My legs are fake. One-third of each one, anyways; the lower parts and the feet. If people press me on how I lost my real ones — and they do, especially when I’m waiting in lines for things, for some reason — I’ll usually tell them that “they fell off one night,” or “I ate them,” or “I don’t actually know.” And, truthfully, I don’t — I woke up one morning in a hospital and a doctor told me that they were gone.
I’m still not sure how to relate to my new cyborg body, but my fake legs rule.
What a great story that is unexpected in its normalcy.
It’s, increasingly, become a frustrating irony for journalists. Even as the internet has stripped away our privacy, the rise of the cell phone and the end of the phone book have made what was once one of the easiest pieces of information to find one of the most obscure.
There are stories I haven’t written because I could never find a way to contact a key figure. It’s one thing to say “Harold Sourceman did not return multiple messages asking him to comment on his alleged involvement in the goat catapult scandal.” It’s another thing to say, “we had no idea how to let Sourceman know he was going to be the front page star in a goat-hurling related controversy.”
Definitely an unintended consequence of so many of us no longer having landlines.
Winning the lottery. Having a long-lost relative put you in their will. Selling your TV show. For our Money issue, we interviewed 15 people—and asked writer Ijeoma Oluo to contribute an essay—on the subject of windfalls. How they got their money, and what they did with it, was both as intensely personal, and shaped by cultural expectations, as anything else.
A fascinating set of stories, full of variety.
A few tastes:
There are different tiers to writing television shows: you start as a staff writer, and each time you move up the ladder—to story editor, executive story editor, coproducer, producer, supervision producer, executive producer—you get a minimum payment from the Writers Guild.
When I moved up from staff writer to story editor for Maniac, I got my first script fee, which was around $27,000. For most of my adult life, this was equivalent to an annual salary.
And:
My coach, Erik Seidel, is a legend, and one of the first things he taught me was that if I was going to do this right, I should approach it the way any professional poker player would. The number one rule is good bankroll management: Don’t play in any events that are above what you can afford to lose, and always have a lot of money in advance.
The first time I went out to Las Vegas, Erik wouldn’t let me play in any event that was more than $60, so the first game I won was a daily tournament at Planet Hollywood. I won close to a thousand dollars, and I was absolutely ecstatic.
The way Erik and I approached the project was my winnings would be put back into poker—that would now be my poker bankroll.
These are just tiny bits of much longer stories. The whole thing is a fascinating read.
How much is a life changing amount of money for you? Is it $1,000? $100,000? $1 million? If you got it, what would you do with it?
When referring to a product that is based on and compliant with the USB 3.2 specification, it is critical for manufacturers to clearly identify the performance capabilities of that device separately from other product benefits and/or physical characteristics.
This gives us:
USB 3.2 Gen 1, up to 5 Gbps, AKA SuperSpeed USB
USB 3.2 Gen 2, up to 10 Gbps, AKA SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps
USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, up to 20 Gbps, AKA SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps
And:
SuperSpeed Plus, Enhanced SuperSpeed and SuperSpeed+ are defined in the USB specifications however these terms are not intended to be used in product names, messaging, packaging or any other consumer-facing content.
In a nutshell, think of USB 3.2 as SuperSpeed USB, with three flavors, Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 2×2, supporting 5, 10, and 20 Gbps respectively. And the 2×2 refers to Gen 2 over two 10 Gbps wires, for a total of 20 Gbps.
You may already know that you can use your iPhone with the Remote app to control your Apple TV. But did you know you can also use your Apple Watch?
These are convenient options if your Siri remote isn’t nearby, it needs to be charged, or you are having trouble with it. And since you’re already wearing your Apple Watch, you have the handiest remote of all.
Here’s how to use Apple Watch as a remote for Apple TV.
This seems a little silly but I’m going to try it anyway.
Many have died attempting to ski the world’s second tallest mountain. See how National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Andrzej Bargiel made history.
