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?
Here’s how people who block ads justify it: Convenience, control, and avoiding slow load times
I’ve said it many times, this is an issue the ad publishers have brought on themselves and, for the most part, we have little sympathy for them. But it’s going to cause a significant shift in the way all web sites monetize their offerings.
Aboot time: Artist creates Canadian Pokémon characters
Now that Pokemon Go is available in Canda, maybe we can hunt these unique Canadian characters.
OverType, a typewriter simulator on the web
This will make the older readers smile and the younger readers say, “How did you put up with this!?”
The sound so loud that it circled the earth four times
Along with the “Tunguska Event”, this is another of those phenomena that fascinated me as a kid.
Inside Apple Campus 2 and its vast expanses of sedak glass
I don’t know much about construction or architecture but I know, from all I’ve read, that Apple’s new campus is a remarkable feat of engineering and will be an amazing building once it’s completed.
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.
Adobe Lightroom now lets you edit RAW files on your phone
This could be a big deal for Lightroom users who want to edit photos while away from a computer.
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?
Apple’s plan to own the entire music industry
If this analysis is true, it’s an ambitious plan. But if anyone has all the tools in place to do it, it’s Apple.
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.
The surprisingly interesting story behind the Filet-O-Fish sandwich
You’d have to put a gun to my head to get me to eat a Filet-O-Fish but the story of its creation is interesting.
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.
Apple donates $1M to help China cope with flood
The flooding has been devastating to the area with more than a million people displaced from their homes and hundreds dead.
The code that sent Apollo 11 to the moon just resurfaced online and is chock-full of jokes
I have no hope of understanding or reading the code but I think it’s hilarious it’s full of jokes and puns.
Apple’s Swift Playgrounds can help you learn to code, but it’s no HyperCard
You knew, as soon as Playgrounds was announced, the comparisons to Hypercard would come. I don’t think Apple set out to create a successor to Hypercard but for them, anything that gets kids interested in coding is good and will have benefits years down the road.
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.
Bear cams in Alaska’s Katmai National Park
If you have kids, you have got to show them this really cool live web cam.
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.
Bizarre spinning toys
Fair warning: The Physics Girl Youtube page will suck you in to all kinds of cool videos.
This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22
There’s a lot more to be done but Apple is a leader in making its technology accessible to people with disabilities.
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.
Lunch with Apple’s Bozoma Saint John auctioned for charity
After her star turn at this past WWDC, I imagine this auction will be an even hotter ticket.
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.
After 1.7 billion miles Juno nails its Jupiter orbit to within tens of miles
Like most space exploration, this mission is another amazing achievement.