goodies
Goodies: September 22
It’s so goddamn (can I swear here?) beautiful outside right now! I’m writing this at 6:45 in the morning and the sun is out, the temperature is in the low 60s, and there’s a breeze blowing in the open window. The world is quiet, save for the train station just a
podcast
Bite Size Tech #20: Another BS Answer
iOS 9 is awesome, Elon Musk is crazy, and Tim Cook spits a little BS.
Links discussed:
* iOS 9
* MacStories iOS 9 Review
* Buzzfeed’s great interview with Tim Cook
* Apple’s Move to iOS app innundated with 1-star review on Play Store
* Elon Musk wants to launch 4,000 satellites for internet
A New Look Around Here
You may have noticed the site looks little different today. It’s not a big change, but I felt we could use a new coat of paint over here. For those curious, here’s a quick change log:
* New color scheme! I’ve been using the redish-orange and black combo for years, but I
tech
How I Use Apple News (and still hold onto my RSS addiction)
I'm in my late 20s, and while I'm getting to that age that advertisers no longer care about, I still pride myself on being open to new things. I still voraciously consume new music from artists I've never heard of and I have a general working knowledge of what
Links
Marco Arment Pulls Peace from the App Store
Peace, the most-downloaded content blocker for iOS 9 has been pulled from the App Store, not by Apple but by it's developer, Marco Arment himself.
As I write this, Peace has been the number one paid app in the U.S. App Store for about 36 hours. It’s a massive achievement
Game
The "Attention Challenge" for Games on the Apple TV
Ben Thompson on Apple TV gaming: (subscribe for the full article)
I think the games market has already bifurcated between the high-end and casual; the former won’t be tempted by the Apple TV, particularly given the fact Apple didn’t even put its most powerful processor in it nor include a real controller
Links
I Didn't Know I Wanted to Block Ads Until I Found Your Site
Nilay Patel writing for The Verge:
You might think the conversation about ad blocking is about the user experience of news, but what we're really talking about is money and power in Silicon Valley.
Nilay is correct that this is all a big chess match that’s about more than just readers and
feature
Nintendo Wii: True Disruption or Just a Fad?
There are many comparisons that can be made between the upcoming Apple TV and Nintendo’s Wii gaming console. They are each platforms that promise accessible, simple games with a focus on motion controls. The Wii is a great example of disruption in the tech industry, as it truly made everyone from the corporate executives
opinion
Explaining our tech obsessions to non-tech people
I have gone back and forth with people many times about how expensive Apple products are and how it’s irrational to buy them when there is tech that is just as good and does all the same things which cost half the price. This argument was always frustrating because I didn’t have a
goodies
Goodies: September 15
Well, it appears we all survived the onslaught of Apple news last week and have stumbled into that awkward in-between time in the Apple press where we know what Apple is releasing, but we can’t get our hands on any of it yet. I for one am over the moon for 3D Touch
podcast
Bite Size Tech #19: Apple Continues to Fire on All Cylinders
My roundup of Apple's announcements last week. iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, watchOS, all the things!!!
ios
3D Touch is the biggest UI change to iOS since multitasking
I think 3D Touch is the biggest thing to change in iOS’s interface since multitasking was introduced in iOS 4.
I see the killer feature of 3D Touch on the iPhone to be the quick actions you can perform from the home screen. Good app developers will take advantage of this feature by figuring
Links
Tim Cook's Apple is Still the Apple We Know and Love
Walt Mossberg writing for The Verge
But this week’s event convinced me that Apple remains the world’s most influential tech company — even as we approach next month's fourth anniversary of the tragically early death of its genius leader, Steve Jobs.
Many people love Apple, others despise it. But, even without Jobs,
Game
How Many Times Can the Tech Press be Wrong About Video Games?
One of my pet peeves is reading a tech reporter discuss how video games are dying and smartphones are going to take over the gaming space. A quick Google search brought up this gem from M.G. Siegler:
Color me officially bearish about the latest generation of video game consoles. All the reviewers seem to
Apple is Firing on All Cylinders
Joshua Topolsky writing for The New Yorker
Part of the reason why Apple’s “me too”s end up feeling like “me-first”s. In the age of digital, execution is staggeringly important, and there isn’t a single company in existence that can pull off polish and simplicity like Apple. While other companies struggle
Links
Thinking Twice About the New NetNewsWire
Ben Brooks takes a look at NetNewsWire 4 and why he is giving up on it.
The biggest difference with NetNewsWire and most RSS services is that your Mac or iPhone is the device polling the RSS feeds for updates. Whereas with services like FeedWrangler a server sitting in the proverbial cloud is polling those
How Today's Apple Products Impact the Birchler Budget
Apple had quite the day, and I think they did quite well overall. This was definitely a better showing than their WWDC keynote back in June (much less dancing). Lots of stuff was shown off, but a few things caught my eye, and most importantly, my wallet's attention.
Please Take My Money!: Apple
Full of Excitement
So it's the morning before Apple's big September event and our corner of the internet is all aflutter with excitement. You can see most of your favorite bloggers have written up their expectations for what we will see this afternoon. You can go to Twitter and see some people who appear