Just a quick programming note on the site today. I've gotten a few questions recently on why I felt the need to invest time into things besides writing on BirchTree this year. A rational assumption would be that it's because readership is dropping and I am trying to find something that works better. I'm happy to say that's not true, as things are still heading the right direction.

Things are going well, so thank you everyone :)

No, I'm diversifying around here with a new podcast and video channel for just one main reason.

I want a new creative avenue to express myself. Writing is wonderful, and it's my main passion, but it's good to mix things up sometimes. These mediums not only mix up my workflow. but they allow me to communicate some things better than I ever could in text. Yesterday I made this one minute video about how IFTTT widgets are useful tools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWNmoWcCtzU

That's a one minute video that shows off what the tool can do better than 1,000 words in a blog post. Likewise, this video comparing Siri to Google Assistant would have been a mess as a pure text article. It's something you just need to see in action to get the right impression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwyOM2--Ev8

Meanwhile, the podcast lets me speak in a more extemporaneous manner and find what I want to say as I'm saying it. Case in point, the most recent episode of the podcast was an extended discussion of what Keenan and I love about AirPods.

Again, the medium helped me get my thoughts out there faster than an official written review.

In short, don't worry about the blog going anywhere soon, simply be prepared to see content delivered in the medium it's best suited to. Thank you for subscribing, and let your friends know about the site too!