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Back to Work

Episode 140: Silicon Circus

Back to Work

5by5

Business, Society & Culture, Barriers, Dan Benjamin, Careers, Communication, Merlin Mann, Creativity, Work, Productivity, Constraints, Technology

4.7 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 October 2013

⏱️ 84 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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:

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)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

In England, you know, you're lining up for something or you're queuing and people will literally just walk up to you and say like,

0:06.0

Oh, what are you lining up for? This looks very interesting. Should I be queuing?

0:10.5

Hi. Hi, how are you?

0:13.2

Everything's feeling good? Yeah, I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous.

0:18.4

Why are you nervous for? What do you think's going to happen?

0:19.9

Well, this is just a big deal. It's back to life. It's a really short. Not a big deal.

0:23.7

So, do you think you might see some stuff happen? Stuff will really start shaking up for you as a result of this?

0:30.3

I don't know. The big thing that's really affecting me right now is the selfie of you looking back at me from Skype.

0:35.2

Isn't that handsome? That's before selfies had a name. That's back when I was just taking a picture of yourself.

0:40.4

And self-portrait. It was all hyphenated. That can be a picture of oneself.

0:47.5

You know, there's that phrase everybody uses that they don't like to play favorites. You've heard this phrase.

0:53.6

I like to play favorites. And so, I'm going to say from the outset that you're on one of my three to 11, three to seven favorite podcasts.

1:02.7

That's why I say to be. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Does that make you feel uncomfortable?

1:07.6

A little bit. Really? Good.

1:09.7

I did shuffle a little bit in my seat.

1:13.4

And no, thank you very much for having me on there.

1:15.3

Yeah, it's my pleasure. You and I, Michael, hurly do the Bionic show here on five by five.

1:22.2

How long have you guys been doing that? Since July 2012.

1:26.6

Really? I don't know how I found out about it.

1:30.6

I think it must have been from getting to be better pals with Mike that I went and listened to it.

1:36.1

And I think I don't know the back catalog. I know everything from starting in the 40s.

1:41.9

But it seems like I got there right as things were starting to get to change to get a little weird with the show.

...

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