, the most powerful task management system made. Creating Flow with OmniFocus guides you from the basics to the most advanced uses one step at a time.
OmniWeb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaOmniWeb is a proprietary Internet web browser developed and marketed by The Omni Group. It is available exclusively for Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system. Although it is not open source, like many of its competitors in the Macintosh alternative browser market - Mozilla's Firefox and Camino, for instance - OmniWeb is available as a free download.
swan (bird) -- Encyclopedia BritannicaMale swans, called cobs, and females, called pens, look alike.
Chard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaChard (Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla),[1] is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking.
Shopster - The geo-learning groceries list for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App StoreShopster is a new kind of groceries list app that learns what youpurchase and where, so it can remind you later on.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity: David Allen: 9780142000281: Amazon.com: BooksNaked Consumer: How Our Private Lives Become Public Commodities: Erik Larson: 9780140233032: Amazon.com: BooksOmniFocus - The Omni GroupOmniFocus is designed to quickly capture your thoughts and ideas to store, manage, and help you process them into actionable to-do items. Perfect for many different systems, OmniFocus helps you work smarter by giving you powerful tools to stay on top of all the things you need to do. From ‘Call mom’ to ‘Submit Annual Report to Investors’.
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaDog Whisperer with Cesar Millan is a reality television series that featured Cesar Millan's work with problem dogs.
5by5 | BionicBionic is a show dedicated to the analysis of competing technological and media ecosystems. With a specific view toward the mobile landscape, your two co-hosts bring years of Apple experience to a new world of context and insight.
Hosted by Matt Alexander and Myke Hurley.
The Godfather: Part II (1974)The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.
5by5 | The Incomparable #158: Peak ClooneyIt's time for the second Incomparable Film Festival! We pick 35 films that we think are worth seeing, in fantasy draft format. From horror to comedy to drama to sci-fi to kung-fu, we've got just about every genre covered. (Part 1 of 2.)
Special guests Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, John Siracusa, Monty Ashley, and Steve Lutz.
The simple problem of shared groceries lists | SimplicityBlissMy requirements are what I consider basic, but still there is not one app that really addresses them all.
Sponsored by Shutterstock (use code BACKTOWORK1013 for 25% off) and HostGator (use code BACKTOWORK10 for 30% off).

Oct 8, 2013 • 1h 24min
Episode 140: Silicon Circus
TOPIC: Special Guest, Matt Alexander
This week, Merlin is joined by Bionic co-host, Matt Alexander. They discuss ““technology ecosystems,”” life as a self-described trans-atlantic, tech scenes that thrive and don't, dating someone from Florida (and her Mum), and getting back into Marvel comics.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Build a Website — SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website.
[SPONSOR] MailRoute: Email Protection - Spam and Virus Filtering ServicesMailRoute is a secure, hosted email filtering service that you can have up and running in minutes. There's no hardware or software to install - just sign up, change your mx record, and you're protected!
Matt Alexander (mattalexand) on TwitterMatt Alexander@mattalexand
Person on the Internet.
Founder of Need (http://needlifestyle.com ). Coming soon.
Dallas/London · one37.net
5by5 | BionicBionic is a show dedicated to the analysis of competing technological and media ecosystems. With a specific view toward the mobile landscape, your two co-hosts bring years of Apple experience to a new world of context and insight.Hosted by Matt Alexander and Myke Hurley.
5by5 | Matt AlexanderMatt Alexander is the founder of OneThirtySeven. Born and raised in London, Matt now lives and works in Dallas, where he's working on his forthcoming startup, Need.
OneThirtySeven - AuthorBorn and raised in London, England, Matt Alexander has spent the last seven years living in Dallas, Texas.
All-New X-Men, Vol. 1: Yesterday's X-Men: Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen: 9780785168201: Amazon.com: BooksTwo Cats Comic Book Store - Two Cats Comic Book StoreCollectorz.com Connect: merlinmann: My Comics5by5 | Bionic #51: United Queendom"Matt and Myke do not know what they have done here. There was some discussion about Moto X and some other small topics—but it's mixed in between absolute insanity. Enjoy!"
