Category: Easy

We say goodbye and thank you to Reply All, the greatest pod that ever cast.

If you’re ever looking for a podcast that is as funny as it is well-researched, as earnest as it is thoughtfully produced, look no further. Let the Reply All team accompany you on your next trip down easy street. 

The hosts signed off for the last time this week, but their catalog will always be worth revisiting.

This week marked the end of a Reply All, a podcast that truly transcended the medium into a wholly unique work of art.

Reply All has pushed the boundaries of storytelling, journalism, entertainment, and art for more than seven years. Podcasts like Reply All are the reason the category is so oversaturated today. Because they made magic and made it look easy.

Your neighbor may rant about the Saints in his garage and think he’s doing the same thing. I can assure you he is not.

Reply All was a podcast that really meant something. Now that every twenty-something with access to a microphone is blasting their voice across the internet, podcast recommendations are met with an eye roll. Trust me. I get it.

Each episode explores the internet and the parts of our culture that are inspired and influenced by the internet. Super tech-support episodes feature the team going on long journeys to solve listeners’ most pressing technology and internet problems. “Yes, Yes, No” explain a niche internet trend to the CEO of the parent company (Gimlet Media). 

Reply All celebrates the beauty and mystery in life while pausing to poke fun at all of the insane “internet things” we accept as normal behavior. 

If you’ve never listened to Reply All before, I am so jealous of you. You have an entire 189-episode catalog of some of the most entertaining and thought-provoking entertainment at your fingertips. 

A beloved card game becomes a Pokémon Battleground

Last week David Marshall (one of our developers) posted a link in the group chat: “If anyone needs something to do over the weekend, just pushed a Pokémon-based version of War.”

Play the game here.

He took the most straightforward card game of all time, War, and added all the complexity (and cuteness) of PokéMon.

This is a one-button kind of game, so it’s easy for anyone to play. But it’s also the kind of game that hooks you in. 

I played it for… well. I’m not going to admit how long I played. But I cruised right past my kids’ bedtime. They were happy about staying up an extra 30 minutes, so it wasn’t a big deal, but…

…

…

Sorry. I got distracted by the game again. 

Why Pokémon?

Anyway, I asked David why he made the game — because it seemed like an odd combination. Here’s what he had to say:

“One day, I was walking through the kitchen and saw my wife and son playing War together, and it dawned on me, ‘Hey, I could probably make this game.’ And since my son is such a huge Pokémon fan, it only made sense to combine the two because I knew he would have such a great time with it.”

That’s one of the reasons he loves about being a software developer, creating something new and sharing it with others. 

David said spending time being creative is not only something he enjoys but something that benefits the other areas of his life. “I’m a firm believer that we’ve grown too accustomed to consuming rather than creating as a society.”

Check out David’s game. And if you’re inspired, try making something of your own. 

Fellow Drops Makes It Easy To Sign Up, Easy To Quit, Just Easy

Do you have more Dollar Shave Club razors than you need? Have you finished Ted Lasso but still have an Apply TV+ subscription (or is that just us)? Fellow Drops is here to change that.

Unsubscribe options are hidden in tiny text in the darkest corners of subscription websites. But Fellow Drops works to make it easy to opt in, easy to opt out, and easy to press pause.

We like easy. 

What Makes Fellow Drops So Easy

Fellow is a boutique coffee brand that curates the coolest and best coffee beans and brewing gear. As a part of that, they offer a subscription of sorts. 

Anyone interested in having the company’s latest and greatest roasts regularly shipped to their door can sign up by sharing a phone number. 

Instead of automatically shipping and billing your credit card every week or month, Fellow Drops sends a text, “You want this great new coffee?” (or something like that). And the subscriber responds, “Nah, money’s tight this month,” or “Two bags, please.” 

To top it off, all of the Fellow Drops communications are genuinely helpful. The weekly texts are super informative and help you make a sound buying decision. They even include a brew guide video for each coffee

No obligation. No skip fees. Just coffee and freedom.

We literally got texts (yes multiple of us are signed up) with this week’s coffee offering while writing this. I’ve still got a fresh bag from my last order, so I said no, but I’m excited to see what next week brings. See for yourself.

Make It Easy

It’s easy to overthink the idea of goodness. What does a company have to do to be good? 

Donations? Community support? Great benefits? Yes. 

But, a business can also simply be good at what they claim to do. And even better, do it while taking a little stress off someone’s shoulders. 

Be Easy is our attempt to highlight other businesses, organizations, and everyday folks who are reducing stress and increasing the quality of life for the people around them — even if it’s just a little bit.