June 25, 2013
Written by Jim Dalrymple
As was seemingly just a matter of time, the struggling book seller confirmed that it is abandoning its Nook hardware business and will instead rely on a ”partnership model for manufacturing in the competitive color tablet market” that will seek third-party manufacturers to build eReaders that run Nook software.
The tablet business is tough and companies like Barnes & Noble figured they could swoop in and easily grab share from Amazon. It’s not that easy.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Benjamin is a task manager based on the FranklinCovey method of time management. Built specifically to help replace your heavy Franklin Planner, Benjamin stores your master task list, daily task lists, projects, and daily notes so they are always at your fingertips. Best of all, Benjamin lets you sync your information between iPhone and iPad so that it’s conveniently available whether you’re at your desk or on the go.
I remember using the paper version of this. Of course, it didn’t sync and correcting entries was a pain. This looks good.
At Macworld Expo in San Francisco back in 2009, John C. Welch and I were having drinks At Dave’s, a bar on Third Street in San Francisco, just stumbling distance across the street from the Westin San Francisco Market Street hotel. It was our usual haunt after hours during Macworld Expo. As we are wont to do, John and I were complaining. We complained about the stupid things we’d read about Apple in the mainstream press. We complained about bloggers who didn’t have a clue. We complained about analysts whose prognostications about Apple and its products seemed as far-fetched from reality as bad science fiction. (Yeah, Gene Munster, four years later, we’re still waiting for your goddamned Apple television.)
At one point or another it dawned on us that rebelling against the stupid things we’d read was perfect fodder for a podcast. We recruited Darby Lines, who went by the nom de Twitter “@Angry_Drunk.” He was on the same wavelength: posting impassioned, alcohol-fueled retorts against the stupid on his own site. We found a kindred spirit and a brother in arms (not to mention a formidable drinking buddy). Thus Angry Mac Bastards was born.
For the past 213 shows – more than 4 years (we took a few weeks off here and there) – we have, each week, dissected and exposed what we consider to be the worst Apple-related news and analysis we could find. And we’ve done a pretty good job of it. We continue to do a good job of it.
The show isn’t for everyone, obviously. We yell and scream a lot. We use dirty words. We say some really nasty things. It’s puerile. It’s occasionally obscene. We’ve gotten our knocks in ratings on the podcast section of iTunes from people who just don’t like it, or us. And that’s okay. AMB was never intended to be popular or mainstream. It’s our version of pirate radio, speaking truth against power. Or against stupidity, anyway.
At first, it was just us entertaining ourselves, then people started listening. Then they started sending us links. Now each week we filter the stuff we come up with and the stuff that people send us to create a clown parade of the worst buffoonery imaginable – from self-aggrandizing “columnists” on Forbes’ blogs who tout themselves as subject matter experts to people who really ought to know better – experienced pundits, bloggers and tech reporters willing to distort facts to suit their own narratives, to analysts who just generally prove quarter after quarter that they don’t have the slightest clue as to what Apple is doing or how it works.
I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done, and I find it endlessly rewarding when people approach me online or in real life, as many did at WWDC, to say how much they enjoy the show. We’ve got a group of very loyal sponsors who have made it worth our time to keep the show going all this time, and to them I’m very grateful as well.
But a while ago I realized something: AMB had stopped being fun for me to do. It had begun to feel like work. Like drudgery. I’d just lost my energy doing the show, and I was tired of hearing myself yell. I figured if I was tired of hearing myself yell, others probably were too. And that seemed like as good a reason as any to step away from the mic.
Starting next week, I’m handing over the reins to our frequent guest-host (and podcaster extraordinaire) Kelly Guimont. Every time we have Kelly on we always get a flood of responses from listeners who love what she brings to the show – a different energy, a different sensibility, and an infectious laugh. She’s razor-sharp and has absolutely no bullshit tolerance. In short, a perfect (and formidable) Angry Mac Bastard.
I’ll continue podcasting – I’ve already told John and Darby that I’m open to occasionally guest-hosting or filling in for someone when they can’t make it, and I’m a frequent guest on other podcasts. I’m also a weekly fixture on the iMore podcast (where I’m managing editor). In the end, I’m very happy to be leaving the show in John, Darby and Kelly’s hands, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.