(The episode where Merlin kinda fell in love with Matt)
NeedNeed Is a One-Of-A-Kind Men's Publication, Retailer, and Subscription Service Launching Later This Year.
American Experience | Summer of Love | The Film and More | Film Description | PBSAmerican Experience presents Summer of Love, a striking picture of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district during the summer of 1967 -- from the utopian beginnings, when peace and love prevailed, to the chaos, unsanitary conditions, and widespread drug use that ultimately signaled the end.
This week's episode of [Back to Work][b2w link] is kindly sponsored by:
MailRoute (15-day free trial -- AND get 10% off for the lifetime of your account with promo code BACKTOWORK)
Squarespace (use discount code GOBLIN for 10% off)

Oct 1, 2013 • 1h 26min
Episode 139: Tap Your Meat Stack
TOPIC: Grab Bag, plus Tasks vs. Calendar Items
This week Dan and Merlin administer an epic grab bag episode, chockablock with new app, book, podcast, and music suggestions.
Also, a return to the evergreen topic of where stuff goes. How to decide whether a given thing goes on a calendar, a todo list, reference files, or an alarm. Great ninja stuff.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Air Login, Air Display, Air Sharing: useful mobile apps | Avatron SoftwareNow you can connect to your Mac from anywhere!
Plus, you can connect to any number of computers at the same time.
[SPONSOR] PDFpen Scan+: Scanning and OCR for iPad and iPhonePDFpen Scan enables you to scan multi-page documents, articles, receipts, and more, using the iPhone or iPad camera. Scans are cropped, sized to standard paper sizes, and visually enhanced for legibility. PDFpen Scan includes OCR (optical character recognition), making it possible to copy the text in a scanned document for use in another document or email message, or to export a PDF containing searchable text to a variety of popular cloud services.
[SPONSOR] MailRoute: Email Protection - Spam and Virus Filtering ServicesMailRoute is a secure, hosted email filtering service that you can have up and running in minutes. There's no hardware or software to install - just sign up, change your mx record, and you're protected!
[VIDEO] Charli XCX - “SuperLove” Merlin's enthusiastic pick for pop hit of the year.
OmniFocus - The Omni GroupOmniFocus 2 for iPhone sports a brand new look just for iOS 7, and a new, uniform color set so you always know what you’re looking at. Enter multiple actions even faster with Save . At-a-glance Summary Dots and a peek at your Forecast on the home screen make every glance more informative. With iOS 7's Background App Refresh, syncing happens in the background. Find important actions with Search Anywhere, and get more done with OmniFocus 2.
Evernote Essentials, The Definitive Getting-Started Guide for EvernoteI call it Evernote Essentials and – as that name implies – it’s everything you need to both get started with and master the powerfully useful tool that is Evernote.
Marked 2 - Smarter tools for smarter writersMarked is a previewer for Markdown files. Use it with your favorite text editor and it updates every time you save. With robust features for previewing, reviewing and exporting beautiful documents, you can work in plain text while reveling in rich formatting.
5by5 | Mac Power Users #157: Security Problems and SolutionsIn this episode, David and Katie cover frequent security problems and offer their solutions.
Marked Help (What's new in Marked 2)Plain English Campaign - About usSince 1979, we have been campaigning against gobbledygook, jargon and misleading public information. We have helped many government departments and other official organisations with their documents, reports and publications. We believe that everyone should have access to clear and concise information.
Twitter / _DavidSmith: I wrote a free app for looking ...I wrote a free app for looking at the motion data tracked on the 5s. Essentially turning your phone into a pedometer
Pedometer++ for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App StoreTake advantage of the the new motion tracking capabilities in your iPhone 5s to improve your health. Pedometer lets you easily keep track of your daily and weekly step counts. You can also set the app to dynamically show your current step count as the applications badge. This will update dynamically throughout the day.
Strava Run - GPS Running, Training and Cycling Workout Tracker for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App StoreTrack your runs with GPS, analyze your performance, join Challenges and see how you stack up against friends.
