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Federico often posts some of the most comprehensive app reviews on the Internet, but he really outdid himself this time—he basically wrote a book on this new app. I’m not joking. Much respect Viticci.

I love Jason Kottke’s description of this video:

Meet Jumpy the dog. This dog can jump higher than you, skateboard better than you, dive better than you, walk on its front paws better than you, surf better than you, catch a Frisbee better than you, do a backflip better than you, and ride a scooter better than you. Jumpy is better than you.

In an odd turn of events, Windows 8 has been banned from HWBot, one of the world’s top benchmarking and overclocking communities. All existing benchmarks recorded by Windows 8 have been disqualified. This is due to a fault in Windows 8′s real-time clock (RTC), which all benchmarking tools use as a baseline.

This seems fixable, but to have your flagship OS banned from one of the top benchmarking sites is a remarkable turn of events.

Happy to help keep the ship running straight and true while Jim is on the road. Beard growth in progress.

iOS and Mac developer, Dave Mark, will be helping me post some things on The Loop over the next couple of months, as I begin my fall travels for speaking engagements and events. Dave is the author of Learn C on the Mac, as well as some other development books. You can follow Dave on Twitter.

This is a really interesting article by Steve Cheney.

Sadly, this is happening all over the world these days.

Fascinating story.

I’d like to thank Storm Sim for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop. Storm Sim is the audio experience of a thunderstorm in your pocket. The app is more than a pre-recorded loop; it dynamically generates storms in real-time so it’s always unique and it never repeats.

It supports nearly infinite customization. Add more lightning, dial back the rain, or include a splash of freight train; get that perfect night’s sleep or just relax after a busy day.

Includes sleep and wake timers, AirPlay, LED Clock, add-on packs, and more. It’s a Universal app for iPhone and iPad that supports iOS 5 or higher.

Jim’s note: I showed this app to my wife and not only did she like it, she said she wished she had when the kids were smaller.

These are great. Much respect to Amazon and their customers for the laugh.

An interesting look at stock buybacks.

Duck Dynasty star Jase Robertson:

“I asked where the bathroom was and he said, ‘Right this way, sir.’ He was very nice,” Robertson shared on Live With Kelly & Michael. “He walked me outside, pointed down the road and said, ‘Good luck.'”

Stuff like this happens to me as well. It especially pisses me off when it happens in the hotel I’m staying at.

Matt Gemmell:

Whatever a person’s excuse might be, it’s difficult to get past the idea that this is someone who has failed to comprehend and internalise the rules of a language they’ve used almost every day of their life. That’s the magnitude of the negative impression being created. It’s like publicly, repeatedly demonstrating that you can’t tell the time, or count – and that you bizarrely don’t see those deficiencies as particularly worrisome or problematic.

I’ll be the first to admit that I make some very stupid mistakes when I write. They are not from lack of understanding and it horrifies me each time it happens. (I took extra time with this post).

Jim and Dan discuss Apple’s September 10th event, a lower-cost iPhone, Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 update, App Store vs. Google Play revenue, and more.

Sponsored by Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), Squarespace (use code DANSENTME8 for 10% off), Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME8 for 30% off), and Smile.

CARROT is a hilariously twisted AI construct who wants nothing more than for you to get out of bed every morning. Her witty spoken dialogue, beautiful songs, and innovative wake-up system will have you starting each day with a smile on your face.

If you have to wake up, it might as well be “hilariously twisted.”

Cool app that helps you plan ahead for upcoming expenses. I like apps like this that do one thing and does it well.

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In this issue, Rene Ritchie looks at the future of human interface and how iOS 7 has given him a glimpse into the future; Matt Gemmell remembers Dire Straits’ Alchemy Live; Canadian rock star, Ra McGuire from Trooper, talks about his life with the F-Word; Chris Domico is frustrated about how the Internet has turned us into idiots; and Matt Dusenbury analyzes Apple’s “Designed in California” ad campaign.

You can preview all of the articles online or download the app for iPhone and iPad, and subscribe with a seven-day free trial.

• The Future of Human Interface, Part 2

• The Magic of Alchemy

• My Life With the F-Word

• Cynicism Shut Down

• The Signature

People are scared of beards.

This is just weird. Go to any YouTube video and when it starts playing type:

1980

A missile command game comes up and starts to attack the video. You may have to type it in a few times before it works.

It looks pretty good. I still think Calendar and Contacts look a bit stark, but not as much on the Web site with the subtle color changes.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

Marketcircle makes some great products for Mac and iOS.

This is great.

Early Bird tickets are available for another great looking conference in San Francisco.

This is cool. Be sure to watch the graph changes at the bottom.

But what must have sounded like a good idea in the marketing meeting quickly dissolved into chaos. People aren’t stupid. They figured out that the only way to get the voucher was to burst the balloons, and they showed up equipped to do so with BB guns, knives on sticks, and other tools.

That’s never going to end well.

The solar-powered system, which Musk previously described as a cross between a Concorde, rail gun and air-hockey table, would shoot as many as 28 passengers in each enclosed capsule through a low-pressure steel tube at up to 800 miles per hour, according to the 57-page design plan.

It will be very interesting to see if Elon Musk or someone else will actually build this.

Storm Sim is the audio experience of a thunderstorm in your pocket. The app is more than a pre-recorded loop; it dynamically generates storms in real-time so it’s always unique and it never repeats.

It supports nearly infinite customization. Add more lightning, dial back the rain, or include a splash of freight train; get that perfect night’s sleep or just relax after a busy day.

Includes sleep and wake timers, AirPlay, LED Clock, add-on packs, and more. It’s a Universal app for iPhone and iPad that supports iOS 5 or higher.

Jim’s note: I showed this app to my wife and not only did she like it, she said she wished she had when the kids were smaller.