Do By Friday

Merlin Mann and Alex Cox

A weekly challenge show hosted by Alex Cox and Merlin Mann.

  1. Backpack Full of Stones

    3 DAYS AGO

    Backpack Full of Stones

    LinksTLC - "Waterfalls" Alex was four.No Such Thing as a Fish QI researchers' podcast; Merlin's been listening for yearsNo Such Thing As Debreadtion — No Such Thing As A Fish — Overcast The episode Merlin mentionedKen Burns' Jazz Episode 9 "The Adventure."TLC - "Unpretty" Merlin's favorite TLC song.Dead Drop Spycraft term for passing info without meetingKen Burns' Baseball Source of the Lincoln "tiredest" quoteA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms New Game of Thrones spinoffWhy Are Icelandic Horses Not Called Ponies? (Iceland Mag) Pony-sized but Iceland said it's a horseShip of Theseus (Khan Academy video) The philosophical paradox behind "Thesean Horse"Saint John Coltrane Church (KQED) Yes, there's literally a church for this albumJohn Coltrane - A Love Supreme (1965) The album that inspired the church"Is he quare?" Comedy repetition referenceHarry Enfield British comedian; "Is he queer?" sketchPaul Whitehouse The other half of the old men in the clubI Spy books (Walter Wick Studio) Merlin's analogy for how Claude Code sees things"40, 45 Years" - Stewart Lee The callback kingClaude Code (Anthropic) The AI tool Merlin won't shut up aboutRik Mayall: Lord of Misrule 2014 BBC tribute documentary; narrated by Simon CallowThe Young Ones (IMDb) What you most likely know Rik Mayall fromThe Young Ones - "Bambi" / University Challenge (YouTube) Fry, Laurie, Thompson vs. the ladsNell (1994) Merlin's first memory of Liam Neeson as a leadNell (1994) Trailer "Can't abide a canna peas," is a line Merlin feels like he remembers Jodie Foster's Nell sayingScotiabank Saddledome: Building Design Say it soft, and it's almost like praying.Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Bob and Paul's fishing showGame of Thrones - "Fire and Blood" (Fandom) Season 1 finale; Daenerys and the dragon eggsLucy Liu on the "Dragon Lady" Stereotype (NextShark) "I could have been wearing a tuxedo and a blond wig"The Slop Hash Merlin's project to get you excited about making something cool."I never said she stole my money" has 7 different meanings Stress a different word, get a different sentence.The Butterfield Diet Plan (YouTube) "The results have been increbidle"The Night Left Eye Burned Down Andre Rison's Mansion (Investigation Discovery) It started with sneakers in a fiberglass bathtubMemento Mori "Remember you will die"Anterograde Amnesia The condition from Memento — can't form new memoriesOne Hundred Years of Solitude García Márquez's masterpieceKieran's very good post "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father was discovered and taken by ICE."Hammer A tool so durable it works across timeCottaging: History of the Term (Idiom Origins) How they got John Gielgud, Wilfrid Brambell, and poor Brian Epstein.Brian Epstein (Beatles Bible) Beatles manager; arrested 1957, blackmailed for years, died a month before decriminalizationClarke's Three Laws "Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"Ducking Stool Chair on a stick for dunking witches and scoldsRoget's Thesaurus (Project Gutenberg) Category 1: Existence12 Facts About Taking of Pelham 123 (Mental Floss) They fictionalized the dead man's switch to foil copycatsThe 36-Hour Day (Johns Hopkins Press) Read it before someone you love has dementiaSome folks I love and admire do come off sounding a little like the same people who loudly hated Little Richard and disco music. Honestly, sometimes it's legit difficult to notice when we've gotten more emotionally invested than we'd realized in seeming right. And that shit is a LOT to decide to carry forever. 🐘