Calendars 5 - Smart Calendar and Task Manager with Google Calendar Sync for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App StoreCalendars 5 is complete re-imagining of what the best mobile calendar experience should be.
Organize your life and business - WunderlistRemember The Milk: Online to-do list and task managementAmazon.com: Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Black: Health & Personal Care5by5 | Back to Work #138: Mindfulness...Whether I Want It or NotTOPIC: Informal Background Self-Quantization
This week Dan & Merlin discuss the merits of self-quantization. Which is fancy way of saying, "Merlin got a new Fitbit."
Why is anecdotal self-reporting a sucker's bet? What are the benefits of making your life a little video game? And, why is Merlin's scale accessing APIs via the internet?
Men's Timex® Fullsize Weekender Stripe Slip ... : TargetIron Man - Mark II Test Flight - YouTubeIron Man armor (Mark II) - Marvel Movies Wiki - Wolverine, Iron Man 2, ThorThe Mark II armor was designed and created by Tony Stark after his return from Afghanistan. It features much of the articulation and sleek-design which would appear in the final, Mark 3 armor. While testing the flight mechanism, he noted that 'icing' would become a major problem with the Mark II when upper altitudes were reached. It was hinted that Rhodey would be using the Mark II armor in the sequel.
BrettTerpstra.comRogue Amoeba | Fission: Fast & Lossless Audio Editing For Mac OS XThis week’s episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
MailRoute (use code backtowork for 15-day free trial plus 10% off your lifetime account)
Air Login by Avatron
PDFpen Scan+ by Smile

Sep 24, 2013 • 1h 31min
Episode 138: Mindfulness...Whether I Want It or Not
TOPIC: Informal Background Self-Quantization
This week Dan & Merlin discuss the merits of self-quantization. Which is fancy way of saying, "Merlin got a new Fitbit."
Why is anecdotal self-reporting a sucker's bet? What are the benefits of making your life a little video game? And, why is Merlin's scale accessing APIs via the internet?
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] HostGatorHostGator is a leading provider of web hosting, reseller hosting, vps hosting, and dedicated servers. Over 8,000,000 websites trust HostGator for their web hosting needs.
[SPONSOR] BusyCalBusyCal is an award winning calendar app that provides powerful time-saving productivity tools in a friendly, personalized, easy-to-use package."
5by5 | Amplified #72: I Have to Shiv a Guy at 7This week, Jim is joined by Back to Work's Merlin Mann to talk about hands-on experiences with Apple's new iPhone 5s and 5c and iOS 7.
Including a deep dive on Touch ID; how easier security measures could boost iTunes sales; Jim's new-found photo skills with the 5s camera; what Jim looks for in the wiring under his wood; and more.
Special guest Merlin Mann.
iTunes - Books - Writing On The iPad: Text Automation with Editorial by Federico Viticci"Writing On The iPad: Text Automation with Editorial" demonstrates how Markdown and iOS power users can take their iPad productivity to the next level by crafting automated workflows and scripts to speed up writing, editing, and publishing.
The Wake Digital Comics - Comics by comiXologyWriter Scott Snyder and artist Sean Murphy explore the horrors of the deep, probe the origins of human history, and leap far beyond to a frightening future.
Runa Focused Energy, Traditional Guayusa Tea, 16-Count Tea Bags: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet FoodTraditional Guayusa is energizing, smooth, and rich, with a hint of natural sweetness, guayusa helps you be awake and alert. Guayusa (why-you-sa) provides balanced, sustainable energy without bitterness, jitters, or crash.
Video of iPhone 5s' slow-mo - Boing BoingAt the terrifically fun XOXO Fest in Portland last weekend I met Haddie Cooke and Dan Benjamin of the 5by5 podcast network. They produce two of my favorite podcasts: The Ihnatko Almanac and Latest in Paleo. When I met them, they were hanging out with Duncan Davidson, who had just picked up the iPhone 5s. He was showing how the new 120 fps slo-mo video works.
