boss

Video: John Roderick on String Art Owls, Copper Pipe, and Bono's Boss

[jump to video]

Long story (not very) short? One night in 2003--after killing it in front of audience of about 30 lucky people in Oakland--The Long Winters needed a place to crash, and my wife and I were happy to oblige. 

So, they drove their Big Stinky Blue Van over the bridge, slept on our floor, and by breakfast the next morning, it'd become clear to me that I'd provided lodging to a man who was not only very likely a member of my karass--he was also one of the smartest bullshit artists I'd ever met. 

Almost eight years later, although I don't see him nearly as much as I'd like, I still count the guy as one of my best pals ever.

That's John Roderick. And, I think you need to know about him.

John doesn't read this site--he's more of a Twitter person--so I don't risk feeding his astounding excess of dignity by saying he's one of the most gifted writers and bon vivants of our generation. He's just the best. In large part because he's congenitally incapable of suffering bullshit.

This was never more apparent than the Saturday morning in 2007 when we sat in my back yard and talked about a lot of stuff. Playing guitar, advertising on the web, the evil work of promoters, and why everyone is always trying to shortchange everyone on copper pipe. 

That talking became a four-part interview I ran on the late and occasionally lamented The Merlin Show, and, to this day, it's one of my favorite things I've been lucky enough to post to the web.

So, y'know how I'm definitely "not for everyone?" Well, John is really "not for everyone."

He's opinionated and arrogant and undiplomatic and unironically loves Judas Priest--meaning everyone will find at least one thing not to like about him. Despite being hairy and enjoying laying on your bed, John is not exactly a teddy bear. 

But, John's also right a lot. And, he never sands off the edges of his personality or opinions to make you theoretically "like" him. Which, it will come as no surprise to you, is a big reason I love the guy more than a free prime rib dinner. 

So, why the jizzfest about that awful jerk, John Roderick?

Because, as I noted the other day on the Twitter, in our first episode of Back to Work I misattributed a line that should have been credited to John. Which in itself is unimportant, except inasmuch as finding that link to correct the error got me watching our 50-some minutes of chatting again. I also received some at-responses and emails that reminded me how much people enjoyed our chat. 

But, really it made me realize how much that rambling morning in my back yard still resonates so much with stuff I care a lot about. Independence. Agency. Directness. And, never apologizing for wanting to get paid. Also, guitars and talkative hippies.

So, anyway. John. 

I edited all four parts of the video into one big (streamable/downloadable) movie that should make it way easier to watch at a sitting. Should that interest you. Which it may not. Which, as ever, is totally fine, and kind of the point.

But. If you like Dan and my new show (and, seriously—God bless you magnificent bastards who helped briefly make B2W the most popular podcast in the world [gulp]), I think you'll really like this interview a lot too. I hope so, anyway.

Thus, submitted for your disapproval, permit me to present my four-year-old visit with the acerbic, opinionated, and reportedly unlikeable bullshit artist whom I respect and adore more than just about anybody. 

Meet Hotrod.

Video: John Roderick on String Art Owls, Copper Pipe, and Bono's Boss” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on January 21, 2011. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"




boss

#TheMoment Banff’s famous grizzly ‘The Boss’ took a trip to Canmore

Wildlife photographer Jason Leo Bantle recounts the moment he came across Banff’s most famous grizzly ‘The Boss,’ during the bear’s surprise visit to Canmore, Alta.




boss

Bigg Boss 18: Rajat Dalal Steps In To Comfort Sara Arfeen Khan After Arfeen Khan's Eviction

Hosted by Salman Khan, Bigg Boss 18 premiered on October 6




boss

Bigg Boss 18: Vivian Dsena Asks Rajat Dalal To Back Off

Vivian Dsena asked Rajat Dalal to back off in a menacing tone




boss

Bigg Boss 18: Shilpa Shirodkar And Shrutika Arjun's Friendship On The Rocks Amid House Drama

Premiered on October 6, Bigg Boss 18 is hosted by Salman Khan




boss

Turkish Boss Denies Indian Man Wedding Leave, He Marries Over Video Call

The marriage ceremony of Adnan Muhammad, a resident of Bilaspur, had to be performed virtually as the company for which he works in Turkiye refused to grant him leave, his family members said.




boss

HBO Boss on Working With George R.R. Martin: ‘Marriages Can Be Difficult’



HBO's Casey Bloys was asked about the Game of Thrones author's spicy take on House of the Dragon season two.



