The only way to get me on this flight would be at gunpoint. No way would I ever take this trip in coach. Longest I can stand on a flight is about 8-9 hours before I start getting seriously owly. My trip last year from Vancouver, BC to Sydney, Australia with a stop in Hong Kong was pretty much my limit. Two 12 hour legs and I was not a happy camper at the end of it.
Spotify’s spooky haunted doll ad too creepy for kids, British watchdog rules
Definitely an odd way to promote Spotify.
Apple products are designed to protect your privacy
This updated site from Apple has even more detail on how they feel about the subject and the efforts they are making to ensure that your private data stays private. This stance by Apple isn’t just marketing fluff, although it does serve as a differentiator from other companies. I’ve spoken to lots of Apple employees and it’s something that is a deeply held belief of many of them.
Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, leaves ‘Sesame Street’ after nearly 50 years
Few people can lay claim to providing more joy to children than Mr Spinney. Even as an adult, the image of Big Bird makes me smile and brings back wonderful memories of watching Sesame Street with my siblings.
Google’s Pixel 3 camera rewrites photo rules with nifty new tricks
I post this less to say one camera is better than the other but to point out as advancements happen in computational photography, everyone who shoots photos with their smartphone benefit as manufacturers leapfrog each other with each release.
The 47th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Going to this festival is definitely a bucket list item for me. I always tell my photography students, if you want guaranteed good shots, shoot hot air balloons. They are often brightly coloured, huge, and only fly during The Golden Hour. You’ll definitely get some good shots.
Apps Uncovered – “Black on White”
A lot of beginners shy away from black and white shots, thinking they are intimidating and hard to do. But with a little practice and some of the cool apps as described in this article, you should give B&W shots a try!
Apple’s Jony Ive on the unpredictable consequences of innovation
Another interesting interview with Ive and I couldn’t agree with him more on the above. “Connection” isn’t bad in and of itself.
The lost “Empire Strikes Back” documentary
Star Wars fans rejoice!
Google Translate’s camera now reads Arabic, Hindi, and 11 other new languages
As I do research for a (belated) honeymoon in Florence, Italy and my photography workshop in Lisbon, Portugal, I’ve been testing the Google Translate app and I’m very impressed at how well it does. I don’t speak Italian or Portuguese so I don’t know how accurate the translations are but they are definitely good enough to get the basic idea.
When employers demand a salary range from applicants but refuse to suggest one
As a freelancer, I’ve been in this position many times and my wife, who is researching jobs in anticipation of our move to Australia next year, is getting the same runaround in her searches as well. It’s really frustrating and stressful.
What developers say Apple needs to do to make the Apple TV a gaming console
Games have been a bastard stepchild at Apple. The company has always given mixed messages to game developers regarding how much the company is willing to support them in their efforts.
Adobe Photoshop for iPad is real and will work ‘seamlessly’ with the desktop version
This is one of those “I’ll believe it when I see it” stories but if it is true, it will be an amazing leap in functionality for many Photoshoppers who want to use their iPads to edit.
Tim Hortons’ “The Away Game”
Everyone knows how important hockey is to Canada and Canadians.
Nikon’s photomicrography competition
Incredible photography. I had a blast playing, “Guess What It Is?” with my son this morning. Thanks to Dave Mark for the link.
Rick Stein’s obituary
May we all live a life that deserves an obituary like this.
MRI disabled every iOS device in facility
What a crazy story.
Transform the way you read with a redesigned Pocket and an enhanced listen feature
It does make reading easier and the UI is better, in my opinion.
A map of every building in America
This is a remarkable visualization of this data.
Copycat art collector shreds £40,000 Banksy print themselves, reducing value to £1
There are some people in this world who are just stupid beyond belief.
Celebrating a decade of discovery on Spotify
Spotify: It’s been 10 years since Spotify officially launched for fans—and new music and artist discovery has never been the same. We built our Swedish company to create a legal, better alternative to piracy—one that helps to fairly compensate artists … Continued
About a fifth of Android phone owners plan to switch to an iPhone
I know someone will point out the Apple stat of “90% customer satisfaction” but that is different from “Intent to Buy”. Still, I would have guessed Apple was higher than the 70% shown here. Regardless, this is where Apple has a huge advantage and where they still have plenty of room to grow by taking share away from various Android manufacturers.
Inside Wayback Machine, the internet’s time capsule
I can’t count how many times I’ve used the Wayback Machine. It’s an invaluable resource for research and curiosity.
The story behind the surreal photograph of Salvador Dalí and three flying cats
I still remember the first time I ever saw this image as a kid and thinking, “This is stupid.” It took me many years and a level of maturity before I began to understand both the art of Dali and the photographic achievements of Halsman.
From clockworks to computers on our wrists
I don’t know if you can definitely say Apple has beaten “Swiss watchmakers at their own game”, but they definitely saw a niche in the watch market no one else was serving. The Apple Watch fascinates me if only for the fact it has gotten so many non-watch people to start wearing a watch and the reasons for wearing one are wide and varied – which is good news for Apple.
Woman panics over close encounter with whales
This is simultaneously funny and sad. FYI, no these humpbacks are not “going to kill us!” and there’s no need to call 911 to report there’s a whale under your boat. Finally, for God’s sake, don’t start your damn engines when whales are that close to you.
My bodyguard, my self
I have some relatives in the “protection industry” and I’m always fascinated by the people who do this kind of work.
Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks and Def Leppard nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
I love when these nominations come out because it provokes huge arguments between myself and The Publisher of The Loop on the Your Mac Life show.
Why this watch costs over $450,000
This level of watch and their valuation always fascinates me. Not just for the incredible workmanship of the watches but because, generally, I find the individual watches to be butt ugly. But that may just mean I’m uncultured.
DHS says no reason to doubt firms’ China hack denials
This story just keeps getting stranger and stranger.