5by5 | Amplified #72: I Have to Shiv a Guy at 7 on HuffdufferMac Power Users 156: Editorial with Federico Viticci | Mac Power UsersDavid and Katie are joined by Federico Viticci of Macstories.net to talk about writing on the iPad and the newest text editor with built in automation functions, Editorial.
Amazon.com: Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Black: Health & Personal CareNever stop moving with Fitbit Flex. Wear this slim, stylish device all the time and get the motivation you need to get out and be more active. It tracks steps, distance, and calories burned and shows you how you?re stacking up against your daily goals. At night, it tracks your sleep cycle, helps you learn how to sleep better, and wakes you silently in the morning. Access your stats anytime on your computer, tablet, or from smartphones ? both iPhone and Android. Flex is your perfect companion, and stays with you everywhere - even in the shower.
Amazon.com: Withings Wireless Scale WS-30, White: Health & Personal CareSyncMetricsTime Management & Productivity Tracking Software (Mac/PC/Android/Linux) | RescueTimemerlin mann on Huffduffermerlinmann on HuffdufferEp. 85: "Steamin' John" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin MannThe Problem: It’s just a long circle of brother-in-laws.
Macular degeneration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina. It occurs in "dry" and "wet" forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults (>50 years). Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.
American Vampire Vol. 1: Scott Snyder, Stephen King, Rafael Albuquerque: 9781401229740: Amazon.com: BooksPunk Rock Jesus: Sean Murphy: 9781401237684: Amazon.com: BooksThis week's episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
BusyCal
HostGator (use discount code "BACKTOWORK9" for 30% off)

Sep 17, 2013 • 1h 24min
Episode 137: Alice Two Arrows Bob
TOPIC: Etiquette, Intros, and Endorsements
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the surprisingly complicated topic of email introductions.
Who emails whom? Who gets cc'd and for how long? How much homework are we making (or accepting)? And, thorniest of all, how do you ““introduce”” someone you'd reeeeeeally rather not introduce?
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website.
Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7
support - all included.
[SPONSOR] ShutterstockStock Photos | Shutterstock: Royalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art - Search and select from millions of high resolution royalty free images, stock photos, vector art, and stock photography.
[SPONSOR] HostGatorSince its establishment in 2002, HostGator has been a world-leading provider of web hosting service.
Unicode Character 'LONG LEFT RIGHT ARROW' (U+27F7)⟷
Calendars 5 - Smart Calendar and Task Manager with Google Calendar Sync for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App StoreCalendars 5 is complete re-imagining of what the best mobile calendar experience should be.
Amazon.com: Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Black: Health & Personal CareNever stop moving with Fitbit Flex. Wear this slim, stylish device all the time and get the motivation you need to get out and be more active. It tracks steps, distance, and calories burned and shows you how you?re stacking up against your daily goals. At night, it tracks your sleep cycle, helps you learn how to sleep better, and wakes you silently in the morning. Access your stats anytime on your computer, tablet, or from smartphones ? both iPhone and Android. Flex is your perfect companion, and stays with you everywhere - even in the shower.
Path to enlightenment: how walking inspires writers | Books | theguardian.comA new book that claims walking and writing are one activity uses great dreamers to make its point, but the walker-writers passing through Connemara seem to have drawn on simpler inspirations
Watch "Spaced" | NetflixIn this surreal sitcom, slacker artist Tim Bisley and brooding writer Daisy Steiner decide to pose as a young professional couple. The reason? So they can move into an affordable flat, where they do everything possible to avoid adulthood.
Better Template Switching — The Official Squarespace BlogOne of Squarespace's unique strengths is the ability to change your site's template on the fly while keeping all of your data intact. While perfecting this feature has been a challenge, we've recently made significant improvements to the template switching experience on our platform.
Brass No Soliciting Sign - Amazon.comSay in an elegant way, solicitors please, please, stay away. This distinctive and durable handcrafted sign tastefully states your wishes. Our signs are made from hand cast brass. Each is unique. Each custom made. Allow the sign to patina over time for an elegant old world charm or keep it as bright as the day it arrived by periodically buffing it with a Scotch Brite pad.
