When you’re researching for travel, Wikivoyage is a great place to start. You’ll get a better sense of a place’s vibe from Wikivoyage’s conversational pages than from Wikipedia’s dry encyclopedic text. Wikivoyage contributors are allowed to insert opinions; they just have to be “fair.”
Wikivoyage pages include lists of landmarks, restaurants, bars, hotels, things to do, and sections like “Understand,” which describes a location’s history and je ne sais quoi, and “Stay Safe,” which tells you where to watch out for pickpockets or scams or other dangers. City pages, like the page for Brooklyn, break down neighborhoods and districts. There are also directions from major airports, trains, and highways.
Whenever I travel, I do research on the city and country I’m going to, no matter how big or small. I like learning new things about new places and Wikivoyage can help a lot.
Next week, at YC’s “demo days,” Nectome’s cofounder, Robert McIntyre, is going to describe his technology for exquisitely preserving brains in microscopic detail using a high-tech embalming process. Then the MIT graduate will make his business pitch. As it says on his website: “What if we told you we could back up your mind?”
So yeah. Nectome is a preserve-your-brain-and-upload-it company. Its chemical solution can keep a body intact for hundreds of years, maybe thousands, as a statue of frozen glass. The idea is that someday in the future scientists will scan your bricked brain and turn it into a computer simulation. That way, someone a lot like you, though not exactly you, will smell the flowers again in a data server somewhere.
This story has a grisly twist, though. The product is “100 percent fatal,” says McIntyre. “That is why we are uniquely situated among the Y Combinator companies.”
At first blush, this seems idiotic but on reading the article, I understand and appreciate the point of the “service”.
Here you have songbird Stevie Nicks, every makeup artist’s worst nightmare, belting out an early version of her song “Wild Heart” during an Annie Leibowitz cover shoot for Rolling Stone in 1981.
This is a little gem. Think about how hard it is to sing when you are sitting down. Stevie Nicks really lets us have it, making the whole thing effortless.
And listen for the other folks joining in. This is off-the-cuff, and wonderful.
Home is both too complex because of the way it splits things into rooms, zones, groups, scenes, and automations and too simple because it lacks features like robust state awareness and, in some places, timers. However, the problems with the Home app run even deeper. They are compounded by a generic UI and complex navigation.
Read John’s post to really get a sense of his point. Or just spend some time trying to edit the HomePod’s now playing queue.
All this said, it is early days still, both for HomeKit and HomePod. Even though HomeKit dates back to iOS 8 (a bit more than two years ago), I see it as still early in the adoption cycle, still in its infancy. As more and more people start using HomeKit compatible gear, the use cases are becoming better defined.
John makes the case that it is time for Apple to re-roll the interface.
Take a look, on the highest resolution screen you have. Beautiful work.
What’s it all mean? Are there clues in this art? The most common thing I’ve heard (and what sprang to mind for me, instantly) is a design language for Augmented Reality.
Now, if we want to play Cupertino-ology, does the graphic offer any hints about planned announcements (like, say, a unified cross-platform set of UI frameworks for Mac and iOS) or it just a cool graphic?
The fastest growing segment in global smartphones isn’t Google’s vision for super-cheap, simple Android phones. Instead, according to new market data, it’s refurbished high-quality phones that carry a desirable brand but can be sold at a more affordable price, a segment where Apple is “leading by a significant margin.”
The low growth of the new smartphone market in 2017 can be partially attributed to the growth of the refurb market. The slowdown in innovation has made two-year-old flagship smartphones comparable in design and features with the most recent mid-range phones. Therefore, the mid low-end market for new smartphones is being cannibalized by refurbished high-end phones, mostly Apple iPhones and, to a lesser extent, Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
This is a pretty interesting development. Apple has added another layer to this market, a layer that it dominates.
I read a number of appreciation articles this morning, but this Wired piece by Adam Rogers was my favorite.
