Members
Another Napster moment for the web? (members post)
I have real concerns about features like Arc Search blowing up the revenue model that has powered the open web for decades. Maybe there's hope in looking back 25 years at another software innovation that blew everything up, but spurred more new revenue models.
Apple
Like buying an iPhone in 2007
What a difference a week makes, huh? Last week I was feeling FOMO, but had come to terms with not
Browse for me gets a big 🤨 from me
Casey Newton: Scenes From a Dying Web
Opening the Arc Search app for the first time last week, though, I experienced a rare emotion: a kind of revulsion at the app’s mere existence, and at what it portends.
If I’m known for loving and advocating for one app, it has to be the
Links
Podcasts are surprisingly tough
Anil Dash: “Wherever You Get Your Podcasts” Is a Radical Statement
But here's the thing: being able to say, "wherever you get your podcasts" is a radical statement. Because what it represents is the triumph of exactly the kind of technology that's supposed to be impossible: open, empowering tech
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RSS and acid, name a more iconic duo
Keenan: RSS Readers Make Me Want to Jump Into a Vat of Acid!
Opening an RSS reader is about the quickest way I know how to trigger a panic attack in myself next to Googling "colon cancer symptoms reddit." Even when I do my best to only subscribe to sources I truly care
Links
We turned dunking into a sport
George RR Martin on his blog: Dark Days
It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but somehow in this age of social media, it is no longer enough to say “I did not like book X or film Y, and
The Meta Quest 3 made me even more annoyed by the PlayStation Portal
I reviewed the PlayStation Portal late last year and my main criticism of it was that it had more input lag and general wireless reliability issues than I would have liked to see in a streaming-only device.
I’ve used it a bit since that review, but it’s fair to say that was
Members
Like buying a BlackBerry in 2007 (members post)
I got a new headset, but it's not the one everyone is talking about.
Links
Seeing what you want to see in the stock price
This article is making the rounds on Mastodon, where generative AI hate runs strong, and I get it, it’s everything you want to hear in a headline if you think ChatGPT is the most evil thing ever created on computers. It kicks off with the headline, “AI companies lose $190 billion in market cap
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Castro isn’t dead, apparently
Bluck Apps writing on the Castro blog, which went over 3 years without a new post, if you wanted an idea for how much communication from the company has broken down: A Fresh Start for Castro
We are excited to announce Castro has been purchased by Bluck Apps. Castro is a great app with a
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It’s usually a good sign when you agree with Siracusa
John Siracusa: Spatial Computing
The fact that I’m able to write the phrase “grab it and drag it to a new location” and most people will understand what I mean is a testament to the decades-long success of this kind of interface. In the context of personal computers like the Mac, we all
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What is a compu…review?
I just read two “reviews” of the upcoming Apple Vision Pro, one from John Gruber and another from Nilay Patel. I put “reviews” in quotes because I think these two write ups are very different in how they approached their respective pieces. Nilay’s review is more of a traditional review, and he very clearly
Links
Project Tapestry from The Iconfactory
Project Tapestry is a new Kickstarter from The Iconfactory. Here’s how they describe it:
What if you had one
A couple improvements to More Birchtree
A week ago I launched More Birchtree, a way to subscribe to this site to get more of it (shocker!
Links
One of us is wildly out of touch
Ian Bogost: We’ve Forgotten How to Use Computers
Remember (if you can) the classic drag-and-drop: You’d mouse over to a file or a folder, click to slide the icon to the trash, then release to drop it in. In the age of finger-scrolls and trackpads, that computing gesture feels bizarre.
Members
The joy of tech that's uniquely yours (members post)
Today's member post looks at a part of computer tech that I can still make my own, a writer who always keeps me guessing, a weather app that’s not CARROT, and more!
Links
Oscar nominations matter, but they’re not everything
Rebecca Sun argues the Barbie Oscar snubs aren’t as bad as some people think in BarbieGate: Why All Oscars Snubs Are Not Created Equal
a good question to ask is why a man playing a blond avatar of perfection felt like a braver feat than a woman doing the same? Perhaps the true irony
Some quick thoughts on Apple’s new iOS rules for the EU
Yesterday Apple announced some pretty big changes that they’ll be making in iOS 17.4 coming in March. This