  • Television
  • Game of Thrones
  • George RR Martin
  • HBO
  • House of the Dragon


boss

CNN’s Stars Get Massive Salaries Frozen as Bosses Sharpen Ax

Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Journalists at CNN, including some of the network’s biggest personalities, are living in fear of “inevitable” layoffs and pay cuts as its new CEO looks to shore up finances amid declining ratings.

That’s according to The Ankler, which reported Wednesday that 77-year-old Chris Wallace—whose already been relegated to a weekend program—is among the network’s most well-known names whose future is in limbo.

Wallace’s $8.5 million contract, signed by the ex-CNN boss Jeff Zucker to recruit him away from Fox News three years ago, is reportedly up and he was spotted in CEO Mark Thompson’s office on Tuesday.

Read more at The Daily Beast.




boss

Helldivers 2 boss would "love to do a take" on Star Wars, Predator and Warhammer 40,000

The dominion of hated Super Earth threatens to expand afresh as Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt toys openly with the prospect of Helldivers 2 cross-over games, beginning with tabletop wargame Trench Crusade and extending to, well, take your pick. Arrowhead's appetite for other licenses appears insatiable. It's the kind of sheer expansionism you'd expect from Earth's loathsome regime, whose "managed democracy" propaganda continues to enthrall thousands of hapless disposable imperialists. Pilestedt even wants to make a Fifth Element game! Milla Jovovich is spinning in her grave. Milla Jovovich isn't dead, you say? Well, that's good news at least.

Read more




boss

Henderson, Keita and Gomez fit for Fulham says Liverpool boss Klopp

Club captain Jordan Henderson, summer signing Naby Keita and centre back Joe Gomez were all absent for the shock midweek Champions League defeat to Red Star Belgrade..




boss

Footy boss denies bombshell accusation

ADELAIDE’S Mark Ricciuto has denied orchestrating a campaign to cut dollars from the contract of one of his star players.




boss

you have a scary sense of humor, boss




boss

Uh... boss? Boss?




boss

'It was nonsense': Entitled employee constantly takes credit for other's work, coworker gets revenge by making a fake presentation for her to present in front of boss

There's always that one coworker who knows how to get away with taking credit for everyone else's hard work. You put in the effort, lose sleep over the details, and then they swoop in, ready to present it all like they thought of it themselves. This exact situation happened in one office until one clever employee decided to turn the tables. After watching his entitled coworker repeatedly swipe his projects and pass them off as her own, he put together a presentation just for her. Packed with confusing data points and meaningless buzzwords, the presentation was just convincing enough to look important…until you actually tried to explain it. And sure enough, the coworker snagged it and confidently presented it in front of their boss. The employee watched with quiet satisfaction as she stumbled through, each buzzword making less sense than the last. When the boss turned to him for clarification, he threw her under the bus, telling the boss she had no idea what she was talking about. Sweet, sweet office justice.




boss

Ex-boss freaks out after reading former employee's online review, sends her essay-long messages: 'Block and move on'

It must have been challenging for this boss to read about how her own lack of professionalism. However, as Justin Timberlake himself once sang and then experienced, "what goes around… comes around." 

Here, we have a former employee who quit after experiencing a severe case of burnout. Their horrible boss established a workplace environment that discouraged calling in sick because that only meant having to do more work down the road. Eventually, there was a final straw and the employee left before having another job lined up. They decided to pen an anonymous review of their experience at the company, mostly focusing on organizational flaws and less on personal grievances. 