    1h 55m
  2. Recursive Hallucination Loop

    14 JAN

    Recursive Hallucination Loop

    LinksGround loop (electricity) - WikipediaHallucination or Confabulation? Neuroanatomy as metaphor in Large Language Models - PMCGraze: Custom Feed Builder for Bluesky · GrazeServerless Statusphere: a walk through building serverless ATProto applications on Cloudflare’s Developer PlatformAT ProtocolHow to Transfer Your ChatGPT MemoryWorks for ChatGPT Data - Google DriveStewart Lee - WikipediaStewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - WikipediaStewart Lee vs The Internet - Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - Series 3 Episode 1 Preview - BBC - YouTubeEnglish Arrested for Being English? Stewart Lee's Humorous Take on British Culture | TikTokStewart Lee S4E6 - Childhood - YouTubeStewart Lee S3E3 - Satire - YouTubeStewart Lee - [1/2] Give It To Me Straight, Like Pear Cider That's Made From 100% Pears - YouTubeStewart Lee - [2/2] Give It To Me Straight, Like Pear Cider That's Made From 100% Pears - YouTubeStewart Lee On The Challenge Of Stand-Up - YouTubeComedian Stewart Lee on why he won't tour Trump's America - YouTubeStewart Lee in Conversation with Alan Moore - YouTubeJerry Springer: The Opera - WikipediaTaskmaster Origins - Rare Footage of the First Ever Show! (Edinburgh 2010) - YouTube

    1h 44m
  3. Shiny Boob Beaver Book

    8 JAN

    Shiny Boob Beaver Book

    LinksI am the mucus man. | Do By FridayPlayboyPenthouseOui (magazine)HustlerGentLiquid IVImodiumMr. Microphone By Ronco (Commercial, 1978) - YouTube"Supply is limited" scene from The Simpsons (TV Episode 1992) - YouTubeThe Simpsons: Sending Our Love Down The Well - YouTubeROYGBIV - WikipediaStewart Lee - WikipediaStewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - WikipediaStewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - YouTubeStewart Lee - Emigrants - video DailymotionLazy Comedy Slags - 28 years old - YouTubeI'm Alan Partridge - WikipediaMortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - WikipediaThe future of being trans on the internet | The VergeNetNewsWire: Free and Open Source RSS Reader for Mac and iOSLumberjanes - WikipediaMallory Ortberg Accidentally Inspired A New Episode Of 'Black Mirror' By Making Fun Of The ShowNext On "Black Mirror" - The ToastBrian Regan - Big Yellow One's the Sun - YouTubeBrian Regan - The Emergency Room - YouTubeMBMBAM / Adventure Time: Curse A Real Sword - YouTube

    1h 18m
  4. I am the mucus man.

    31/12/2025

    I am the mucus man.

    Late Night with David Letterman - "Camping With Barry White" (May, 1983)

    50 min
  5. A Considerate Dancer

    17/12/2025

    A Considerate Dancer

    LinksNurse Ratched - WikipediaRatched (TV series) - WikipediaSarah Paulson - WikipediaBlue Lights (2023 TV series)The Now Habit a book by Neil Fiore - Bookshop.org USGetting Things Done a book by David Allen and James Fallows - Bookshop.org USMakebelieve Help, Old Butchers, and Figuring Out Who You Are (For Now) on VimeoYeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (Official Music Video) - YouTubeTed Leo - Since U Been Gone / Maps - YouTubeMargaret Qualley - WikipediaBleachers - Tiny Moves (Official) - YouTubeJack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley Take Us Behind the Scenes of "Tiny Moves"Jack Antonoff - WikipediaSteel Train "I Feel Weird" - YouTubeKenzo World feat. Margaret Qualley - YouTubeKenzo Perfume BTS: Spike Jonze & Margaret Qualley’s Creative Journey - YouTube

    1h 13m
  6. Three-Eyed Raven of His Dreams

    10/12/2025

    Three-Eyed Raven of His Dreams

    LinksEp. 1. "Shifty: The Land of Make Believe" (Adam Curtis, 2025) - YouTubeAdam Curtis on the BBC, Politics & AI - YouTubeAdam Curtis - WikipediaHyperNormalisation - WikipediaCan't Get You Out of My Head (TV series) - WikipediaShifty (TV series) - WikipediaSHIFTY – A brand new Adam Curtis series - BBC - YouTubeThe True Story of the Aberfan Disaster in The Crown Season 3The Queen Learns of the Aberfan Disaster | The Crown (Olivia Colman) - YouTubeDeath of Diana, Princess of Wales - WikipediaRyan White - WikipediaOliver Sacks - WikipediaWilliams syndrome - WikipediaOliver Sacks: The Mind Traveller - 'Don't Be Shy, Mr Sacks' - YouTubeStrong Songs – Season 07 Episode 08 - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The PoliceMr Blobby - WikipediaJack Whitehall is Terrified of Mr Blobby - The Big Fat Quiz Of The '90s - YouTubeThe 10 Most Bizarre UK No. 1s of the 1990s - YouTubeSentencing Review: Deposition of the Captain | kung fu grippe