The World's End (2013)Good food. Fine ales. Total Annihilation.
BusyCalBusyCal is an alternative to the built-in Calendar app on OS X that provides powerful time-saving features in a friendly, easy-to-use package.
Cobook Contacts - enjoyable contact management for iPhoneENJOYABLE CONTACT MANAGEMENT
[VIDEO] The World’s End - “One Tap Water”"WHHHHH-AAAAAAAT?!?"
Calendars 5 for iOS review: Combine your calendars and tasks into one beautiful, easy to use app | iMoreThis week’s episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
HostGator (use discount code "BACKTOWORK9" for 30% off)
Shutterstock (use discount code "BACKTOWORK9" for 25% off any package)
Squarespace (use offer code "BATMAN" for 20% off)

Sep 11, 2013 • 59min
Episode 136: Scared of Your Own Life
TOPIC: Fear of Your Own TODO List
This week, Dan and Merlin cover a topic suggested by listener, @jeff_nordstedt: not wanting to look at your todo list.
From capture to completion, there are a million ways to fall off the path. The boys take a deep dive on what those ways might be as well as how to get yourself straightened out and, as you say, back to work.
Honestly. It's why people hate TODO lists. Well. That and the odor.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website.
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Image Metadata Importing — The Official Squarespace BlogWith this new feature, Squarespace can now autofill the Title, Description, and Tags for your images using the metadata you've already assigned to it in your editor.
5by5 | The Incomparable #157: Bros and ArrowsAn entire comic book about Hawkeye, the lesser Marvel superhero with a bow and arrow? Okay... this looks bad. But seriously, bro, this is one of the very best comics being published today. We cover the first two trade-paperback editions of Fraction and Aja's series, including Lucky the Pizza Dog, 50 Shades of Purple, and how hooking up a laserdisc player is similar to defusing a bomb. Hop on board and join us--we're great at boats.
Special guests Dan Moren, Lisa Schmeiser, Merlin Mann, and Tony Sindelar.
Ungainly X-Mann Meetup! — Merlin Mann
A Nerdy SF Comics Event with Merlin Mann, hosted by Two Cats Comics in West Portal.
Twitter / jeff_nordstedt: @danbanjamin @hotdogsladies ...@danbanjamin @hotdogsladies A modest B2W topic suggestion: Not wanting to look at your to do list. All capture tools in world won’t help.
'Hawkeye's' Matt Fraction And David Aja Talk About Their Acclaimed ComicI couldn't launch a book with Doctor Strange and Iron Fist and the Silver Surfer and the Hulk, but Pizza Dog sells out
Editorial WorkflowsIf you view this page on your iPad (with Editorial installed), you can download the linked workflows directly, by tapping on the Install Workflow button on the preview pages.
Tweet2CiteA quick, easy, and free way to convert a Tweet into various properly formatted citations. Paste a link to the Tweet you want to cite in the field below, click 'Go', and you're on your way!
Dansent.meDiscounts for 5by5 listeners from Dan Benjamin
Does That Look Clean To you?Daring Fireball: Thoughts and Observations on Today's iPhone 5C and 5S IntroductionHere’s the thing. The iPhone 5C has nothing to do with price. It probably does have something to do with manufacturing costs (which are lower for Apple), but not price. Apple’s years-long strategy hasn’t really changed.
One Thing WellManatee County, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaManatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. Its 2010 population was about 300,000.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Bradenton. Manatee County is a part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area and along with Sarasota County to the south and several counties to the north is often considered part of the Tampa Bay Area.
Chasco Fiesta | New Port Richey | Pasco County | Events, Concerts, ParadesChasco Fiesta™ offers nine days of family fun and entertainment along the banks of the beautiful Pithlachascotee River in downtown New Port Richey, Florida.
