With Ar/VR “on the horizon”, more and more 360 video is showing up. If you’d like to start creating your own content, this is a good primer to help you get started.
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The true story of the “Ellen Selfie”
We all know that selfie wasn’t a spontaneous moment so it’s interesting to see how it came about.
Inside Jack White’s new vinyl-pressing paradise
We will never again have a format so wonderfully tactile as vinyl. I have nothing to play records on anymore and have no vinyl but I still have a fondness for the physicality of holding a record.
Android can’t compete with iMessage. Google is changing that.
It’s hard to overstate how convenient I find iMessage. On the rare occasions I “see the green” when I text someone, it’s really deflating.
What those little shapes on car bumpers are for
I’ve often wondered what those were.
Macintosh, Midi, and Music circa 1988
You don’t have to be a music fan to enjoy this great video from 1988. See how many people you recognize in the video.
My other favorite fictional detective
Earlier this week I posted about Jeremy Brett being my favorite Sherlock Holmes. I received a lot of great feedback from that, so I thought I’d tell you my other favorite fictional detective, Poirot.
David Suchet is absolutely spectacular in his depiction of Agatha Christie’s famous detective. I have watched these shows over and over again, enjoying them each time.
Apple addresses unexpected iPhone 6, 6s shutdowns with iOS 10.2.1
For a while now there have been reports of some older iPhone models, namely iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, shutting down unexpectedly. Apple introduced some diagnostics into iOS 10.2 back in December to try and determine what was happening and, with iOS 10.2.1, they’ve rolled out a fix.
Glad to see they figured out what was going on.
Post producing an Oscar nominated short film on Final Cut Pro
In the busy week in the run up to the awards, the director of Timecode, Juanjo Giménez, very kindly answered our questions about the post production process.
What’s amazing to me is that this was his first project using Final Cut Pro.
Google sues Uber over self-driving trade secrets theft
Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving car unit sued Uber Technologies and its autonomous trucking subsidiary Otto in federal court on Thursday over allegations of theft of its confidential sensor technology.
Oh boy.
Apollo 11 space capsule is going on another mission
One of the great museum exhibits in the world is going on tour and you owe it to yourself to go see it if it comes to your area. It will be in Houston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. I was lucky enough to see it in DC at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum but when it comes to Seattle, I’ll definitely make the trip down there to see it again.
New Top Gear trailer
I’ll always have a soft spot for Top Gear but its first season after the Clarkson implosion was not good by any measure. But I also don’t think “The Grand Tour” was a whole lot better. I’m looking forward to seeing this version of Top Gear with the two-thirds new cast.
Set up your Medical ID in the Health app on your iPhone
Apple has set up a procedure you can use on your iPhone to assist EMTs with information about you and who to contact in case of an emergency.
Scientists discover 7 ‘Earthlike’ planets orbiting a nearby star
This is an amazing discovery and really cool science but when you hear the media describe it as a “nearby” star, note that’s in astronomical terms. Even though it’s “only” 39 light-years away, it will likely be at least a century before humans can even think about traveling to them.
ColorWare’s colored AirPods
I usually don’t go for these types of colored Apple products, but damn I’d love to have a set of purple AirPods.
Fitbit paid just $23 million for Pebble
The price tag was just $23 million, according to figures disclosed Wednesday as part of Fitbit’s quarterly earnings report. Fitbit also spent $15 million on the assets of Vector Watch, another smartwatch company.
I’m not sure that Fitbit can do any more with Pebble than what Pebble did.
81 year old’s amazing guitar playing
Damn, I hope to still be walking at 81. Much respect.
Amazon gives everyone a discount on purchases today
Celebrating its 86.27 score in the Harris Corporate Reputation Poll, Amazon is giving everyone a discount of $8.62 on orders of $50 or more today only. Hey, celebrate whatever you want if I can save money.
Field Notes Utility Edition
“Utility” features your choice of two often-requested but rarely-available body pages: Engineer Graph or Ledger. Engineer Graph features an 1/8-inch grid with bolder lines each half-inch. It awaits your schematics, assembly drawings, geometry homework, or dungeon maps. The Ledger version, of course, is ultra-handy for mileage logs, parts lists, to-do lists, or any sort of handwritten accounting.
I’ve used these notebooks for years for all of my interviews and notes while on the road. I’d highly recommend them.
Verizon to offer 5G to select customers
New 5G networks are expected to provide speeds at least 10 times and up to maybe 100 times faster than today’s 4G networks, with the potential to connect at least 100 billion devices with download speeds that can reach 10 gigabits per second.
Those are impressive speeds.
“Make Me a Cocktail” suggests drink recipes based on ingredients you have at home
When I was younger, the only alcohol I ever had in my fridge was beer. But I’ve amassed a little bit of a liquor cabinet at home so a tool like this is handy when I’m want something different but aren’t sure what to make or how to make it.
Standing desks are either the greatest things ever or completely useless
As usual, the truth stands (see what I did there?) somewhere between. I’ve tried several kinds of standing desks and I prefer the ones that are adjustable. With bad knees, I can’t stand for an entire work day so being able to sit and stand when I feel like it works best for me.
Disney creates wireless power source, able to charge a mobile phone anywhere in a room
This might be part of our future but, even though I’m not usually paranoid about the “invisible forces” that surround us 24/7, this one gives me pause.
No comment
The only DVDs I’ve ever bought have been because of the commentary track. Not having them available anymore is a shame and a real loss to moviephiles.
Disney Pixar international movies side by side
I had no idea so much effort went into “customizing” movies for specific markets like this.
Apple’s news campus, “Apple Park” will open in April
Apple on Wednesday said its new 175-acre campus will open to employees in April. The campus, dubbed “Apple Park” by the company, will take six months to fully occupy with the 12,000 employees that will work there. […]
Anti-mosquito candles totally don’t work
Just as I’ve always suspected.
My favorite Sherlock Holmes
A lot of great actors have played Sherlock Holmes over the years, but none did as great a job as Jeremy Brett. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the greatest Sherlock Holmes of all.
Here’s everything in the $100,000+ swag bag given to Oscar nominees
These stories come out every year and every year, the gift bag gets more and more insane.
Why astronauts are banned from getting drunk in space
Aside from the obvious reasons (“We don’t allow car drivers or jet pilots to be drunk and in charge of their vehicles”), there are many others you may not have thought about.