Still, however, their boss took the review very personally and figured out who the author was. As many folks in the comments section pointed out, the Redditor is under no obligation to respond to their ex-boss's ridiculous messages; if anything, they should "deny, deny, deny."

For more stories like this, check out this post about another who employee who quit during the first week.




boss

After being denied a raise, employee resigns and accepts job at rival company, boss rejects the resignation and offers a 50% raise instead: ‘I couldn't refuse’

When you know you are a valued employee, one your company cannot afford to lose, you have a lot of leverage when negotiating benefits and pay. The problem is, unless you actually threaten to quit, companies will not be in a rush to give you more than they think you deserve, which is usually much less than what you do deserve. 

So employees threaten to quit, and some manage to get what they want from their current company, and some end up actually quitting and getting a better deal somewhere else.

The employee in this Reddit story (OP, original poster) got the best of both worlds, since they already had another job lining up when they handed in their resignation letter. Their boss, who previously refused to give OP a raise, decided to reject the resignation and offer OP exactly what they wanted, which meant OP now had two offers, and a big decision to make.

Scroll down to read how the story ends. After you are done, click here for a story of a food company that refused to listen to their QAs' advice, and launched a terrible new sauce nobody wanted.





boss

'This is the first time I have ever asked to have some time off': 22-year-old babysitter gets denied vacation time for her sister's wedding, boss tries to guilt trip babysitter into skipping it

This kind of boss is just the worst, as this flustered nanny can tell you. 

Taking time off at your job can be awkward at times, especially if you're close friends with your boss. You might feel obligated to tell them everything you're planning to do with this time off. This person certainly did, but they at least had a great reason for requesting a few days off. U/Nannyneedabreak writes that as a babysitter for two kids, ages 6 and 8, she gave her boss a generous warning that she'd be gone for a few days. She gave this boss an incredible seven months of notice that she would be out of town for just four days! That's way more generous than most employees would be. 

This woman shared that she also reminded her boss about that important date at least once per month. Still her, boss insisted she cancel the trip when the date got close. Come on, lady, there are other babysitters in the world! Just ask for a reference to someone else, and let this woman go to her sister's once in a lifetime event. 

Up next, this non-HOA homeowner is refusing to take down their holiday lights, and told the HOA member to "just get off my property… I've just had enough."




boss

'Boss claims that me quitting will result in the business closing': Worker gives 2-week-notice after basically running the company they work for for their boss, prompting boss's total meltdown

It is truly mind-boggling how some employers will treat the workers who are essential to the success and operation of their business. They gamble that they can pay them below market rates and keep them exactly where they are and that their workers will continue to be milked like the cash cow that they are… After taking on increasing responsibility in their boss's small business, this worker knew it was time to move on to greener pastures. They did what they thought was the right thing and gave their boss their two-week notice, prompting a meltdown that they could not have anticipated. 

As commenters in the original thread noted, this begs so many questions. Like, if they were so important to the business why didn't their boss recognize that and reward them for it? Surely, there were chances and opportunities for their boss to give them a promotion or even a partnership in the business that they were so essential to. Still, their boss's general laissez-faire attitude and seeming reluctance to lift a finger to support their own business has spelled their own doom. It seems that they were totally complacent and happy to let the employee do all the work while they raked in all the profits.




boss

'He was a nightmare': Employee's savage review after quitting exposes entitled boss, leads to their termination

When you're applying for jobs, you're probably checking out every online review you can find to dodge any potential red flags. After all, who wants to go through multiple interviews only to discover that the company's run by an entitled boss who thinks coworkers should act like "family"? Hard pass. Sites that let employees rate companies are a goldmine for honest feedback—sometimes with details that make you grateful for the warning.

