Hosted by Merlin Mann and John Siracusa.
John Siracusa and Merlin Mann try to figure out exactly how they got this way.
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Get an ad-free version of the show, plus a monthly extended episode.Latest Episodes
#49: Celebrity Outreach Program
April 5th, 2017 · 111 minutes
This week’s main topic is Follow-Up. John has strong feelings about properly crediting the provenance of this segment, and, honestly, he really asks for so little in life. This leads to a discussion of how one’s ideas often develop a life of their own.
#48: Slim Pickings in the Terrarium
March 23rd, 2017 · 151 minutes
Merlin gets his time in the barrel as John disabuses him of his self-styled situation as "the dumb one." Merlin tries gamely to change the subject to how status works in improv, but finds his knife further sharpened in the bargain.
#47: Now I Dream in French
March 7th, 2017 · 124 minutes
This week’s first topic is self-driving cars and how soon they’re likely to be ready, as they say, for prime time. Later, you'll find The Spoiler Slot filled with a discussion of the 2016 movie, Arrival.
#46: Some Form of Ballast
February 23rd, 2017 · 110 minutes
Main topic this week is Valentine’s Day. Why Merlin hates it, and why John thinks it has its purposes. Why is tonight’s Holy Day of Obligation different from all others, and why exactly did John have a mat?
#45: The Blood is Normal, Right?
February 8th, 2017 · 111 minutes
Main topic this week is John's Cautious Tech Optimism. How does John see technology's role in potentially bringing out our better angels? Why is dystopian sci-fi so depressingly myopic? How much does technology ever really change human nature?
#44: Assistant Manager Material
January 26th, 2017 · 131 minutes
For the main topic, your hosts address Money on the Internet. How have technological and cultural changes altered our idea about what's valuable and how much people are willing to pay for it?
#43: Pack Mule with a Checkbook
January 12th, 2017 · 117 minutes
The main topic this week is Dad Stuff. Dad Jokes, Dad Hats, and Dad…everything. In particular, when did Dad Jokes become a thing, and exactly what part of that label is supposed to be so bad and insulting?
#42: The Punching in Me
December 22nd, 2016 · 100 minutes
The main topic this week is Merlin’s documentary obsession. Turns out: there are a lot of turns-outs. John and Merlin explore what’s so tantalizing (or off-putting) about some documentary films—as well as the whole genre as a thing.
#41: Jingling Keys
December 15th, 2016 · 180 minutes
Lots of follow-up on Free Will, including thoughts on Heisenberg, tail-chasing, and provocative recent scholarship on whether what we see is “reality.” Around 01:45:00, we fire off the spoiler horn for a discussion of season 1 of HBO’s Westworld.
#40: Slippery Slope to Dr. Manhattan
December 1st, 2016 · 113 minutes
The main topic this week is Free Will. While Merlin has concerns about bong talk and living in a fingernail, John quickly gets things refocused on people's garden-variety defenses of free will and where they probably come from.