
Back to Work
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Top 10 Back to Work Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Back to Work episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Back to Work for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Back to Work episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Episode 638: A New Kind of Bullet
Back to Work
01/23/24 • 134 min
A classic odds n' sods episode.
Links:
- Paterson Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Adam Driver Movie - YouTube
- William Carlos Williams - Wikipedia
- "Paterson" by William Carlos Williams
- NTFS for Mac on Setapp | Read/write support for NTFS on Mac
- Rename files, folders, and disks on Mac - Apple Support
- Tailscale · Best VPN Service for Secure Networks
- Ruby on Mac: Get Ruby working on your Mac in minutes with a single command. — With Ruby on Mac: Run a single command and you'll be up and running in 15 minutes or less.
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Episode 623: My Terrible Adhesion
Back to Work
08/22/23 • 60 min
Over the course of this classic Odds n' Sods episode, it becomes clear that all Merlin cares about is babies and 3D printing.
Links:
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Episode 620: Happy to be a Chair
Back to Work
07/11/23 • 58 min
With Merlin on the mend, your hosts discuss actors named Hurt, comic books, and old Macs.
Links:
- The Computer Chronicles - Macintosh System 7.0 (1991) - YouTube
- iTextEditors - iPhone and iPad text/code editors and writing tools compared — This is a feature comparison of text editors on iOS.
- ex-men - YouTube
- ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat- Journey
- Uncanny X-Force - Wikipedia
- Ex-Men: Wolverine - YouTube
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Episode 632: Big Strong Beef Boy
Back to Work
11/28/23 • 83 min
Dan and Merlin are excited about technologies that have found a place in their lives. What a blessed season of thanks!
Runner-Up Titles:
- A Lot of Their Unhappiness Came from Me
- The Smell of a 15-Year-Old
- My Trans Daddy is a Fox
- Las Vegas Poops
Links:
- Apple’s China ties under Congressional scrutiny after Jon Stewart cancellation | Ars Technica
- I Reviewed the Most Ridiculous Gadgets from my Spam Folder - YouTube
- Polycam - LiDAR & 3D Scanner for iPhone & Android
- @hotdogsladies | Polycam
- Create a 3d Model using your Phone! PolyCam 3D Scan Tutorial - YouTube
- Mac keyboard shortcuts - Apple Support
- iPad Keyboards - Apple
- calibre - E-book management
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Episode 631: Little Bit of Dirty Grey
Back to Work
11/14/23 • 70 min
Merlin has more on generative AI, and Dan has a sweet new watch.
Links:
- Original Takes for Orson Welles Wine Commercial - YouTube
- Matt Berry - What's In My Bag? - YouTube
- IT'S KEVIN Amish Sex Pistols - YouTube
- The Butterfield Diet Plan 🍰 | The Peter Serafinowicz Show - BBC - YouTube
- OpenAI DevDay, Opening Keynote - YouTube
- New Products: A Deep Dive - YouTube
- boygenius - not strong enough (Live from SNL) - YouTube
- Kevin Eldon - Wikipedia
- Sony Watchman - Wikipedia
- NHTSA Early Estimates: 2022 Traffic Crash Deaths | NHTSA — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its latest projections for traffic fatalities in 2022, estimating that 42,795 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes
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Episode 618: The Living Room Test
Back to Work
06/13/23 • 67 min
DISCUSSED: Dan sets up his little office, your hosts talk about the new Apple dingus, and Merlin highlights some strong OS updates.
Links:
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Episode 633: A Self-Aware Old Man
Back to Work
12/05/23 • 57 min
Your hosts talk about how we perceive the world and the challenge of mindfully updating our perceptions.
Links:
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Episode 644: A Tony Bennett Hair Hat
Back to Work
04/03/24 • 60 min
An important discussion about aging as examined and explained through the lens of James Howlett.
Links:
- David Ferrie - Wikipedia
- Merlin's Wisdom Project — "It's only advice for you because it had to be advice for me."
- Max Eisenhardt (Earth-616) | Marvel Database | Fandom
- Magneto | X-Men Wiki | Fandom
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Episode 229: Shrimp in the Desert
Back to Work
07/14/15 • 92 min
TOPIC: The perils and joys of just getting started.
