Gruber on CVS and Rite Aid Blocking Apple Pay
John Gruber - Retailers Are Disabling NFC to Block Apple Pay
Tim Cook was exactly right on stage last month when he introduced Apple Pay: it’s the only mobile payment solution designed around improving the customer experience. CurrentC is designed around the collection of customer data and the ability to offer coupons and other junk.
Kevin Smith on How He Makes Movies
How Kevin Smith learned to love making movies again at The Verge
"A lot of people go ‘make another Chasing Amy!’ and I'm like ‘I can't,’" he notes with just the barest hint of frustration. "That [movie] came from a really bad place — a horrible place where I
Felicia Day on GamerGate
Felicia Day on her blog
But for the first time maybe in my life, on that Saturday afternoon, I walked towards that pair of gamers and I didn’t smile. I didn’t say hello. In fact, I crossed the street so I wouldn’t walk by them. Because after all the years of gamer
Is iTunes Really That Bad?
That image is the cause of a lot of stress in the Apple community as of late. People are freaking out about how "unusable" iTunes 12 is. The problem goes well beyond just this version of iTunes, though. People have been complaining about iTunes for almost as long as it has existed. But
Apple, Why Do I Still Get This Screen
It's 2014 and we have the Apple's 8th generation of iPhone on the market. Why, oh why, do I still get this warning when I plug my iPhone into my Mac?! It doesn't happen every time, but it happens enough that I've taken note. So strange.
TGT is Now Laser Engraving Their Slick Wallets
I love my TGT wallet (Americana 2.0) and now they are doing laser engraving on the leather backs of their wallets. It costs a little bit extra, but I'm defintely looking into it the next time I have to get a wallet.
Oh yeah, and after going to a small wallet like
The Current State of Porductivity on iOS
10 months into 2014, my time has been almost exactly split in half between Android and iOS devices. I have had the rare pleasure of being able to use 4 phones this year. I started with an iPhone 5S, then got a Moto X, then the HTC One M8, and finally ended up with the
Birch Bark 011: Why I'm All In on Digital Games
I haven't bought a physical video game in almost a year. I'm all in on digital downloads, but I know a lot of people are not. Today I lay out my reasons why I'm such a proponent of them.
Music this week is by Cold War Kids, a band
Why Battery Life Really Matters
53%
This is where my iPhone's battery was at 10:20PM tonight. I had taken the phone off the charger around 10AM that morning and had been using it sparingly throughout the day. Since I hadn't used the phone much, I didn't have a good idea of how my
Apps that Have Not Been Updated for iOS 8 or the New iPhones
UPDATED NOV 5, 2014: OmniFocus, Reeder and Google Music are off the list.
Image template thanks to COBE Design
iOS 8 is a delight[^1] and I love the new iPhone 6. What's driving me a little crazy is that so many apps have not been updated to the new screen sizes. What
New Music From Germany Germany
<a data-preserve-html-node="true" href="http://grmnygrmny.bandcamp.com/album/germany-germany">Germany Germany by Germany Germany</a>
I'm a big fan of Germany Germany, a solo artist who makes mostly electronic tunes. His album Reconnect is among my favorite of the year,
Yosemite Instant Handoff
Mac OS X Yosemite, or OS X 10.10 for those who like the number 10, brings some pretty deep integrations with Apple's iOS 8 devices. Among its many great features, I'm really enjoying Instant Hotspot. My Comcast service is a little spotty, so it's always been nice to
Did I Mention Sony has a Network Problem?
Engadget ran an article on what's new in the upcoming 2.0 version of the PS4's software. Take a look at that first comment, completely unprompted by the article:
What good is any of this when the network keeps going down?
Did I mention Sony's network issues are affecting
Awestruck Hard Cider
It's the one time of year where I start to consider hard cider's as an acceptable beverage, and I have to admit that I like them quite a bit. I have no idea how Awestruck Hard Cider tastes, but it looks damn good.
My Impressions of the iPhone 6 After Owning an HTC One M8 for 4 Months
So yesterday I I traded in my Android phone for an iPhone 6. I flirted with Android for as long as I could, but I couldn't stick with it. And yes, even with Google's Lollipop announcements today, I still have no desire to go back. I don't have any
My Great Android Experiment is Over
So this happened today:
Yup, I ditched my HTC One M8, which I liked in many respects. Android was a fun experiment, and is a smartphone detour I'm glad I took, but I always knew I would come back to iOS. My time in the desert is over and I'm back
Birch Bark Episode 10: Sony's Continued Network Problems
Sony has had issues with their PlayStation Network for years, and their woes continued this week with the problematic release of Driveclub for the PS4. This week's epsiode of Birch Bark covers a brief history of Sony's network woes as well as Driveclub's challenges.
This is the second week
Pebble Review Part 2: Finding a Watchface
Previously - Pebble Review: Part 1 - Running with Pebble
It could be argued that the most important part of a smartwatch is what type of watch face you choose. Fortunately for Pebble owners, there is a dedicated group of people continuously making new faces for the Pebble. If you go to a website like My Pebble