Last July, after days of climbing, Andrzej Bargiel skied down K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain. K2 is so steep and dangerous that Dave Watson, the only American to attempt skiing K2, explains, “If you fall, you’re going to die.”
This Reddit thread is provocative, but thoughtful. Rare to see a discussion like this not devolve into opposing, trolling camps.
I value perspective on Steve because he made so many dents in the universe and had such strong vision. Lessons (both positive and negative) worth holding onto.
iPhone photographers around the world shared their best photos for the Shot on iPhone Challenge, capturing remarkable moments with the world’s most popular camera. The 10 selected winners will be featured on billboards in select cities, in Apple retail stores and online. The winning shots came from a range of models, from iPhone XS Max to iPhone 7, showcasing the quality of cameras across the line.
The top 10 winners came from countries including Singapore, Germany, Belarus, Israel and the US, highlighting the global community of iPhone photographers that participated. These photos capture colorful city scenery, curious animals, creative reflections, the beauty of the ordinary and more.
Our international panel of judges — Pete Souza, Austin Mann, Annet de Graaf, Luísa Dörr, Chen Man, Phil Schiller, Kaiann Drance, Brooks Kraft, Sebastien Marineau-Mes, Jon McCormack and Arem Duplessis — gave some insight on why they loved these shots.
There are some pretty phenomenal shots here. Amazing to me that these were taken by ordinary folks, and also how sophisticated our pocket cameras have become.
Everyone knows how important hockey is to Canadians but no matter who you are or where you’re from, watching six minutes of this little guy will make you smile for the rest for the day. Thanks to my friend Sylvia Marton for the link.
We may not retain all the players’ names or the intricacies of the various plot lines, but the creative punishments the gods—Zeus, in particular—visited upon those who displeased them have provided modern mortals with an enduring shorthand for describing our own woes.
Averaging around five minutes per tale, each episode is packed tight as a snake in a can of mixed nuts. Prepare to be surprised by some of the tidbits that come springing out.
My 13 year old loves Greek mythology so I’m looking forward to watching these with him.
No one tries to comfort her. This is the job she was hired to do. And for the 1,000 people like Chloe moderating content for Facebook at the Phoenix site, and for 15,000 content reviewers around the world, today is just another day at the office.
I interviewed a dozen current and former employees of Cognizant in Phoenix. All had signed non-disclosure agreements with Cognizant in which they pledged not to discuss their work for Facebook — or even acknowledge that Facebook is Cognizant’s client.
The shroud of secrecy is meant to protect employees from users who may be angry about a content moderation decision and seek to resolve it with a known Facebook contractor. The NDAs are also meant to prevent contractors from sharing Facebook users’ personal information with the outside world, at a time of intense scrutiny over data privacy issues
There was a geeky holy war on the Maps team. When Lars checked in the code to switch between maps and imagery, he called it “Satellite.” We were quickly informed that a significant % of the images were taken from airplanes — “Aerial Photography.” Our name was factually incorrect.
The story digs into the crazy process Google used to come up with an appropriate alternative to “Satellite” for Google Maps.
But they do get passed around the company, and sometimes they inspire real action inside. In particular, they’ve helped guide the company deeper into the health care field.
And not just letters to Tim. There are lots of examples out there of letters that get responses from Craig Federighi, Phil Schiller, Eddy Cue, etc.
The Times News, covering Jeff Williams speech at Elon University:
The Apple of 1998 was not what it is today.
The company was coming off a series of costly failures and was nearly bankrupt. Co-founder Steve Jobs had just come back as CEO after resigning over a disagreement with John Sculley in 1985. But there was a renewed energy, and Jobs had a plan.
Apple would become “the Sony of the PC industry.” It would make computers fashionable, and it would go after individual consumers rather than big business.
“I thought, ‘This is about the dumbest strategy I have ever heard,’ and that’s one of the reasons I thought it would go belly-up,” Williams said. “I guess you could say [Jobs] may have been right.”
