review
Sony’s 1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Headphones, One Year Review
I can’t believe I’ve never written about this before, I had to take a few minutes and write
Blog
I’m Still Mad, but I’m Hopeful
A few weeks have passed and things in the tech world are getting more back to normal (Android 11 beta yesterday, PS5 unveiling today), but I’m still mad about where we are as a country. The recent protests have given this country, and the world, a jolt that we’ve needed for a long
Links
Our Current, Perpetual Catastrophe
Opinion | Donald Trump Is Our National Catastrophe - The New York Times
What’s unprecedented is that never before have we been led by a man who so completely inverts the spirit of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.
With malice toward all; with charity for none: eight words that encapsulate everything this president is, does and
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, from a recent newsletter:
Convincing someone to change their mind is really the process of convincing them to change their tribe. If they abandon their beliefs, they run the risk of losing social ties. You can’t expect someone to change their mind if you take away their community
Links
Like Dust in the Air
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflects on George Floyd protests - Los Angeles Times
Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of
meta
Black Lives Matter, and so Does Democracy
* Go here to donate to 39 bail funds across the US.
* Go here to support the George Floyd memorial fund
meta
A Better Computer
Today I'm excited to introduce my new YouTube channel, A Better Computer. This channel will be devoted to
What Makes a Good Camera?
I posted this yesterday as an example of why I love, love, love having a “real camera” back in my life.
This side-by-side really made me feel good about this new camera. Right is iPhone, which looks good, but the Sony (left) was just able to get such a better shot. pic.twitter.
Pain
Last December, I wanted to compare night modes on the newly released iPhone and Pixel phones. Totally reasonable, and exactly the sort of thing you’d expect to see on this blog. So I waited for the sun to go down and around 9PM I headed out to a local park, which I knew had
covid-19
The Coronavirus in Japan
From near disaster to success story: how Japan has tackled coronavirus | World news | The Guardian
Experts have pointed to universal healthcare, low obesity rates and expertise in treating pneumonia. More fanciful theories have gained traction – the consumption of foods, such as natto, that boost the immune system and, according to an unscientific experiment conducted by
Mailbrew is my Secret Weapon in Finding Cool Links
Mailbrew launched to all back in February 2020 and I've been using it ever since. This is basically
meta
There is Still Room for "Real Cameras"
Over the past few weeks I've been selling a bunch of stuff on eBay so I could break
Links
Appearance: Home Screens
I was pleased to join my friend Lee Peterson on his new show, Home Screens, this week to talk about,
Patently Insane
Timothy Klausutis writing to Twitter's Jack Dorsey (via The New York Times):
President Trump on Tuesday tweeted to his nearly 80 million followers alluding to the repeatedly debunked falsehood that my wife was murdered by her boss, former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough. The son of the president followed and more directly attacked
Links
The Value of an Open Podcast
Daring Fireball: ‘Joe Rogan Got Ripped Off’
Even if you put money aside, Rogan’s deal with Spotify will almost certainly shrink his audience to some degree, and it gives Spotify complete control over Rogan’s relationship with his audience. I don’t think Rogan is a fool — quite the opposite. But I still think
meta
My Place in Tech
When I look back on the past few months of things I’ve discussed at length on BirchTree, a few things jump out:
1. Magic Keyboard for iPad
2. What gets to call itself a podcast?
3. Stock apps vs third party options
4. Buying into a philosophy when using the iPad
The common thread
Links
How Open Podcasts Can Compete
The open podcast ecosystem is dying — here’s how to save it. - Divinations
If the open podcast ecosystem wants to compete, they have to figure out a way to implement ideas like these. They cannot stay stuck in the status quo. This currently feels impossible, but fortunately, they have a good example to look up
The Historical Context of the Word "Podcast"
The history of the word "podcast" has come up a lot in response to my "career suicide" article yesterday, with people saying that the fact that podcasts are distributed over an open RSS feed being a funamental element of what makes a podcast a podcast. Memory is a fickle thing, so