New Avengers, Vol. 1: Breakout: Brian Michael Bendis, David Finch, Danny Miki: 9780785114796: Amazon.com: BooksSuperman Family Adventures, Vol. 1: Art Baltazar, Franco: 9781401240509: Amazon.com: BooksThe World's End (2013)The World's End (2013) Movie Tickets, Reviews, and Photos - Fandango.comEdgar Wright HereEdgar Wright - IMDbLutz, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTwo Cats Comic Book Store - Two Cats Comic Book StoreThree Flavours Cornetto trilogy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy (also known as the Blood and Ice Cream trilogy or the Cornetto trilogy) is a series of comedic genre films directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg, produced by Nira Park, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The films are Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End.
"Six Nights in the Life of…" Analyzing a modern... | kung fu grippeTaintsville, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTaintsville is an unincorporated community in Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in between Oviedo and Chuluota. On December 14, 1971 it was formally designated as the Village of Taintsville by Seminole County.
This week’s episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
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Sep 3, 2013 • 1h 20min
Episode 135: There's No "I" in Success
TOPIC: Joss Whedon GTD; Meeting Redux
This week, Dan and Merlin talk about getting specific with your productivity and why every meeting needs an agenda.
Now, take a drink.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] SquarespaceSquarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website.
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Ungainly X-Mann Meetup! — Merlin MannA Nerdy SF Comics Event with Merlin Mann, hosted by Two Cats Comics in West Portal.
How To Be Prolific: Guidelines For Getting It Done From Joss Whedon | Co.Create | creativity + culture + commerceThe writer-producer-director who made Much Ado About Nothing while editing The Avengers, and who’ll return to TV this fall with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., knows a bit about “getting things done.” In fact, he cites David Allen’s book of that title as an important guide--even if he never finished reading it.
5by5 | Back to Work #29: I Download FLACWith Dan on sabbatical, Merlin is joined by TV’s Rob Corddry (Children’s Hospital, The Daily Show, Hot Tub Time Machine) to talk about Getting Things Done, writing, fear, and finding success as a blood-soaked clown.
Special guest Rob Corddry.
5by5 | Back to Work #115: Invitation to a Blame PartyTOPIC: Fixing the Culture of MeetingsThis week, Dan and Merlin address the problems with meetings, and how we can each choose to improve them.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
[VIDEO] "In Search of Steve Ditko" Jonathan Ross: "His name is, 'Steve Ditko.' And, I’m going looking for him."
In Search of Steve Ditko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaRoss, accompanied by Gaiman, met Steve Ditko at his New York office but he declined to be photographed or interviewed for the show. He did however give the two a selection of some of his old comic books. At the end of the show Ross said he has since spoken to Ditko on the telephone and was now on first name terms with him.
Twitter / WriterRyan: @hotdogsladies @danbenjamin ...The Unofficial "Back to Work" Drinking Game - Hey, Slab!Created through the help of the jackals. I strongly recommend that you lie down on your stomach after you finish so you don’t go like Jimmy Hendrix did. Also, maybe throw that sucker in a randomizer and cut it down to 20 or so per category so your liver doesn’t explode. Yeesh.
.mp3 audio Dhamma talks archive page - dhammatalks.org[VIDEO] A 1982 roundtable discussion with John Landis, John Carpenter, and David CronenbergGorf - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaGorf consists of five distinct "missions", each with its own patterns of enemies. The central goal of each mission is to destroy all enemies in that wave, which takes the player to the next mission. Successfully completing all five missions will increase the player's rank and loop back to the first mission, where play continues on a higher difficulty level. The game continues until the player loses all their lives. The player can advance through the ranks of Space Cadet, Space Captain, Space Colonel, Space General, Space Warrior, and Space Avenger, with a higher difficulty level at each rank. Along the way, a robotic voice heckles and threatens the player, often calling the player by his current rank (for example, "Some galactic defender you are, Space Cadet!"). Some versions also display the player's current rank via a series of lit panels in the cabinet.
[VIDEO] Mitchell & Webb - "Football!""THE FOOTBALL IS OFFICIALLY GOING ON FOREVER!"
Behind the Candelabra (2013)Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.