This week's episode is chockablock with awesomeness, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It ends on a very inspiring note. But, en route:
- Mexican guys love Morrissey
- Shabbos goys cause fire to be created
- An eruv is an ad hoc house described by string
- Merlin has Aloha for Judaism
- Teaching History is hard
- America owes some apologies
- Endorsing "Ordinary People Change the World" books
- Endorsing Mr. Robot and Humans
- Thanks for great Holacracy feedback (more later)
- Feedback on Merlin's lightning cable corrosion
- Dan's Concern: Acura recall
- What's up with "over the shoulder syndrome?"
- Is it dangerous to talk on a phone in the car?
- Is it dangerous to approbate?
- HUGE followup on "perfect is the enemy of the good"
- Just make a mark on a page.
Links for this episode:
- MaxFunCon: Merlin Mann on Doing Creative Work; The Sound of Young America | Maximum Fun
Merlin Mann talks about the process of doing creative work, and particularly how to abandon the quest for perfection, get off your butt and get started. - How email became the most reviled communication experience ever
- CBT is becoming less effective, like everything else « Mind Hacks
- Time management is only making our busy lives worse - Quartz
- The Avalanche of Options — Medium
- Collision Mitigation Braking SystemTM (CMBSTM) | 2014 Acura MDX | Acura Owners Site
Part of the Advance Package, the Collision Mitigation Braking SystemTM (CMBSTM) with heads-up warning was developed to help reduce the likelihood of a frontal collision. The system is designed to alert the driver of a potential collision and take steps to help mitigate the severity of a frontal collision if the system determines it to be unavoidable. - Shabbos goy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Shabbat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Activities prohibited on Shabbat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Eruv - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Eruv - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Lisa's Substitute - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Amazon.com: Christopher Eliopoulos: Books
- I am Abraham Lincoln (Ordinary People Change World): Brad Meltzer, Christopher Eliopoulos: 9780803740839: Amazon.com: Books
- Douglas Adams Quote
Rules that describe our reactions to technologies... - The Sisters Of Mercy - This Corrosion HQ - YouTube
- The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - YouTube

Episode 246: Venn Diagram of Confusion
Back to Work
11/10/15 • 114 min
TOPIC: Medieval or Renaissance?
This week, Dan and Merlin start out by helping listeners learn to identify the subtle differences between all things Renaissance and Medieval.
The remainder of the show is split between an in-depth introduction to the Plex media ecosystem, and a philosophical and practical meditation on choosing how to spend a given day.
Links for this episode:
- Amazon.com: Das Keyboard 4 Professional for Mac, Clicky (DASK4MACCLI): Computers & Accessories
- A Scottish historian on Brave | Film | The Guardian
- Which era does 'Game of Thrones' most resemble from history?
- Steampunk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Cinderella Castle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Robin Hood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Middle Ages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Renaissance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- [VIDEO] John Cleese on Creativity - YouTube
- Media Preparation – Plex
- Cloak VPN - Cloak - Super-simple VPN
- John-Cleese-on-Creativity/Transcript.markdown at master · tjluoma/John-Cleese-on-Creativity · GitHub
You know, when Video Arts asked me if I'd like to talk about creativity I said "no problem!" No problem! Because telling people how to be creative is easy, it's only being it that's difficult.
- Plex
- Dan Benjamin on Instagram: “Turkey Leg.”
- Dan Benjamin on Instagram: “Fantastic Rabbit Man.”
- MASQUERADE: Kit Williams
on Amazon
- Duck Soup (1933) - IMDb
Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
- Harpo Marx's Tattoos - YouTube
- Amazon.com: Palomino Blackwing 602 - 12 Count: Office Products
- Treat yo self - YouTube
- Squared Soft Notebook - Large - Moleskine ®
- Siracusa on Toasters — Liss is More
- I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. - Wayne Gretzky at BrainyQuote
- Slack (Visit Slack.com/backtowork and create a new team and you’ll get $100 in credit you can use when you decide to upgrade to a paid plan).
- Freshboo...
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FAQ
How many episodes does Back to Work have?
Back to Work currently has 643 episodes available.
What topics does Back to Work cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, Creativity, Work, Productivity, Podcasts, Technology and Communication.
What is the most popular episode on Back to Work?
The episode title 'Episode 633: A Self-Aware Old Man' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Back to Work?
The average episode length on Back to Work is 84 minutes.
How often are episodes of Back to Work released?
Episodes of Back to Work are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Back to Work?
The first episode of Back to Work was released on Jan 18, 2011.
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