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Kind of cool—it looks to be made from the same tolex that Marshall makes it amps with.

So Android isn’t safe when you’re using it and it’s not safe when you get rid of it either.

I’m sure everyone has seen the YouTube videos of these kids by now, but a new twist in the saga saw them sign a record deal with Sony.

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The Globe and Mail:

What used to be poor man’s fare, the fallback meal of people too impoverished to afford anything else, is now a billion dollar business and a universal mark of luxury – with the result that a lobster that sells for $3.50 on the wharf can cost $60 and more on a restaurant plate in New York or Toronto or Shanghai, regardless of how many lobsters are pulled from the sea. How this happens is the life story of Larry the Lobster.

As a native Nova Scotianer, lobster, both as a delicious beachside meal and an economy sustaining industry, is near and dear to me. The story of how lobster gets from the ocean floor to the dinner plate is one not many people know and the economics of it is fascinating.

Vox:

In Brazil, “Tudo bom” roughly translates to “all good.” It’s used both as a question and an answer. Tudo bom? Sim, tudo bom. Just like the World Cup. The World Cup in Brazil has been both a blessing and a curse. The joy of sport but at what cost?

As the World Cup wraps up in Brazil today, there will be much soul searching in the country — not just with regards to the awful loss to Germany but whether or not the whole enterprise was worth it. Knowing many Brazilians, I think most of them will say yes it was.

Regardless, I think the relative success of the the 2014 World Cup bodes well for Brazil’s hosting of the Summer Olympics.

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Apple launched a new blog on its developer site on Friday dedicated to the Swift programming language introduced during WWDC. The company also made Xcode 6 beta available to all registered developers.

For a long time, Brooks has declined to put his music online, as he insisted albums be released in their entirety. It’s not clear if that’s how he’ll release his music moving forward, but all digital sales will be handled through his official website, not iTunes. There will be a window when his entire collection will be released at a “stupid” price.

Come on Garth, put it on iTunes and be done with this stupid shit.

Much respect.

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Slate:

Can you guess these ’90s hits by their first second?

Sadly, I only got seven out of sixteen but, in my defense, I didn’t like any of the songs I missed. Thanks to Dan Frakes for the link.

Apple released iTunes 11.3 on Thursday, bringing iTunes Extras to Apple TV and iOS 8 when its released this fall. […]

Great article on The Mac Observer—If you’re going to get tips, get them from the engineer that worked on it.

I was at the keynote when Steve Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007. It was an amazing introduction—historic for Apple and the consumer electronics industry. One thing that everyone was asking for after the launch was apps. On July 10, 2008, Apple launched the App Store, forever changing the way we use smartphones, tablets and many other devices. Think about how you used devices before apps, and how you use them today—there is no comparison. The iPhone and apps have changed the world.

Thanks Apple.

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Fortune:

In recent years, a debate has raged on among publishing and advertising industry insiders over “sponsored content”—more recently called “native advertising” and once known as “advertorial”—the sort of advertising that looks very much like editorial content but is, in fact, directly paid for by an advertiser.

Industry peers watched and discussed: Is it deceptive? Is it ethical? Does it even work?

It can be deceptive – Macworld had a nasty habit of putting the “sponsored content” info at the bottom of the post instead of front and centre – as to “does it work”? Certainly not on me. If I see an article marked as “sponsored”, I don’t even bother reading it regardless of my interest in the subject matter.

Reuters posted an article this morning about how blind and deaf people want more from Apple in making apps accessible. I’m all for this, and from what I’ve seen from Apple over the years, they are in favor of improving accessibility features in OS X and iOS too. […]

Sometimes you just need a quick and simple photo editor to clean up your photos. Whether you need some mild editing, digital borders, objects removed, colors enhanced or areas brought into focus, this Mighty Deal has it all covered. This Snap Pack Bundle includes 4 incredible Mac photo apps, for one low price: Snapheal, FX Photo Studio, Focus 2 and ColorStrokes. They’re all incredibly easy to use and feature some truly robust editing tools.

The Atlantic:

People often forget that someone else comes in to clean up after all the forensic work is done.

Crime-scene cleaning is not a glamorous profession, but it is a lucrative one. Last year there were 333 murders in New York City alone. Considering that companies like Island Trauma clean up crime scenes, natural deaths, and hoarder homes in the entire Tri-State area, they tend to keep busy throughout the year.

You think your job sucks? Try this one.

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Buzzfeed:

There is (a) group of people who aren’t just nostalgic for Weird Al; they live his gospel. These are people who never set aside the wackiness, the zaniness, the never-ending slide-whistle call of funny music. And I want to find out what makes them tick. That’s why I’ve decided to go to the first ever FuMPFest (Funny Music Project): to meet the acts and the fans who are still out there making and loving funny music.

I’m not sure what to expect, except that I will be laughing very hard.

White people are funny.

