I love Segall’s reminisces about his time at Apple. I was privy to one of these outbursts many years ago when I was in the room as Jobs called a well-known tech columnist and chewed his ass off for a good five minutes. It was a magnificent example of barely controlled fury, peppered with some remarkable curse words.
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iPad Diaries: optimizing Apple Notes
MacStories: Notes in 2017 isn’t too different from its iOS 9 debut. Apple added integration with the Pencil in late 2015, private notes with iOS 9.3, and they brought sharing and collaboration features in iOS 10, but the app’s core … Continued
Apple Genius training from a former student
I found Stephen Hackett’s account, and notes, of his training to be interesting.
Curling: Not falling on your face is just the 1st challenge
Every now and then, some sportswriter gets it in his head that curling is easy and anyone can do it so they go out and try it. They always get proven wrong. It’s a more physical, challenging sport than what you imagine and also very technical.
This desert in the Southwest is experiencing a wildflower ‘superbloom’
If you are a photographer and live anywhere in the area, you owe it to yourself to get out and shoot this. The pictures on the story make the area look absolutely amazing.
Airbnb raises $1 billion in funding
Online room renting service Airbnb Inc said on Thursday it had raised $1 billion in its latest round of funding, valuing the company at $31 billion.
Investors clearly believe the company will overcome all of the issues its having with cities putting restrictions on rentals.
Classical music in Stanley Kubrick’s films: listen to a free, 4 hour Spotify playlist
I know what I’m going to be listening to for the next four hours.
Shatner’s seat, the small black triangle on the inside wall of most airplanes
Quora question:
I always see this small black triangle on the inside of airplane walls. What does it mean or do?
And the answer:
The black triangle marks the location of what has been called “William Shatner’s Seat,” the seat with the clearest view of the wing. This is the place inside the airplane from which you can get the best visual check for ice or other problems. The Shatner reference is to one of the strangest Twilight Zone episodes, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, which first aired on October 11, 1963. In it, Shatner’s character sees a gremlin on the wing of the plane he’s a passenger on.
Not sure if this is true, but I did a bit of lookup and there are a number of forums that tell a similar story. Great bit of trivia for your next flight, or the next time you meet William Shatner.
Living and dying on his own terms
Tom has been a friend to the Mac Community and a personal friend for many years. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see him have to go through this but, I know Tom is doing what he can to do this on his own terms. He’s a stubborn guy and he fought hard. But now it’s time for him to go. Be well, my friend.
Head of Uber’s AI labs leaves company
Gary Marcus, a research scientist who joined Uber four months ago as director of its AI labs, is leaving the company, according to sources. Uber bought Marcus’ startup, Geometric Intelligence, in December, using its 15 employees to form a new artificial intelligence unit.
No word on where he’s going, but I wondered if he’s going to Didi with the others.
Why women in tech aren’t surprised by the Uber saga
Imagine reading a woman’s story about being denied a team reward because she’s in the female minority, or a story about a sexual harassment complaint being dismissed by an HR manager, and thinking, “That sounds about right.” Or reading a follow-up story in The New York Times about inappropriate groping at work parties and saying to yourself, “That’s not surprising.”
We have to be better than this.
50 AC/DC riffs
Respect.
Apple backed Didi has opened a self-driving lab in California
Didi, China’s largest ride-hail player, is getting serious about self-driving cars. The company, which acquired Uber’s China assets in August 2016, today is opening an artificial intelligence lab right in the backyard of many of its self-driving competitors in Mountain View, Calif.
They poached some good people from their competitors too.
Lamborghini open to all-electric supercar
Lamborghini is open to an all-electric addition to its line-up of luxury sports cars, its chief executive said on Wednesday, evidence that German parent Volkswagen’s interest in producing zero-emission vehicles could extend to the very top end of its brands.
I think it’s safe to say that all manufacturers are working on electric models, especially those owned by Volkswagen.
76 women on a glacier are changing the world
Happily posting this in honour of International Women’s Day.
Steve McQueen’s lost ‘Bullitt’ car reportedly has been found and restored
This is one of the most recognizable cars in film history. While I personally find the film dated and the revered chase scene boring with continuity errors that make me crazy, car and action film buffs love it.
Quake is coming back. Here’s how you can be a beta tester
Personally, I was a bigger fan of Unreal Tournament, even though I sucked mightily at it.
Judge blocks FBI from forcing fingerprints from targets to unlock iPhones
This is a very interesting case and it’s not over yet. It’s always been said that you can’t be compelled to give up something you know (your password) but you can be compelled to give up something you have (your fingerprints). The judge in this case is turning that on its head.
Team plagiarizes Golden State Warriors. Team is undefeated.
New York Times:
Steve Green, the men’s basketball coach at South Plains College, was recovering from an up-and-down season last summer when he decided he needed to make a change. So he planted himself in front of the television in his living room and began to study — really study — his favorite team.
Green scribbled down every cut, every back screen and every curl. In pursuit of a goal that was so ambitious that it bordered on audacious, he consulted with his assistants and overhauled his playbook.
The results? His team is 28-0 entering the post-season. Audacious plan. Visionary. And it worked.
What the death of the CRT display technology means for classic arcade machines
In my travels to dive bars throughout North America, I’d often see an old arcade game off in a corner. I was always happy to pop a few quarters in and play those wonderful old devices. I’d never thought about what happens when they can no longer use CRTs.
Managing Apple in the enterprise
There may be some bias in this report but it at least confirms something many have known or suspected for years – Macs are easier to deploy, cost less and, when employees are given a choice of computer systems to use, they often choose to use Macs. The days of IT claiming they need to standardize on one device or brand are over.
App camp for girls
This is a very popular program so, if you know any eligible girls, sign them ASAP.
Balloon Light
Seriously, how could you not like this.
Amazon drops case for Alexa’s First Amendment rights
Amazon has abandoned its legal battle to protect its Alexa assistant with First Amendment rights — for now at least. The company filed a motion against a police search warrant in an Arkansas murder case earlier this month, but has now dropped the case after the defendant agreed to hand over the data contained on his Echo speaker to police.
Clearly, this will come up again.
An artist helps iTunes’ User Agreement go down easy
The EULA so many of us click through without ever bothering to read is ripe for parody and mockery.
eMate 300 turns 20
Stephen Hackett put together some links celebrating the eMate’s birthday. I’ll be honest, I forgot all about this product.
Porsche looks at all-electric SUV, hybrid 911
Porsche may offer an all-electric version of its Macan compact SUV and could turn models such as the iconic 911 into hybrids, its sales chief said on Tuesday, amid a push by parent company Volkswagen to move on from dieselgate.
I understand this is where the industry is going, but there’s just something about the roar of a Porsche engine that gets my heart pumping.
Woodturning a bowl from a log
I’m completely incompetent with tools but I love watching craftsmen create things out of raw materials. This video is a bit long but worth the watch.
The ABCs of particle physics
This seems like it might be a primer or definitions for kids but even adults can learn a lot from this site.
Self-driving bus being tested in San Francisco
A pair of $250,000 autonomous buses began driving around an empty San Francisco Bay Area parking lot on Monday, preparing to move onto a local public road in California’s first pilot program for a self-driving vehicle without steering wheel or human operator.
I’m not convinced the technology is ready yet, but okay.