Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
Our Most Popular PostsClutter War II: Attack of the Giant BabyMerlin Mann | Apr 21 2008As of next Sunday, our lovely daughter will have been with our houshold for six months (Happy Half-Birthday, Eleanor). It's a good arrangement, and we're all pretty happy about the whole thing so far. But, to look around our house, you'd think we were raising a small army of babies, each of whom has their own Amazon Prime account and an addiction to things that are shaped like giraffes. Oh my, the stuff. The baby stuff. Everywhere. Means of conveyance, swingy seat, Bumbo, squeaky toys, fuzzy toys, toys for biting and bending, jammies, jackets, socks that do and don't look like shoes, amusing hats, blankets, books, rattles, pacifiers, cleaning supplies, extra diapers -- plus of course, there's the raw tonnage of stuff belonging to the caretaking adults that has been displaced or disused as a result of the occupying baby's needs. It is a scene, man, I can assure you. And there's not an iota of blame to place on the actual baby; it's all us (and mostly me). [By the bye, for an illuminating look at the perils of the creeping ParentCrap industry, have a look at Parenting, Inc. It's chilling. And, for me, personally damning.] At any rate, as we approach that august 183-day mark in our little girl's life, you might be able to guess where my head is right now. Yep. It's on clutter, and on what I need to do to get my face back into Peter Walsh's excellent de-cluttering book as a means for regaining domestic sanity and striding toward the possibility of a life without tripping, piling, or losing what's left of my sleep-deprived mind. But let's start with first principles: read more »33 Comments
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Vintage logo book scansMerlin Mann | Mar 18 2008Vintage Logos - a photoset on Flickr
Wow, this is fun for you design and identity nerds -- 120 scanned pages from a book of logos that appears to be from the mid-70s or so (nb: the logos for the U.S. bicentennial and Montreal olympics are included). I'm immediately struck that you could present this many logos in literal black and white; it's amazing how many logos today fall apart if you remove the colors or (God forbid) the gradients. Kinda Related: if you're a logo nerd, monitor (43f site designer) Chris Glass's "design" tag for running coverage and commentary on the (d)evolution of logos over the years. Highlights: "Accepting change," "roundy, 3d, swoosh and twirl," "dog eared," "Another one bites the dust," and "CBS, 2007."
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The Merlin Show: Quicksilver proxies for application menusMerlin Mann | Mar 12 2007008: HOWTO: Quicksilver: Application Menus | The Merlin Show Many of the most diehard Quicksilver fans don't know "proxy objects" even exist. Proxies are a sexy way to build actions and triggers around abstract QS items such as "Current Application," "Finder Selection," "Album Now Playing," and even meta-stuff like "Last Command" and "Quicksilver Selection." By making a trigger to "Show Menu Items" in the "Current Application," you can get Quicksilver-based access to almost any pull-down menu in a given OS X app. In today's demo, I show you how to bring this fast access to any of the bajillion drop-down menu items in Macromates' Textmate. If you enjoy The Merlin Show, please consider subscribing for free via iTunes or Democracy, or just point the "podcatacher" of your choice at http://feeds.themerlinshow.com/TheMerlinShow. POSTED IN:
Sink or Swim: Managing RSS Feeds with Better GroupsMatt Wood | Nov 27 2007Besides baseball, coffee, and my music collection, I probably obsess over how I read RSS feeds more than anything. Sometimes it feels like I tinker with the setup more than I actually read the news, but I'm making progress. I won't claim to be completely satisfied with how or why I try to consume so much information from the internet, but lately I've been as content with the process as I can hope. read more »POSTED IN:
Stefan Sagmeister on design and happinessMerlin Mann | Jun 14 2007TED | Talks | Stefan Sagmeister: Yes, design can make you happy (video) I really enjoyed this 15-minute TED presentation by Stefan Sagmeister (watch out: flashy page with grabby browser javascript) on how specific instances of design have made him happy. The replacement subway signs he mentions (recreation below via Chris Glass) really are pretty terrific. (Anyone have more info or links on the artist and the guerilla campaign?)
Like, Chris, I also really like what Sagmeister has to share about the patterns in his own life that have made him more happy than not. It's easy to see how striving to live these sixteen bullets could help a person enjoy a more creative, open world. read more »POSTED IN:
Working In CloseBrian Oberkirch | Jan 11 2008"Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work." -- Chuck Close
< p> It may be that I like hearing about the work habits of writers and artists I like almost as much as I like their work. How do you force yourself to do work no one (really, like, no one) is clamoring for, in addition to doing the long apprentice work you need to do to build your chops? As most of our work gets less structured and more creative, it might prove helpful to take a look at how artists get their stuff done. And, sorry, all those romantic notions you have of absinthe spoons, manic episodes and Kerouac-like rambling on a long roll of butcher paper really aren't operative. Creative work is mostly showing up every day and enduring a million tiny failures as you feel your way to something a bit new. read more »POSTED IN:
Merlin on MacBreak: Intro to QuicksilverMerlin Mann | Jul 26 2006Leo and Alex were kind enough to ask me to drop by MacBreak to talk a little bit about Quicksilver. Most of what we discussed is probably old hat to the hardcore fans, but if you're looking for a fast intro, this might be a useful link for your friends and cubemates. read more »POSTED IN:
My War on Clutter: Inspiration for Independence DayMerlin Mann | Jul 3 2007Tomorrow is the Independence Day holiday here in the US, so a lot of folks reading this will have the day off from work. If my own clutter war is piquing your interest in improving your surroundings, tomorrow could be the occasion for you to put a few minutes toward making a dent in your own pile. Here's some inspirational (and cautionary) links to get you started. read more »POSTED IN:
4-1/2 tiny ways to master Mail.appMerlin Mann | Feb 2 2006Seriously, though, suck it up and just check for new mail as seldom as your job and your patience will possibly permit. Really push the envelope on this, even just for half a day, and see if you don't notice a difference. The world actually can spin without you for a while. read more »POSTED IN:
Open Thread: The value and quality of email at workMerlin Mann | Nov 2 2005How much time are you spending on email at work? Is it bringing the company and you lots of value? read more »POSTED IN:
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