[VIDEO] This is the story of how Google artist Jennifer Hom went about creating the Google Doodle for St Patricks Day. Good research, but even better artwork. Lovely stuff.
Apple resurrects the iPad 4 at $399, retires the iPad 2, adds 8G iPhone 5c
From Ars Technica:
This morning Apple made a couple of new additions to its iOS lineup, where “new” in this case means “old stuff that is nevertheless better than what it is replacing.” It has finally removed the iPad 2 from its lineup and replaced it with 2012’s fourth-generation iPad. For its second tour of duty, the 16GB iPad 4 will set you back $399 for a 16GB Wi-Fi version or $529 for a cellular version, $100 less than the equivalent iPad Air models and equal to the 16GB Retina iPad mini. There’s also a new 8GB model of the iPhone 5C, which as of this writing is only available in certain territories.
Apple’s former marketing chief on working with Steve Jobs, seminal product launches
Allison Johnson was the Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Communications at Apple from 2005-2011. She was one of a select few who reported directly to Steve Jobs and was responsible for memorable ad campaigns like “Mac vs. PC” and “There’s an app for that”. More importantly, Johnson helped develop a launch culture at Apple that saw lines around the block for products like the iPhone and iPad.
From the Vimeo page:
In this interview with Behance’s Scott Belsky, Johnson shares stories from her time at Apple, emphasizes authenticity in business, and reveals how we can find a balance between launching a polished product (like Apple) versus shipping fast for feedback (like Google).
This video gives an excellent sense of what it was like working with Steve Jobs and being at the center of the Apple universe during some particularly notable times, but it is more about marketing craft than it is about reminiscing. Lots to learn. Great to watch.
Microsoft OneNote for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. All free.
Here’s the link to the Mac version.
And the iPad version.
And the iPhone version.
All free. Worth it? Time will tell.
How to make water flow uphill
[VIDEO] This was astonishing. One of those things that seem to defy the laws of physics. The whole thing is interesting, but if you just want the shiny bits, skip ahead to about 2:00, where the real action starts. Wow.
SCIENCE!
Alibaba’s IPO could put $15.4 billion into Yahoo’s pocket
Yahoo made an incredible investment when it paid $1 billion for 40% of Alibaba Group back in 2005. Times have changed and now Alibaba is the bigger fish. Last year, a subset of Alibaba’s properties, two web portals, together did more business than eBay and Amazon combined.
Shrewd move on Yahoo’s part.
The iMore iOS 7.1 review
Rene Ritchie presents his take on the latest iOS release.
Apple Store app improves iBeacon support, allows physical gift card purchases
If you don’t have the Apple Store app on your phone and iPad, they are worth getting. Don’t forget to pick up your free music.
Cardiologist tells story of pitching a medical app to Steve Jobs in 1977
Cardiologist George Diamond had an idea for a piece of software that could help diagnose coronary disease. The Apple II was brand new and, in 1977, represented a huge leap in the accessibility of computing power. This is the story of how Dr. Diamond pitched his idea directly to Steve Jobs and Apple.
Judge decides Pandora will pay ASCAP 1.85% of annual revenue – Win for Pandora, loss for songwriters
From Billboard:
“This rate is a clear defeat for songwriters,” Sony/ATV Music CEO Martin Bandier says. “This rate is woefully inadequate and further emphasizes the need for reform in the rate court proceedings. Songwriters can’t live in a world where streaming services only pay 1.85% of their revenue. This is a loss, and not something we can live with.”
Stanford’s inexpensive iPhone camera adaptor replaces diagnostic eye care camera costing thousands
The iPhone and iPad are revolutionizing medical care in so many ways. This inexpensive iPhone adaptor from Stanford will allow an iPhone to replace a diagnostic machine costing tens of thousands.
Jony Ive interviewed by the Sunday Times Magazine
The original Sunday Times interview was behind a paywall, but Time Magazine carried it in the clear. The post carries excerpts from the interview, and some comments from the man who wrote the Jony Ive book.
Video camera falls out of airplane, keeps shooting even when it hits the ground
[VIDEO] This was either staged and cut together, or incredibly cool. I’m going with the latter.
California couple discover $10 million in buried coins
I love a good buried treasure story. This one does not disappoint.
The NEX band and the world’s first hardware app store
The NEX band is a wrist band that acts as a hub for clip-on hardware mods that add various notification capabilities. At first blush, this seems like a genius idea. The NEX band tackles some of the same ideas addressed by existing smart bands, but builds in a plug and play extendability.
I can only assume that the appropriate teams at Apple are digging in to this technology with great interest. Fascinating tech.