    1h 45m
  7. Basic Beaver Information

    03/12/2025

    Basic Beaver Information

    LinksMule Skinner Blues - WikipediaJimmie Rodgers - "Blue Yodel No. 8" (1930) - YouTubeJimmie Rodgers – Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues) Lyrics | Genius LyricsCarter Family - WikipediaIt Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels - YouTubeCarter Family picking - WikipediaThe Carter Family - "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" (1935) - YouTubeThe Carter Scratch – The Bluegrass JamboreeNo More the Moon Shines on Lorena (Alex Chilton, Live) - YouTubeOliver - "Good Morning Starshine" - YouTubeRandy Newman - "Sail Away" (1972) - YouTubeOfficial Extended Trailer | Country Music | A Film by Ken Burns | PBS - YouTubeThe first minute of Ken Burns' "The Civil War"The Civil War (miniseries) - WikipediaKen Burns effect - WikipediaPan–tilt–zoom camera - WikipediaJodorowsky's Dune - WikipediaDr. Strangelove - WikipediaThe Knappett | Taskmaster - YouTubeGillian Anderson: Green glass jello and G Spots | Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster Podcast - YouTubeJovan Musk for Women Eau de Cologne SprayBeaver Lodge Construction Squad | Attenborough | BBC Earth - YouTube

    1h 6m
  8. Pure Information

    26/11/2025

    Pure Information

    Links"Defying Gravity" - Wicked 20th Anniversary Edition | WICKED the Musical - YouTubeLes Miserables 10th Anniversary "Dream Cast" [1080p Upscaled] - YouTubeGuinness book of world records : McWhirter, Ross, 1925-1975 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveCelebrity Heights - Google SheetsFour construction workers posing in President William Howard Taft's bathtub during renovations to the White House in 1909 : r/OldSchoolCoolTrump’s on JB Pritzker - YouTubeFull-length portrait of Lucia Zarate, Mexican Midget (Getty Museum)CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share - YouTubeThe Chokey | Roald Dahl Wiki | FandomThe Dust is Your Daddy | Do By FridaySesame Street: I Don't Want to Live on the Moon - YouTubeLetterkenny | Season 1 | Florida State Seminal Vesicles - YouTubeButterfly Curve -- from Wolfram MathWorldTop Four #4: Worst Weezer Singles - RelayRicky Jay & His 52 Assistants [1996] - RF Rip : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveiOS 26.2 Adds Alarms for Reminders - MacRumorsCaps for Sale - WikipediaBehaves So StrangelySometimes Behave So Strangely Looped - YouTubeEdward Dudley Metcalfe - WikipediaThe Crown on The Graham Norton Show - YouTubeThe Ultimate Miriam Margolyes Experience | The Graham Norton Show - YouTubeThe Wizard of Oz at Sphere Is Nightmare Fuel - YouTubeMr. Show - Mayostard / Mustardayonnaise / Mustmayostardayonnaise - YouTubeBob Mortimer & Richard in HYSTERICS over Bob's toilet story | Travel Man EXTRA - YouTubeRichard Ayoade & Bob Mortimer's funniest moments in Hamburg | Travel Man - YouTubeThe Crown (TV series) - WikipediaAudio Descriptions in The Crown actually add narrative insight, and it's awesome! | ResetEraReid My Mind » Blog Archive Flipping the Script on Audio Description - Moving Beyond Just USAudio Description Style Guide v2.5 – Netflix | Partner Help Center

    2h 9m
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Hosts & Guests

About

A weekly challenge show hosted by Alex Cox and Merlin Mann.

Information

  • Creator
    Merlin Mann and Alex Cox
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    445
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Do By Friday

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