America’s Space Shuttle:

As a part of every launch,over 125 cameras are positioned all over the launch pad structure and around the perimeter of the complex to view how the vehicle performs and to catch views of any potential debris as the vehicle clear the pad.

I thought it would be neat to combine different angles of the launches of STS-124 and STS-117 with additional music from the summer blockbuster “Armageddon” to set the scene for one of the greatest technological feats ever displayed.

This is such a good compilation, it almost makes me want to watch “Armageddon” again.

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The Consumerist:

Customers will have to prove that they’re over 21 in order to buy a prepaid card to use in the beer-o-mat. The machines also limit the quantity of beer that customers can purchase, limiting them to 48 ounces every 15 minutes. You know, in case a group has dispatched one person to get beer for everyone.

Those 48 ounces of beer will cost $18.24 if you buy the cheapest selection, Bud or Bud Light at 38 cents per ounce.

I heard The Publisher of The Loop is starting a Kickstarter campaign to set up one of these full of Heineken in his house.

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FiveThirtyEight:

Led Zeppelin is classic rock. So are Mötley Crüe and Ozzy Osbourne. But what about U2 or Nirvana? As a child of the 1990s, I never doubted that any of these bands were classic rock, even though it may be shocking for many to hear. And then I heard Green Day’s “American Idiot” on a classic rock station a few weeks ago, and I was shocked.

It was my first time hearing a band I grew up with referred to as “classic rock.” Almost anyone who listens to music over a long enough period of time probably experiences this moment — my colleagues related some of their own, like hearing R.E.M. or Guns N’ Roses on a classic rock station — but it made me wonder, what precisely is classic rock?

I remember the first time I heard my favourite band, The Clash, on a “Classic Rock” station and being depressed to think I was now officially old enough to have my favourite band relegated to a classic rock station.

Apple:

On June 29, thousands of Apple employees and their families marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade. They came from around the world — from cities as far as Munich, Paris, and Hong Kong — to celebrate Apple’s unwavering commitment to equality and diversity. Because we believe that inclusion inspires innovation.

I’d love one of those t-shirts.

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Petapixel:

(This) time-lapse took 363 total hours of work between the 75 hours of logistics and travel, 31 hours of scouting locations, 78 hours of shooting and a whopping 179 hours of post-production spent dealing with 26,014 Camera Raw files that totaled up to some 817GB of data.

Gear used included four Nikon DSLRs (a D800, D7100, D7100 and D3200), six separate Nikon lenses (10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye, 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED AF-S DX, 16-35mm f/4G AF-S VR, 28mm AF f/2.8D, 50mm f/1.4G AF-S, 70-200mm f/2.8G) and a Promote Control.

Gorgeous video made amazing knowing the tech details behind it.

There are some interesting stories here if you have some time.

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io9:

Wizards of the Coast has released the Basic Rules for the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons as a free PDF right here. The 100-page document details how to make a character, play the game, and covers magic, too.

Specifically, the Basic Rules “covers the core of the game. It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options; in addition, the rules contain 120 spells, 5 backgrounds, and character sheets.”

How many of you will download these rules with no intention of playing but just for old time’s sake? I did.

. Al Arabiya News:

In the first deal of its kind in the Middle East, Apple has inked an agreement with Saudi bookshop Jarir to supply all Apple products through the outlet, as well as providing an after-sales service.

In an interview with Al Arabiya News Channel, Jarir’s chairman, Mohammad al-Aqeel, said that this agreement will allow the prices of Apple products sold at Jarir branches to be slightly reduced.

The question many ask is, “Why doesn’t Apple open their own retail outlet?” Remember, this kind of “store within a store” idea is what Apple initially did to test the retail concept before the first US Apple Retail Stores opened. They are likely doing the same in the Middle East.

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Pando Daily:

Pretty much every page you visit contains at least one piece of tracking code — watching where you click, how long you stay, and how often you come back.

What I didn’t know is how absolutely out of control the number of trackers on popular sites has become. It’s actually horrifying.

I don’t know if it’s “horrifying” but it certainly is instructive what sites do what kind of tracking on your visits.

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Luc Vandal:

It is now much harder to make it into the market and it requires more planning, financial investment and time. The App Store market is now mature and near 7 years old.

I have spoken with other successful developers and many told me the same: sales are generally down. They are still doing great but there are more and more competitors are also taking a slice of the same pie.

Media attention is also harder to get as they get overwhelmed with review requests and press releases.

Interesting look at the challenges faced by independent developers.

Now Samsung are calling iPhone owners “Wall Huggers,” a phrase first used by BlackBerry CEO John Chen, as Jordan Khan points out. Really, stealing from BlackBerry?

How do you keep track of all the digital detritus in your life? I’ve got an encrypted file containing all my critical info, including account numbers, passwords, and lists of various things, like the location of my car title. My kids all know the location of this file and the password to decrypt the file.

Reading this article, I’m wondering if that’s enough.