Before He Died, Steve Jobs Told Top Executives Apple Would Not Be Making A TV
This story is based on content from Yukari Iwatani Kane’s new book “Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs”.
One person asked if Apple was going to release a television next. There were already rumors all over the place that it was Apple’s next conquest.
Yukari says “Jobs didn’t hesitate.” He said, “No.”
Virgin America cancels #nerdbird flights
Bummer. I thought this was a cool idea. The #nerdbird flew between Mineta San Jose International Airport and LAX.
5 tips to fix your iPhone and iPad battery life problems on iOS 7.1
Some good food for thought from iMore.com. Even if you are not having specific problems, give this a read. Worth knowing in case it happens to you or someone you know.
Some math to help you fill out your March-madness brackets and win a billion dollars
First things first. If you want to win a billion dollars, all you have to do is enter the QuickLoans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge and pick every single game correctly. OK, the odds on doing that approach 9 quadrillion-to-one, but who knows, you might just get lucky.
Why Apple’s app store still earns much more money than Google’s
Interesting piece from Seeking Alpha (free reg-wall) about the rise of mobile gaming and the projected financial future for Apple and Google. The real core of the numbers come from the annual App Annie report (free reg-wall) on mobile gaming trends, well worth the read if you are interested in the specifics.
Reddit thread on the best Apple keynote of all time
This is a new thread, so check back periodically and contribute your own ideas. Some good suggestions there already.
Library of Congress scans classic books, puts them online for free
The list is a long one and includes classics such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Dracula, and In the Court of King Arthur, to name but a few.
The real beauty is that these old editions are real scans, as opposed to optical character recognition (OCR) scans that are converted into plain text. To me, this adds to the experience of enjoying a truly classic work.
Drones to deliver drugstore items in San Francisco’s Mission District?
This cannot possibly be true, can it?
For one brief shining moment, commercial drones are now legal in U.S. skies, thanks to a court decision this month that slapped down the Federal Aviation Administration’s attempt to ground them.
A San Francisco company has leaped on the opportunity, gearing up to offer drone delivery of drugstore items in the Mission.
Jeff Bridges and photography
The use of crowdsourcing to search for flight MH 370
Last Tuesday, we posted a link to the crowdsourced satellite image search for flight MH 370.
The linked article digs in to the details of Tomnod and the Tomnod search, then expands to talk about other crowdsource map search efforts. Interesting read.
Smart bracelet detects movement of your hand, translates into sound
[VIDEO] Moff bills itself as a “wearable smart toy”. Grab a broom and strum, and the Moff bracelet will emit a guitar sound. Grab a banana and point it like a gun, and your shots ring out. A pretend tennis racket, you’ll hear a swat sound when you swing.
I’m not sure this is useful as much as playful, but I love the concept and I think there’s something to this. I’m interested in watching this evolve.
The birth of desktop publishing
Professor David Brailsford takes you on a walk down memory lane with Apple’s introduction of the Laserwriter.
The Computerphile videos are a bit low tech and homespun, but I find them both charming and informative.
U.S. to give up key internet governance role
Re/code:
Obama administration officials moved late Friday to end the U.S.’s role in overseeing Internet domain names and addresses, announcing plans to relinquish its role by the end of next year and turning the keys over to the global Internet community.
Commerce Department officials announced that the U.S. government would relinquish its role overseeing Internet addresses in favor of a to-be-determined global body.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has managed the use and governance of domain names and Internet addresses for the U.S. government since 1998, when it was awarded the task by the Commerce Department. Based in Los Angeles, ICANN oversees the Internet’s address system and has moved in recent years to open up new domain names.
Long time coming.
iOS 7.1 Spotted in More Than a Quarter of iPhone and iPad App Traffic
Wall Street Journal on high implied adoption rates for iOS 7.1, especially when compared to KitKat, the latest version of Android.
The birth of Bill Nye Science Guy
[VIDEO] Everyone knows Bill Nye Science Guy, right?
Well, it turns out, he started his career on a Seattle comedy show called Almost Live. Almost Live was a sketch show, similar to Saturday Night Live, shown on the local Seattle NBC affiliate KING from 1984-1999.
Bill Nye was one of the Almost Live writers and periodically appeared in various sketches, sometimes as a speed walking superhero (one of his first repeating characters). But my favorite bit was when Bill would come on stage and do some science. In the beginning, the science was terrible, but fascinating. Over time, he got quite good at it and started to develop a national following.
Here’s an example (in the original post), where Bill returns to the show after he became famous. If you are interested in seeing some of his earliest stuff, go to YouTube and do a search for “Bill Nye Science Guy Almost Live”.