Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away this past Saturday. This video gives an excellent sense of why Iwata-san was so beloved.
Media
John Lasseter on Pixar
Rob Richman pulled some quotes from this morning’s Times interview with Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter.
Four new Apple Watch ads
Four new 30 second ads, all for Apple Watch. Two of them are city themed, with the names Berlin and Bejing. One is about fitness, called Goals. One is about parenthood, called Closer.
The Star Wars Comic-Con reel. A real gift.
This is a real gift from J. J. Abrams and company.
Apple’s new ad campaign
Two new ads from Apple, both ending with the tag line:
If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone
Ripple
The Grateful Dead classic, Ripple, in honor of the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary
Woz weighs in on the new Steve Jobs trailer
I am a huge Sorkin fan and (Gasp!) a bit of an Apple fan. I can’t wait to see this movie.
An hour with Safari Content Blocker in iOS 9
This is an interesting and non-trivial issue. If we completely block ads, the advertising revenue that pays folks who write for sites like iMore is impacted, if not eliminated.
Re/code interview with Apple SVP of Operations Jeff Williams
This interview happened a month ago, but re/code just released the complete video and transcript. I actually enjoy reading a transcript. Let’s me focus, undistracted, on the words.
Peter Jackson and Ian McKellen pen tributes to Christopher Lee
Sadly, actor Christopher Lee died last week. You likely know him best as Saruman, from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Director Peter Jackson and actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf himself) put pen to paper to pay last respects to their friend.
Dave Grohl breaks leg after falling off stage, finishes concert anyway
Dave Grohl is a master showman, great guitarist and songwriter, and must have one hell of a pain threshold. Respect.
Phil Schiller takes a big risk, John Gruber makes it pay off
Phil took the risk. John Gruber made it pay off. And Marco caught the true essence of the moment.
No new Apple TV at WWDC
Brian X. Chen, writing for the New York Times:
Yet one much ballyhooed device will be absent from the conference: a new Apple TV, Apple’s set-top box for televisions.
Feh.
How well can you hear audio quality?
Follow the headline link to try your hand at picking the highest quality stream from three different choices.
Where to get press coverage for your startup
A useful list of press contacts, organized as a sortable spreadsheet.
Om Malik reacts to Re/code sale, Gigaom asset acquisition
I can only imagine how this must feel.
David Letterman’s very last entrance
We’ll miss you, Dave.
If you’re pitching Marc Andreessen, here’s the bottle of bourbon to bring him
A fascinating article about Bourbon, VCs, and artificial markets.
Adam Sandler’s sweet goodbye song for David Letterman
Adam Sandler really cares about David Letterman, wrote this song as a tribute and a way to say goodbye. Just great.
Facebook forking the news business
Facebook’s new Instant news service gives them unprecedented control over the news business.
Enter Sandman played live backwards
Well, not quite live, it is recorded, but each segment is played and sung backwards. Then the whole thing is reversed. This is original and clever. Just give it a listen.
Om Malik’s fantastic interview with billionaire Brunello Cucinelli
This is a long, lovely, lazy Sunday read.
Elvis Costello revealed
A solid, if too short, documentary on Elvis Costello, and my absolute favorite Costello performance of a song he wrote with Paul McCartney.
Hulu Sets Mammoth ‘Seinfeld’ Licensing Deal Worth Nearly $180 Million
Amazing to me how much money was generated by a show about nothing.
Apple iPad ‘test model’ stolen during robbery, kidnapping at Cupertino home
Bizarre.
Watch Rachel Flowers, blind since birth, nail this Frank Zappa solo on stage with Dweezil Zappa and the band
Rachel Flowers is a terrific musician. Her keyboard skills rival her guitar chops. I don’t know the whole backstory, but apparently Rachel’s Zappa mastery became known to Dweezil Zappa and he invited her to guest-gig with his band, Zappa Plays Zappa in Las Vegas this past Saturday night.
How to turn your Apple Watch gold (or any other color)
Casey Neistat takes an Apple Watch and does his best to turn it into a poor person’s gold Apple Watch Edition.
An Android fan’s take on Google vs Apple
Take a look at what is buried on Google Maps in the north-east corner of Pakistan.
Three new Apple Watch ads
Three new Apple Watch ads, full of detail.
Norway to become first country to kill off FM radio
Norway will officially kill off FM radio in 2017. Will the dominos fall? Is Norway the first of many?