Studio: 5by5
Category: Software How-To
What It Is
Dan Benjamin hosts a mildly free-wheeling discussion about all things Apple, etc. with Marco Arment, co-founder of Tumblr.
Technical Details
Show is defunct as of December 2012, but the entire archive of 108 shows can be found at the iTunes page. Episodes run around an hour and, like most of 5by5’s shows, just revolves around a free-flowing conversation.
What About It
Well, you may recall that I love 5by5’s Back to Work and really disliked 5by5’s Amplified, so what happens here? Well, I’d say Build & Analyze is better than Amplified, if only because, unlike Jim Dalrymple, Arment seems to understand that speaking above a mumble is required to be a good podcaster. But there’s nothing here to really distinguish this show; it’s pretty dull, frankly. I get what Benjamin’s up to with 5by5, but in many ways it feels like Back to Work is just a once in a lifetime thing. The chemistry between Benjamin and Merlin Mann sets that show way, way apart from every other show on the network. This show is just dull with no real energy to it. Too bad; after stumbling on Back to Work I thought perhaps I’d found a new network filled with great shows. Not so far. Back to Work, I’m afraid, is a one-off. This one? It’s just off.
½ star.
Essential If
You’re a 5by5 completist.
Avoid Like the Plague If
The words “co-founder of Tumblr” left you trembling with rage.
Best Entry Point
I feel like I’m kind of doing this dodge a lot lately, but I don’t know what else to do in cases where I found the show to just be uniformly dull: So, yeah, go the archive and pick one.