Episode Description

Topic: The Meta-Distractions of "Minimalism"

This week, Merlin and Dan get all "Zen" about bias and minimalism. Your background won't get any blacker, so stop burning cycles arguing on the internet or worrying about what other people think or how minimal you are. It's not about the bird skeletons, lion skins or barefoot girls. Unless that's what works. Just make sure it really works.

Episode Information

Initially Released December 20, 2011

Runtime 1 hour 23 minutes

Episode Page Not Counting the Mezzanine

Recurring Topics and Characters

• Fiddling

• Text Editors

• Dan is Opaque

Discussion

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Quotes

They were all probably a little too much about John Gruber.
-Merlin, regarding other 5by5 shows this week before going on about Gruber for 12 minutes.

I like the Mac aesthetic. Right? Just 'cause I think just on an aesthetic level I really like it.
-Merlin

I don't have a problem with doing anything that help you improve your work. If it works, great. You know? But then once it works how much more of that do you really need?
-Merlin

The ultimate minimalism is knowing when you have enough minimalism to just do your goddamn work and stop worrying about how minimal you are.
-Merlin

I think it's somewhere between a MacGuffin and a meta-distraction.
-Merlin, on minimalism.

Isn't it weird that there's never a person in those photographs workin' their ass off?
-Merlin, on the "minimalist workspace" photos.

Mars things…Martian Chronicles…buncha other things about spacemen…
-Dan, describing the work of Ray Bradbury.

If you're interested in what you're doing, you can pretty much just sit down and get to work.
-Dan

You need whatever you need. Go figure that out. That's part of becoming Pro.
-Merlin

The removal of distractions can very quickly become it's own distraction.
-Merlin

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