[VIDEO] Adventure Time: "I floop the pig""I told you corn fields are AWESOME!"
"Six Nights in the Life of…" Analyzing a modern... | kung fu grippeSteve Ditko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaStephen J. "Steve" Ditko (born November 2, 1927) is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.
Spirit of victory prevails at opening of new Bay Bridge | Transportation | San Francisco ExaminerThe $6.4 billion eastern span of the Bay Bridge, which took 11½ years to complete and features the world's largest self-anchored suspension span as well as a bike and pedestrian path, officially opened for business Monday night at 10:18 p.m.
Ken Nordine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaKen Nordine (born April 13, 1920) is an American voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of Word Jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost certainly recognize his voice."
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Aug 27, 2013 • 1h 29min
Episode 134: A Boss You Don't Even Know About
TOPIC: Talk Shows, Baseball, and Inboxes.
This week, Dan and Merlin cover a range of topics related to expertise, experience, professional repetition, and management, culminating in a tour of Merlin's current email filtering strategy.
Links for this episode:[SPONSOR] Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors - Shutterstock[SPONSOR] Build a Website — SquarespaceUngainly X-Mann Meetup! — Merlin MannA Nerdy SF Comics Event with Merlin Mann, hosted by Two Cats Comics in West Portal.
Schumpeter: In praise of laziness | The EconomistYet the biggest problem in the business world is not too little but too much—too many distractions and interruptions, too many things done for the sake of form, and altogether too much busy-ness. The Dutch seem to believe that an excess of meetings is the biggest devourer of time: they talk of vergaderziekte, “meeting sickness”. However, a study last year by the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that it is e-mails: it found that highly skilled office workers spend more than a quarter of each working day writing and responding to them.
Ep 7: Humour, comedy and benign violation - The NudgeHow does the world of humour effect what we do in our jobs? We speak to an expert about the science of humour and comedy, the right time to use humour in design and how to judge it better. We also try to find out if analysing a thing too much can kill it.
Letterman And 'Tonight' Vet Go Behind The Scenes Of Late Night : NPRFred de Cordova: "If you do one show a year or one show every three months or one show every four months, you have an awful lot of time to realize what a failure you've been," he said. "But we do kind of a baseball season: We do a show one night and we hope it's wonderful, and if not that, we hope it's good and we hope it isn't bad. But even if it's a great show or even if it's not such a good show, we do another show the next night and we have no time, except in self analysis, to decide why it wasn't good or even why it was very good."
Rim Fire At 234 Square Miles And Counting; SF Power And Water Supplies Threatened: SFistIt is only 15 percent contained, and pushing quickly toward the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and O'Shaughnessy Dam, San Francisco's primary sources of water and power. Two of three hydroelectric power stations have been forced to shut down, and SF's public utility commission has begun buying power on the open market.
Amazon.com: Ledwholesalers 400 Nm Uv Ultra Violet Blacklight Flashlight 3 Aaa, 7301uv400: Home ImprovementAmazon.com: Sharpie Type Invisible Ink UV Marking Pen Marker: Everything ElseTwitter / Search - @danbenjamin #squarespaceFrederick de Cordova - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFrederick "Fred" Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 - September 15, 2001) was an American stage, motion picture and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Moneyball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a book by Michael Lewis, published in 2003, about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane. Its focus is the team's analytical, evidence-based, sabermetric approach to assembling a competitive baseball team, despite Oakland's disadvantaged revenue situation. A film based on the book starring Brad Pitt was released in 2011.
Moneyball (2011) - IMDbOakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Eight Men Out - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaEight Men Out is a 1988 American dramatic sports film, and based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book 8 Men Out. It was written and directed by John Sayles. The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series.
Eight Men Out (1988) - IMDbA dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
AwayFind - Mobile notifications for priority messages. The email management solution for Gmail and Exchange.It gives me confidence todo what I need withouthovering over my inbox 24/7— I highly recommend.
Marvel Age #16 in merlinmann's Comic Collector Connect collectionThis week’s episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:
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