Despite Jobs’ questionable business plan, Williams was charmed by the “contagious, palpable enthusiasm” at Apple, so he listened to his gut and came on board as head of Worldwide Procurement.
Just a reminder. Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997. So Jeff Williams’ timing was perfect, a chance to be part of one of the greatest business renaissances in history, a chance to work closely with Steve, watch all this unfold.
When the first Apple Watch was released, the basic model cost consumers $349 — steep compared to the first Fitbit, which clocked in at $99.95. Though the Apple Watch’s design and abilities differ from those of the Fitbit, another reason for the increased cost is the research that went into developing the product.
Apple wanted to create a wearable activity tracker that didn’t just measure exercise based on arm movement, Williams explained, so the tech giant built a physiology lab, hired 40 nurses and enlisted 10,000 participants to study how best to measure the calories burned during exercise.
And:
Williams did say cost is something they’re working to address.
“It’s something we’re very aware of,” he said. “We do not want to be an elitist company. That’s not — we want to be an egalitarian company, and we’ve got a lot of work going on in developing markets.”
Monetization on Apple News remains a slog, according to seven publishers interviewed by Digiday. Ad revenue is bogged down by advertisers’ disinterest in the ad inventory that publishers are selling directly, and by remnant ad fill rates that many publishers describe as abysmal, even after a modest improvement to start the year, sources said.
But:
But publishers contacted for this story all reported seeing steady growth in audience over the past year. For three sources, Apple News now drives more referral traffic than Facebook does. Getting featured in the product’s human-curated Top News widget inside Apple News can drive enormous boosts in traffic, sources said. Getting articles into Apple News’s content recirculation widget, which recommends stories for users to read next, can make a story one of the highest-read stories a publisher can share in a month, one source said.
This is an interesting story, worth reading. The original headline focuses on the cons, that of low revenues. Fair to point that out, but it does hide the fact that Apple News is still in its relative infancy and it has the ability to generate tremendous traffic.
Most importantly, at least to me, is Apple’s stance on privacy. Tracking users raises the value of advertising. Easier to make a buck via highly targeted user-tracking sites, since the advertiser’s results can be highly customized. But Apple offers a path that is better for users. Can publishers resist the Google/Facebook siren call?
Between AI music and what the signal bars mean on your phone, Dave did everything he could to make me sad in this week’s show. We did have a lot of fun doing it though—I hope you enjoy.
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Apple plans to close both of its retail stores within the Eastern District of Texas in a few months from now in an effort to protect itself from patent trolls, according to five sources familiar with the matter.
Apple Willow Bend in Plano, Texas and Apple Stonebriar in Frisco, Texas, both located in the northern suburbs of Dallas, are expected to permanently close in mid April. One source said each store’s final day of business will be Friday, April 12. Employees were briefed about the plans earlier this week.
To continue to serve the region, Apple plans to open a new store at the Galleria Dallas shopping mall in Dallas, just south of the Eastern District of Texas border.
And:
The plans are significant, as U.S. law states that patent infringement lawsuits may be filed “where the defendant has committed acts of infringement and has a regular and established place of business.” By closing its stores in Eastern Texas, Apple is ending its established place of business in the district.
Oh do I hate patent trolls. A scourge. Incredible to me that this giant step is necessary. This system is broken.
Although the company has yet to say so publicly, developers and Intel officials have privately told Axios they expect such a move as soon as next year.
Later this year, Apple plans to let developers port their iPad apps to Mac computers via a new software development kit that the company will release as early as June at its annual developer conference. Developers will still need to submit separate versions of the app to Apple’s iOS and Mac App Stores, but the new kit will mean they don’t have to write the underlying software code twice, said the people familiar with the plan.
So much to chew on here. One sense I do get is that of a grand master plan unfolding, all of this leading to a new ARM-based, shared code base vision. But a vision that is not quite in focus yet. I’ll be very interested to see if Apple shares the big picture at this summer’s WWDC.