A few highlights:
He and the physicist Roger Penrose described singularities, mind-bending physical concepts where relativity and quantum mechanics collapse inward on each other—as at the heart of a black hole.
And:
His calculations helped show that as the young universe expanded and grew through inflation, fluctuations at the quantum scale—the smallest possible gradation of matter—became the galaxies we see around us. No human will ever visit another galaxy, and the quantum realm barely waves at us in our technology, but Hawking envisioned them both.
And, perhaps my favorite:
He proved time travel didn’t exist by throwing a party for time travelers, but not sending out invitations until the party was over. No one came.
Notably, Stephen Hawking died on Albert Einstein’s birthday and on Pi-day (3.14).
Scott and Mark Kelly are identical twin brothers — at least, they were until Scott spent a year living in space.
When Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a 340-day voyage aboard the International Space Station (ISS) two years ago, he was 2 inches taller than he’d been when he left. His body mass had decreased, his gut bacteria were completely different, and — according to preliminary findings from NASA researchers — his genetic code had changed significantly.
While most of these genetic changes reverted to normal following Scott Kelly’s return to Earth, about 7 percent of the astronaut’s genetic code remained altered — and it may stay that way permanently.
This is all kinds of mind-blowing and may have real consequences as we go forward into space. Thaks to my friend Mike Rose for the link.
Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google corporate brands dropped in an annual survey while Amazon.com Inc maintained the top spot for the third consecutive year, and electric carmaker Telsa Inc rocketed higher after sending a red Roadster into space.
iPhone maker Apple dropped to 29th from its previous position of No. 5, and Google dropped from 8th to No. 28. Apple had ranked No. 2 as recently as 2016, according to the annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient poll released on Tuesday.
John Gerzema, CEO of the Harris Poll, told Reuters in an interview that the likely reason Apple and Google fell was that they have not introduced as many attention-grabbing products as they did in past years, such as when Google rolled out free offerings like its Google Docs word processor or Google Maps and Apple’s then-CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
That reasoning seems odd. What does “attention-grabbing products” have to do with a company’s reputation? Especially given that “film production company The Weinstein Co made its debut at 99th out of 100 on the list”. So – its reputation got better?
There’s something strange going on with the International Photographer of the Year (IPOTY) photo contest. 11 of the 14 photographers listed as judges for the IPOTY 2017 contest say they weren’t asked to judge a single thing before the winners were announced in February (and the other 3 couldn’t be contacted).
IPOTY was founded in 2015 and is a “pay to play” type of competition. The website states that photographers need to pay between $15 to $30 (depending on photographer status and entry date).
On March 3rd, 9 of the 14 judges on the list penned a letter to PetaPixel and other publications, sharing “concerns” regarding the competition. Many of the judges had no idea they were listed as judges, and none of the judges actually judged anything — the winners were selected entirely without the jury’s knowledge or consent.
Another reason to be wary of “photo contests” in general and absolutely avoid paid contests.
Apple today announced it will host its 29th annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose from June 4 through June 8. The McEnery Convention Center will be home to the world’s most creative developer community, who come together every year to share unique perspectives and learn about the future of Apple’s breakthrough products and services.
Every year, WWDC provides an opportunity for millions of developers to learn more about how to create new experiences across Apple’s platforms for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Mac and HomePod. A broad range of robust developer APIs, including SiriKit, HomeKit, HealthKit, GymKit, MusicKit, ResearchKit, and CoreML, give developers new ways to help users take command of everything from their health and homes, to how they get around, shop and learn. Last year at WWDC Apple debuted ARKit, and since then, developers with apps in every category on the App Store have embraced inventive ways to engage customers with virtual experiences overlaid in the real world.
One of my favorite habits is strolling downstairs in the morning, and asking Siri to play some music while I make coffee, do my morning routine.
Yesterday, I asked Siri to play one of my favorite albums, Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert. It’s a terrific morning album and, even though it came out back in 1975, it sounds terrific on HomePod. It’s all about the production.
