How old school floppy drives worked

Really interesting and really nerdy video about how floppy disks works. Kids, ask your parents what a “floppy disk” is.

Rocket Slides and Monkey Bars: chasing the vanishing playgrounds of our youth

This is a fascinating article about the history of the playgrounds many of us horsed around on as kids. We think of them with nostalgia but, if we’re honest with ourselves, some of that equipment was incredibly dangerous. We had metal slides that, in the heat of the summer, could cause significant burns. And who doesn’t remember being spun off (or doing the spinning off) the Merry Go Round? And how many kids fell from the top of the Monkey Bars, hitting every steel bar on the way down, knocking out multiple teeth?

Review of the Twelve South ParcSlope

The nice folks at Twelve South have a bunch of really cool and clever accessories for Macs and iOS devices. I’ve always been a big fan of their products.

Advertisers set for a piece of ‘Pokémon Go’ action

This should come as no surprise. But I wonder if it will actually be worth it for the sponsors? After all, even if the retail location is a stop for Pokemon, that doesn’t mean people will shop there. Wouldn’t they be more likely to move on to the next stop?

Views from Manhattanhenge, New York City’s coolest sunset of the year

I’ve been in Manhattan for a Manhattanhenge and while the photography is fairly ordinary (after all, it’s just a sunset), the “social” aspect of it is hilarious. Hundreds of people standing on the corners, waiting for the light to turn green so they can run out into the middle of the street to take pictures down the city’s architectural canyons.

Google to change app permissions for ‘Pokémon Go’ after security concerns

After these concerns were expressed yesterday, Google is taking this step – one they shouldn’t have had to because the app should never have been allowed to have so much access to a player’s Google information. Google seems to again and again make these kinds of “mistakes” – trying to grab as much data from and about us as they can and only dialing it back once they get called on it.

Prisma photo app

This is one of those little apps I love. It doesn’t work for every photo but it’s an app I’ll often use when waiting in line or just “doodling” in my head. Sometimes, you can create amazing images out of the most ordinary photos.

Pokemon Go is a huge security risk

Another example of why I hate when services force you to use your Facebook or Google or even Apple information in order to log on. I try and keep all of that stuff separate. It can be a bit of a pain to keep track of and manage but for me, it increases my security and privacy just that little bit more. Thanks very much to David Chartier For the link.

The U.S.-Canada border runs through this tiny library

One of many fascinating stories about life along the Canada-US border. I live only a few miles from it and often see the border obelisks along the road, reminding me that our two countries are close in many ways.

Little cursing Cooper

The only thing funnier than a little kid swearing is a little kid swearing with a British accent.

The 2016 iPhone Photography Award winners

Unsurprisingly, there are some beautiful images included. As I say to students in my photo classes, “What camera you use matters less than your ability to use it”. Congratulations to all the winners.

The explosion that came from nowhere

As a kid in Nova Scotia, I was fascinated by these explosions. I started off devouring information at the Halifax Public Library about the Halifax Explosion, moved on to Krakatoa and to the “Tunguska event”. No idea why these explosions fascinated me but I still read articles about them 40 years later.

Full moon photography using The Photographer’s Ephemeris 3.0

Have you ever wondered, “Will the sun rise or set over that building? Will the full moon go behind that statue?” Well, free web pages like The Photographer’s Ephemeris and apps like my personal favorite, Photopills (affilliate link), are great for answering that question. The Photographer’s Ephemeris can be a bit fidgeting but it’s worth it to get that perfect shot.

Securing a travel iPhone

I hope to start travelling in Europe again early next year and am interested in how to secure my iPhone. I don’t think I would go to all the trouble detailed in this post but there are definitely tips and tricks galore many of us can use to be even a bit more secure when we travel.