In a note published on February 20, the firm called Samsung’s newly introduced $1,980 Galaxy Fold “the main potential challenge” for Apple in the ultra-high-end smartphone market. “In terms of competition for Apple we see the Fold as the main potential challenge in the ultra high-end with a compelling form factor that only Samsung’s foldable OLED technology can deliver in our opinion,” the note said.
And:
“We see this as challenging for Apple who could find themselves with no access to the critical flexible OLED technology for which we believe Samsung has at least a two year lead over other display competitors.”
But:
Although Samsung demonstrated the device on stage, it did not allow media attendees to try the Fold after the event, which Goldman also flagged as a cause for concern.
The issue here: Samsung controls the supply of foldable OLED displays. A two year lead is formidable.
During the unveiling, Samsung emphasized the Fold’s versatility in being able to transform from an ordinary smartphone into a tablet just by opening it up. But this device — and others like it — are bad phones, and worse tablets. Every shot of the closed phone looks like it’s begging to be unfolded; its display looks narrow, uncomfortable, and cramped. It seems far better in its tablet-like configuration, but it is at best a diet version of a tablet.
Though Samsung does have a significant and protected lead, the product niche is nowhere near established. If Apple sees foldables in their future, they’re no doubt working on building the technology with another vendor, and/or working on the mechanics of building a foldable OLED display themselves.
This is a clever little Mac utility that copies all your open Safari tabs to a list of links, all organized by window.
I tend to accumulate a ton of tabs, organized by topic. So I might have one window with a bunch of Logic Pro-related pages, another with potential Loop posting topics, and another with research topics or sports or whatever.
Once your list of links is saved, Tabs to Links lets you copy the list to the clipboard, making it simple to share.
Verizon finally offered some details about its 5G launch this morning: it plans to deploy the next-gen wireless technology in 30 cities by the end of 2019. The carrier didn’t say which cities those would be, how thoroughly 5G would be deployed throughout those cities, or when exactly the launch would begin, but Verizon did say that each launch would include some deployment of super fast millimeter wave radios.
We are at the very early stages here. The 5G rollout will take time. There’s a lot of infrastructure to build.
5G is not like existing cell service, served by giant cell towers, each built to serve a large geographic area. 5G cells are the size of a city block. Obviously, that requires many more boxes. Add in the fact that 5G signals have difficulty penetrating thick walls and you can see that 5G will require antennae everywhere there is coverage.
On the other side of the equation, there’s the complete lack of 5G phones. They are coming, with the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G just announced and, I’m sure, other phones in the works.
Side note: 5G has a data transfer rate up to about 20Gbps. That’s not as fast as fast WiFi, but compared to the cellular we have now, that’s blazingly fast. And, perhaps, fast enough to be a threat, and an alternative, to cable.
UPDATE: According to Loop reader jimothyGator, the 5G transfer rate will actually be faster than the fastest WiFi. Check the comments. A real threat to cable.
Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner has created an eye-popping new photo showing a 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV disintegrating with its individual components exploding in all directions. Here’s what’s crazy: Oefner actually photographed the $2 million car, spending nearly 2 years shooting and stitching the parts.
I will never create an image like this. Wouldn’t actually want to. But I can certainly admire the amazing work that went into it.
As cities strive to improve the quality of life for their residents, many are working to promote walking and biking. Such policies make sense, since they can, in the long run, lead to less traffic, cleaner air and healthier people. But the results aren’t all positive, especially in the short to medium term.
In Washington, D.C., for example, traffic fatalities as a whole declined in 2018 compared to the year before, but the number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths increased by 20%. Pedestrian deaths also have risen in New York, and pedestrian and cycling fatalities have increased in Los Angeles in the past several years.
It’s a sad irony that as cars get safer, the world outside of them that they share with pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, gets more and more dangerous.