The problem here is getting Siri to play this album. I started with:
Hey Siri, play the Keith Jarrett album The Köln Concert.
Siri’s response:
Sorry, I couldn’t find Keith Jarrett.
But if I say:
Hey Siri, play Keith Jarrett
Siri does her magic and plays all manner of Keith Jarrett.
Now, you might think this is a complaint about Siri’s ability to parse my spoken words. Not at all. I find Siri to be excellent at translating spoken word to text.
Instead, this is about Siri taking the next leap towards understanding and collaboration. If I asked a friend to play Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert and my friend did not understand what I meant, there’d be a couple of important points of interaction:
Did my friend know Keith Jarrett?
Did they understand the reference to the album The Köln Concert?
Does my friend have access to that album?
If it was a friend, I could follow up with some of these questions, and my friend could ask me questions right back. Maybe something like:
Hey friend, play the Keith Jarrett album The Köln Concert.
Sorry, I can’t do that.
Why not?
I know who Keith Jarrett is, but I don’t understand The Köln Concert.
Let me spell that out for you: K-O-L-N C-O-N-C-E-R-T.
Did you mean, The Köln Concert?
Yup, that’s the one. Go ahead and play it.
Spelling aside, I see the basic ability to go back and forth as a critical next step for Siri and, especially for HomePod Siri. And I think homing in on what music you want to play is a perfect sandbox for Siri to play and learn in.
The Apple Music domain is relatively limited. Typically, you ask for a song, an album, or an artist. The back and forth to help you home in on the music you’re seeking is relatively simple. I don’t mean to minimize the effort involved in taking that next step. Programming is hard, especially when you are trying to build something that millions of people will use.
But this might be an excellent place to start. And a bit of back and forth to help find a specific piece of music would, in my mind, greatly enhance the HomePod experience.
Neil Cybart, Above Avalon, in a post discussing Apple’s strategy on controlling sound:
The first iPod commercial highlighted the device’s mobility as the user danced around his house while listening to music via iPod and white earbuds. The kicker was found at the end as he stepped outside the four confined walls of his home and into the outside world without missing a beat. The iPod was about consuming sound not just around the home, but more importantly, outside the home.
Though the commercial is obviously dated (shown by aspect ratio, resolution, fashion, and tech), the sense of how deeply Apple gets music and its importance to people is clear.
StackSocial has curated a collection of ten top apps to help you get the most out of your Mac in 2018. Highlighted by BusyCal 3, HoudahSpot 4, and the toolbar app used at Google and Facebook, uBar 4, The 2018 Mac Essentials Bundle will give your Mac (and you) a productivity overhaul. Get it now for less than $2/app — it’s just $19.99 (Orig. $525). The 2018 Mac Essentials Bundle includes the following:
BusyCal 3 ($49.99 Value) – Customize calendar views to meet your needs
Cargo VPN ($79.99 Value) – Protect your Mac while surfing public WiFi, bypass geo-restricted content, and more
HoudahSpot 4 ($29.00 Value) – Find just about any file (documents, photos, emails) on your Mac
uBar 4 ($30.00 Value) – Customize your Mac’s dock
Cisdem DuplicateFinder ($39.99 Value) – Free up space on your Mac by easily deleting any duplicate files
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 ($19.99 Value) – Construct and manage your own very theme park
Systweak Anti-Malware ($117 Value) – Detect and remove malware on your Mac
Since 2010, Facebook allows you to download an archive file of all your interactions with the network. It’s a 5-click easy process that your grandmother can do (more details below).
Inside the .zip, lies an ‘index.html’ page that acts as a portal to your personal data. Visually, it looks like an ad-free stripped down version of Facebook that’s actually quite relaxing.
As I’m trying to reduce my exposure to social networks, I decided to take a look at this info.