And thanks, as always, to Jim Dalrymple at the Loop, Loopinsight.com, for our kick-ass intro music.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Jim Dalrymple (The Loop) and Tom Hall (DOOM, Commander Keen) join Moisés to talk about the future of TV, content, and connected devices in the context of WWDC, E3, and how we like to consume content. Featured interview: Acorn Media VP of Digital Jen Linck.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Many of us were too tired of the short, bloggy content that often tasted like a day old popcorn left outside on the porch. We all yearned for a deeply reported, insightful and contextual and nuanced bit of writing. And thus began the long form resurgence. It is enjoyable to read such pieces, but lately I am seeing a lot of stories that long form, because long form is new new thing to do.
Doing anything because it’s the “new” thing is wrong. However, whether short blog posts or long form content, if it’s done well, it can be enjoyable.
Say goodbye to one of a giant in the world of fantasy, horror and science fiction. Richard Matheson passed away on Monday at age 87.
If you’re not really into fantasy, horror and science fiction novels and short stories, you still might know the Hollywood films based on Matheson’s stories. He was a prolific screenwriter in his own respect, with credits on the original The Twilight Zone (the legendary “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” episode is Matheson’s) and Star Trek (“The Enemy Within”).
Matheson’s novels included “I Am Legend,” “The Shrinking Man,” “A Stir of Echoes,” “Hell House,” “Bid Time Returns” and “What Dreams May Come,” all of which received Hollywood movie treatments.
It was a Matheson story – Duel – the story of a man trying to escape from a psychotic trucker – that helped to launch the career of a young Hollywood director named Steven Spielberg (made for TV, it was Spielberg’s first feature-length production).
Truly, a giant among his peers.
Jeff La Grua, a former U.S. Marine who was recently widowed, gathered these rules together from around the Web, updated them a bit and sent them to me. I like these rules very much. To be able to date effectively, you see on Perfect 12 Introductions. Luvfree.com offers an opportunity for single people to meet and develop friendships and romantic relationships.
Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.
Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them. Try finding a milf fuck buddy instead—someone who’s actually looking for that kind of attention.
Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots.
Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose his compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants three sizes too small, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your ass.
Rule Four:
I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing a “barrier method” of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate: When it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you. However, exploring a real sexting app can offer a safe and exciting way to connect and express desires without any risk.
Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early.”
Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls from https://www.top20adultdatingsites.com. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter so you can date them and play with female sex toys if you want. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you bleed.
Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don’t you do something useful, like change the oil in my car and rotate the tires?
Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka – zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.
Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, all-seeing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not fuck with me. If you want something casual, then you should look on sites like DatingCop.com.
Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a helo coming in over a Wadi near Baghdad. When my Gulf War Syndrome starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car – there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine. On the other hand, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of all these rules, you can easily date someone through services such as sex vietsub.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Apple users are still prolific when it comes to tablet Web browsing, while Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Samsung’s Galaxy Tablet families remain in second and third place, respectively. Apple’s iPad usage share increased in May 2013 after a slight dip in April 2013, making its present Web usage share (82.4%) the highest since the beginning of 2013.
Again I ask—What the hell is everyone else doing with their tablets?
Written by Jim Dalrymple
The protectors of his presentation, we, as his personal stylists and exclusive designers for close to twenty-five years, learned through a unique creative process how to channel Michael’s thoughts, wishes, and philosophies to create clothing that would symbolize what he stood for. The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson is the first-ever pictorial compilation of the evolution of that process — a visual adventure of our work together.
The book just won a Gold Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards.
June 22, 2013
Written by Jim Dalrymple
My thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop. It’s never been more important to make a great impression online.
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Written by Jim Dalrymple
Apple owns the future of mobile devices, not because it has erected a near monopoly market position protected by major barriers to entry like IBM in 1970s or Microsoft’s DOS and Windows in the 80s and 90s or Google’s search and Adobe’s Flash in the 2000s; Apple sells its products within a very diverse and openly competitive market and maintains minority unit market share in smartphones.
It just happens that Apple is making the vast majority of all the profits in mobile hardware, software, media and services. And the mobile segment happens to have much brighter prospects than the rest of the consumer technology market, particularly WinTel PCs.
Very well thought out and lengthy article from Daniel Eran Dilger.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
This is a smart article from Austin Sweeney. Where this whole thing is going, and when, is up in the air, but there is no doubt that Apple stumbled into a great gaming device with the iPod touch. The big question for me is will it be easier for the console makers to convince the public they have an entertainment device or for Apple to convince the gamers they have a gaming device? The next couple of years are going to be very interesting.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Eric E. Anderson:
Dumping a bunch of stuff into a sidebar doesn’t make you a blogger. Nor does it make your website more useful.
Anderson brings up some good points. I’ve tried to keep the information in the sidebar on The Loop very minimal, but there’s still more than what I’d like. This is the next project I’ll be tackling with The Loop’s design.