Well, after one employee spent six grueling months working under a new VP, they tried to clue in the higher-ups about just how awful the new boss was. When the owner didn't take their concerns seriously, they took things a step further, leaving a brutally honest review that laid everything bare. The best part is it worked. The entitled boss eventually got the boot, and the company's culture finally went back to normal. Unfortunately, the original employee who exposed the mess had already quit—but at least they left with a story of sweet, well-deserved karma.




boss

Boss contacts former employee asking for forgotten passwords, employee refuses to comply without being paid the $10,000 they were owed before leaving: ‘Pay me first’

When one leaves a job in which they didn't like their boss, there are two things they might hope for any future interaction with said boss – Either no interaction at all and completely severing any connection with that person, or getting to see them one more time and proving to them just how much that boss missed out on by letting them go.

Out of those two options, the best stories obviously come from the latter, much like the story we have here. OP (original poster) was contacted by their former toxic boss and was asked to retrieve old passwords for an email and Instagram account. Considering how OP left that company, they weren't too eager to help their former boss, especially since they were still owed $10k of unpaid commissions. The people in the comments were quick to tell OP to use this opportunity and get that money in exchange for the passwords.

Keep scrolling to read the full story. Up next, check out this story of a job candidate who got a second chance by creating a new email address.




boss

Employee refuses to respond to boss's email asking to reconsider their resignation, instead decides to air out everything they think about their boss: ‘[You] are useless’

There is an episode in How I Met Your Mother where Marshall gets yelled at by his terrible boss, and he doesn't know how he should react. His friends all give him different advice, some saying he should ignore it, while others said he should kindly confront his boss and put him in his place. Eventually, Marshall unexpectedly explodes at his boss and screams back at him with everything he thinks of his job and the management, and at the end of this screaming fit, Marshall quits.

While it is just a TV show, many employees encounter moments like these in real life, where they just can't keep everything in, especially regarding their bosses. The employee in this Reddit story had considered doing exactly what Marshall did after they resigned. They sent their notice in an email to their boss, and after the boss asked them to reconsider, they debated whether they should give said terrible boss a piece of their minds.

Keep scrolling to read the full story. After you are done, click here for a story of a feud between a boss and a former employee over forgotten passwords.




boss

Restaurant workers' jobs threatened by Budget, bosses warn

Hospitality bosses are calling for changes to what they describe as "unsustainable" tax rises.




boss

Fujitsu boss 'does not know' if Horizon is reliable

Paul Patterson raises concerns about the system at the heart of sub-postmasters' wrongful convictions.




boss

Trump says Apple boss called him to complain about EU

The EU ordered Apple to pay Ireland billions in unpaid taxes in September.




boss

2012 bosses deny demolition plan

London 2012 chiefs tell BBC Sport they are not seriously considering a scheme to flatten the Olympic Stadium after the Games.




boss

IPL 2012 plan to fool bosses, wives, parents

The previous year turned out to be a double treat for the cricket-crazy lot, courtesy the World Cup followed by the Indian Premiere...




boss

Bigg Boss Tamil contestant Losliya's New Photoshoot

Here are the photos of Bigg Boss Tamil 3 contestant Losliya.




boss

Bigg Boss 18: Why is Shilpa Shirodkar a HUGE LET DOWN so far

Bigg Boss 18: The addition of actress Shilpa Shirodkar making a comeback through the reality series was something that left quite some buzz. However, the impact seems to have fizzled out with time.




boss

'Contestants are heavily humiliated or favored': Shoaib Ibrahim on declining Salman Khan-led Bigg Boss 18

Bigg Boss 18 features Shilpa Shirodkar, Arfeen Khan, Rajat Dalal, Chahat Pandey and others. Bigg Boss 18 airs on Colors TV and is also available for streaming on Jio Cinema.




boss

'Bigg Boss 18': Time god Vivian DSena, Rajat Dalal indulge in war-of-words again

It is very clear that contestants Vivian Dsena and Rajat Dalal are nemesis in the show and the two will once again end up engaging in a war-of-words in the upcoming episode.