Read Georges’ post for the details. Better yet, go get your archive from Facebook so you understand just how much Facebook never forgets a single thing you do.
Apple continues to grow it series-programming slate, adding its first animated show.
The digital giant has given a two-season series order to “Central Park,” a musical comedy from “Bob’s Burgers” creator Loren Bouchard and 20th Century Fox Television. Written by Bouchard, Josh Gad, and Nora Smith, the series is described as telling the story of how a family of caretakers, who live and work in Central Park, end up saving the park, and basically the world.
Two seasons, 13 episodes each.
The content pipeline is starting to fill. What’s not clear is how all this new programming will be packaged. Will it be part of the Apple Music subscription? Will Apple Music be segmented? Rebranded? Will a new Apple Media entity be created?
Manjoo wrote about what he learned from his two months away from social media, and dispensed avuncular advice to his readers about the benefits of slowing down one’s news consumption.
But he didn’t really unplug from social media at all. The evidence is right there in his Twitter feed, just below where he tweeted out his column: Manjoo remained a daily, active Twitter user throughout the two months he claims to have gone cold turkey, tweeting many hundreds of times, perhaps more than 1,000.
Manjoo’s piece was widely shared on social media but I read it with my usual dose of hefty skepticism about everything Manjoo writes and he didn’t disappoint. Or rather, he disappointed in exactly the way I knew he would.
Apple today announced it signed an agreement to acquire Texture, the digital magazine subscription service by Next Issue Media LLC, which gives users unlimited access to their favorite titles for one monthly subscription fee.
Texture brings over 200 of the world’s best magazines to life, providing an easy way for users to read high-quality stories and entire issues of their favorite titles. With Texture, users enjoy the magazines they know and love, while discovering new content that fits their passions and interests.
I used Texture back when it originally started up (it was called Next then) and liked the service’s potential, even if I didn’t use it after a few months. It will be interesting to see what Apple does with this going forward.
Josh Centers joins me this week to talk about home automation and all the different things you can do with. We also discuss some of the limitations and the products he’s using in his home with Apple’s iOS.
Viola Desmond was selected for the new $10 bank note by Minister Morneau following an open call to Canadians to nominate an iconic Canadian woman for the next redesigned bank note. A successful Black Nova Scotian businesswoman, Viola Desmond defiantly refused to leave a whites-only area of a movie theatre in 1946 and was subsequently jailed, convicted and fined. Her court case is one of the first known legal challenges against racial segregation brought forth by a Black woman in Canada.
I love the choice of Viola Desmond, and I love the vertical design.
By declining Steve Jobs’ proposal to make the original iPhone CPU in 2005, Intel missed a huge opportunity. The company’s disbelief in Apple’s ambitious forecast is belied by the numbers: More than 1.8 billion iOS devices have been sold thus far.
And:
One may wonder why then-CEO Paul Otellini didn’t make Apple an offer they couldn’t refuse: Access to Intel’s superior silicon manufacturing technology. At the time, Apple had nothing; Intel held all the cards.
And:
A few years later, after the dramatic rise of ARM-powered smartphones, Intel execs’ faith in Wintel was unshaken: “The temporary advantage these less sophisticated, Windows-less ARM chips are enjoying will be erased by the superior silicon manufacturing process of the x86. It’s nothing…”
Fantastic take on Intel’s Apple hubris. Now Intel is fighting for its very existence.
When you ask Siri, Alexa, or Google a question, you have to say the trigger phrase, “Hey Siri”, “Alexa”, or “OK Google”. When you want to follow-up, you have to repeat that trigger phrase.
But that is about to change.
Amazon has rolled out a beta of something it calls Follow-up Mode. From this Amazon Help page:
When you turn on Follow-Up Mode, you can make more requests without repeating the wake word. Follow-up mode is available on all hands-free Alexa-enabled devices. The blue indicator light on the Echo device remains on for a few seconds, letting you know that Alexa is active and ready for your next request.
