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Apple kills the App Store Affiliate program

This has the potential to kill sites like Touch Arcade that use the revenue from App Store affiliate links to stay afloat. I think Apple’s stated reasoning for this action is utterly ridiculous and complete bullshit. But it also shows the danger for any site or business to rely too much on one source of revenue.

Reddit says hacker accessed some user data

Social media network Reddit said on Wednesday a hacker broke into a few of its systems and accessed some user data, including current email addresses and a 2007 database backup containing old encrypted passwords.

Reddit said they were notifying affected users. Christopher Slowe, Reddit’s founding engineer said the company recently hired its first head of security and noted that “So far he hasn’t quit.”

Oomph.

Renowned film director Wim Wenders hits out at “phone photography”

Wenders isn’t just some “cranky old man” we can easily ignore. I don’t necessarily agree with his overall premise but he does make some interesting points. Personally, I rarely take any photo that I don’t want to share with others in any number of ways.

Apple just explained why it’s going to make original TV shows

I find this aspect of Apple’s future business to be fascinating. They have the luxury of being able to take their time and “do it right” or, at least, do it their own way. I wouldn’t bet against them accomplishing whatever their goals are.

Logitech steps up to the mic

Blue makes many podcasters’ favorite microphones. Logitech seems like they’ll leave them alone to continue to do just that.

The Jell-O family curse

Not only did I not know about the Jell-O family curse, I didn’t even know there was a family involved in Jell-O.

Samsung’s anti-iPhone X ads

I think many of them are silly and childish. A couple make a good point or two but you really have to stretch to see them. Overall, pointless ads in my opinion.

The iPad vs. Mac juxtaposition

The differences/comparisons between the iPad and the Mac fascinate me. I get a lot of people asking for advice about “what should I buy?” and, for a lot of them, I can often recommend “just” the iPad.

New iPhone X Ad “Unleash”

Interesting that Apple is actually mentioning the chip inside the phone. The average consumer certainly doesn’t care.

Two histories of Myst

It’s hard to explain today what kind of an amazing revelation the original Myst was. I never finished the game but I loved playing it.

Understanding “Hotel California”

A classic song that receives a very dense music theory dissection in this video. I don’t understand 75% of what he’s saying but it’s still interesting.

[VIDEO] Woz interview back in 1984

[VIDEO] This is Woz, back in the day (video embedded in main Loop post). The Macintosh has just been announced, and Woz is counting his losses from the US Festivals. No real mention of Steve Jobs. Fascinating.

Meet the people who grind out the best movie trailers in the world

I love movie trailers. I scour YouTube and my RSS feed for the latest ones and will spend hours watching them on the AppleTV Trailer app. A well-done trailer is like a little movie in and of itself. A good one doesn’t give away too much of a movie but gives you enough to make you want to see it. If you are a movie trailer fan, go to IMDB and check out some of your favourite movies from the 1930s-1970s. The style of trailers has changed remarkably over the years.