boss

How Rashami Desai deals with trolls, social media negativity; talks about Bigg Boss 13 [Exclusive]

In an exclusive conversation with International Business Times, India, Rashami Desai spoke about her stint on BB 13, when things about her personal life were blown out of proportion, how the industry has changed over the years after the OTT boom, whether she will be part of any more reality shows, and more. Read on.




boss

"The Decision Was Already...": Rahul's Sharp Reply On LSG Boss' Statement

Following the retention announcement, Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka had stated that the franchise retained players who they believed would put the team ahead of personal ambition.




boss

Bigg Boss Voting : మరోసారి డాక్టర్ బాబు హవా .. వరుసగా రెండోసారి టాప్ ప్లేస్‌కి, డేంజర్ జోన్‌లో ఎవరంటే?

బిగ్‌బాస్ తెలుగు 8కి సంబంధించి 11వ వారం నామినేషన్స్ హోరాహోరీగా జరిగాయి. ఈ నేపథ్యంలో సోషల్ మీడియాలో ఇప్పటికే ఓటింగ్ మొదలుపెట్టేశారు . దీని ప్రకారం ఓటింగ్‌లో ఎవరు టాప్‌లో ఉన్నారు? ఎవరు లీస్ట్‌లో ఉన్నారు? అసలు ఈ వీక్ నామినేషన్స్‌లో ఎవరెవరు ఉన్నారు .. ఏ ఇంటి సభ్యుడిని కంటెస్టెంట్స్ ఎక్కువగా టార్గెట్ చేశారో ఒకసారి




boss

Bigg Boss Telugu Voting : ఓటింగ్‌లో టేస్టీ తేజ తుఫాన్ .. కన్నడ బ్యాచ్‌కి ముచ్చెమటలు

బిగ్‌బాస్ తెలుగు 8 విజయవంతంగా 11వ వారంలోకి ప్రవేశించింది. మరికొద్దివారాల్లో సీజన్ ముగియనుంది. ఈ వారం నామినేషన్స్‌‌లో ఆరుగురు ఉండగా.. వారిలో ఒకరు ఈ వీక్ ఎలిమినేట్ కానున్నారు. ఈ వారం నామినేషన్స్‌లో ఉన్న వాళ్లంతా స్ట్రాంగ్ కంటెస్టెంట్స్ కావడంతో వీరిలో ఎవరు ఎలిమినేట్ అవుతారన్నది ఉత్కంఠగా మారింది. ఆన్‌లైన్‌లో జరుగుతున్న ఓటింగ్‌లో ఎవరు టాప్‌లో ఉన్నారు?




boss

Bigg Boss 18: Avinash Mishra And Alice Kaushik Get Intimate, Video Goes Viral

Avinash Mishra and Alice Kaushik face criticism for cuddling and sleeping together in the Bigg Boss 18 house.




boss

Sip Or Skip : Meet The Boss Who Swears By The Coffee Cup Test In Interviews!

Can a coffee cup determine your success at an interview? Well, we've all been there; nervously sitting in a job interview, knowing that our future hangs in the balance. Some interviews are tough, while others might feel surprisingly straightforward. Here an




boss

Cutting Through the Chaos : How To Keep Calm And Outsmart Toxic People Like A Boss

Every day, we encounter a mix of people-some who inspire us, others who brighten our day with their positive energy, and then there are those who test our patience with their negativity, toxicity, and drama. While dealing with toxic people can




boss

Bigg Boss 18: Karan Veer Mehra gets jealous, proposes to Chum Darang indirectly, actress says 'yeh sunke hum...'

Did Karan Veer Mehra confess his feelings to Chum Darang? Here's how the actress reacted.







boss

'I wasn't really game for Bigg Boss'

'I might argue if I have a point to put across. Sometimes you have to be loud or you will not be heard,' Lopamudra Raut tells Rediff.com's Rajul Hegde.