The idea is, after you say “Alexa”, Alexa keeps listening for a follow-up query until it times out. Notably, follow-up mode does not kick in when:
Audio is playing. For example, the device is playing music, books, or you’re on a call through the device.
You end the conversation with Alexa. For example, you can say, “stop,” “cancel,” “go to sleep,” or “thank you.”
Alexa is not confident you’re speaking to her. For example, if she detects that speech was background noise or that the intent of the speech was not clear.
I’d think this would be relatively simple for Apple to implement for Siri. There’s certainly value when you want to do a sequence of things. But I also think it’d be a big help for Siri’s context analysis, making it more likely that two queries in a row are connected in some way, like so:
Hey Siri, what time is my next meeting?
What time is the one after that?
Or:
Hey Siri, what song is this?
What album is it from?
You get the idea. Conversational context is a bit of a holy grail. As is, all three (Siri, Alexa, Google) are still infants, still learning the most rudimentary rules of conversational memory.
Jonny Evans, writing for Computerworld, pulled together this extensive list of things you can ask Siri. This is worth a scan, just to make sure you have a sense of Siri’s current range.
How many of these commands will work on HomePod? I tried a number of these, and I was actually surprised by how many did work. Cool.
First things first, this set of rankings is based on data from GitHub and StackOverflow. Read the post for the details on how this data was collected.
There are plenty of other ways to assess the popularity of programming languages, but this seems a reasonable approach.
It’s notable that Swift has tied Objective-C. As the post says:
Finally, the apprentice is now the master. Technically, this isn’t entirely accurate, as Swift merely tied the language it effectively replaced – Objective C – rather than passing it. Still, it’s difficult to view this run as anything but a changing of the guard.
Before we dig into the linked post, it might help to know a bit about Ken Segall. From his bio:
Working with Steve Jobs as his ad agency’s creative director for twelve years spanning NeXT and Apple, he led the team behind Apple’s legendary Think different campaign, and set Apple down the i-way by naming the iMac.
That said, here’s Ken Segall, from the linked post:
The Apple story of the week is the new HomePod ad. Four minutes in length, I’m not sure you can call it an ad, but it’s out there and getting mostly positive reactions. Directed by Spike Jonze, psychedelic expanding sets, cool music, emotional dance … what’s not to like?
And:
It’s not that I don’t like it. I think it’s beautifully produced, like all Apple ads. But it does make me feel like I’ve been here before. Or, more accurately, that I’ve been here many times before. Like I’m stuck in an infinite loop of Apple dancing ads.
Over the years, Apple has given us a virtual stream of ads in which music inspires someone to dance. The scenery changes, laws of physics are increasingly challenged, but the basic concept remains the same.
At least that’s been my overall impression. So the new HomePod ad moved me to action. After I finished dancing, I nosed around to see if my memory matched the reality.
At the very least, this is a fascinating walk through the history of Apple’s music advertising. Of course Apple’s ads will have a lot of dance in them. Advertising is a visual medium and if you are pitching music (and lots of Apple’s products involve music in some fashion), dance is a terrific visual storyteller.
So what’s the problem here?
In my opinion, a company like Apple can take two approaches to advertising. It can start thinking about what works for the mainstream audience—like dancing and celebrities (who are also frequently summoned by Apple these days)—or it can use its mass-popularity to take the same risks today as it did when it was the underdog.
The latter is the Apple that captured so many hearts.
And:
The iPod Silhouette campaign changed Apple advertising in a huge way. It was virtually the first Apple campaign that didn’t feature a lot of white space, a gorgeous product shot and clever words. Yes, it was a lot of dance, but it was a totally fresh take on dance.
Fair enough. This is more of a quest for a fresh take, something as groundbreaking and different as the Silhouette campaign.
No matter how you feel about this, scroll through Ken’s post, take a look back at some of Apple’s past ads. Some great stuff there.
