Links
What is the fediverse?
Elena Rossini has a very strong 3-minute video explaining the fediverse that I just had to share.
Blog
Apple
Everyone says they want opinionated design until they get it
Apple revealed their new design system this week built on a concept they're calling "liquid glass"
Apple
The top thing I want from WWDC
I bought a Microsoft Surface on May 9 and have been using it for exactly a month as of today, the first day of WWDC. I bought it in large part because I was frustrated with my iPad. I love the iPad's hardware and physical flexibility, but the software is just never quite
Nintendo Switch 2 first impressions
Well, I managed to get my hands on a Switch 2 on launch day. I've played it for
The Talk Show vs Formula 1
Last week I wrote about how for the first time in a decade, Apple would not be sending any executives to be interviewed at John Gruber’s The Talk Show Live. Well, it turns out that Apple will be holding an early screening of F1 at the same time as The Talk Show, and it’
Members
+ Incomplete thought: why Google gets all the blame for killing the web in 2025
Why it might be unfair for Google to be getting all the blame for "killed the web" right now.
My summer movie challenge ✅
Last week I posed a challenge to Birchtree readers:
this summer, watch 2 movies you skipped previously.
Pretty simple, right? Yes, but here's the tricky part.
- The first movie should be one you skipped, but that was well-received by critics and/or audiences. You didn't resonate with it for whatever
The universe has a real sense of humor
6 months ago, I signed up for Surf Social, which was doing a slow roll out. I'd kind
The next generation of automation
Here's a relatively un-flashy video, but stick with me here because I think this is really exciting stuff.
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What we just watched was me ask Claude for the Mac to look at my email inbox, find the emails with feedback on my iOS app, and create reminders
Links
It's still a cell phone
Casey Newton writing for his Platformer newsletter: The AI Browser Wars Are About to Begin
Here, I think we begin to understand the opportunity that companies see here — and why "web browser" probably isn't the best word for what they are building.
Setting all the drama of the current browser wars
Links
The iPhone 16 is back on top, the Pro line remains dominant, and the 16e is a sleeper hit
Counterpoint Research: iPhone 16 Leads Global Smartphone Sales in Q1 2025
Apple’s iPhone 16 was the best-selling smartphone in Q1 2025. This also marked the return of the iPhone series’ base variant to the top spot in the first quarter after a two-year gap.
After several years of the Pro Max iPhone
Members
🕹️ I strongly recommend Doom The Dark Ages
My review of the latest Doom game, which absolutely rocks.
Links
Apple execs are to be seen on video, but never in person
John Gruber announced The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2025 with one notable adendum:
in recent years the guests have seemed a bit predictable: senior executives from Apple. This year I again extended my usual invitation to Apple, but, for the first time since 2015, they declined.
And Parker Ortolani: Apple’s Silence at "
YouTube
I loved Arc. Is Dia my next browser?
Today we're going hands-on with Dia, the upcoming browser from the aptly-named The Browser Company. Maybe
Members
+ More on why I'm stepping back from social media for now
Yeah, it's time for a step back
Back when I was still using Twitter, I would develop a serious fatigue of social media every year or so and needed to take a step back from using it. I've written about this several times on this blog, but when I left Twitter and jumped feet-first into Mastodon in late 2022,
NVIDIA officially brings GeForce Now to Steam Deck, and I'm so happy about it
NVIDIA just released an official version of their (only one good enough to be worth you money IMO) game streaming service to the Steam Deck, and it is positively fantastic. The Steam Deck works great for most games, but there are a few that just don't really work because they're too
Links
One of my favorite one hit wonders
I genuinely think Wheatus’s Teenage Dirtbag is one of the best one hit wonders from my teen years and this acoustic version of it is a delight.