Joe Kraus, a partner at Google Ventures, on our “culture of distraction.” A fascinating talk.
Is it “bad” what we check our phones 27 times a day, or is this new generation’s shortened attention span merely a product of the world we live in? Is it a negative thing, or is it just the way we live now?
Things to ponder.
iOS Security
A nice PDF from Apple that gives the complete rundown on iOS security. More information than most of us could ever hope to want to know, but interesting nonetheless.
Episode 15 of the CultCast
I had fun chatting with Erfon and Buster in the latest episode of the CultCast. We talk about Tim Cook, Mac rumors, Apple TV and more.
You Might Be A Self-Entitled Blogger If…
- You frequently say you “called” a news story months ago, and you frequently link back to opinion pieces you wrote to backup your always-correct opinions. (Kinda like how a dog pisses to mark his territory.)
- You occasionally embed your own tweets in your blog posts.
- You spend half your work time calling out other bloggers for their terrible, misinformed, poorly written opinions and stories.
As I’ve slowly dug my feet down into the tech news scene, I’ve realized that it’s a lot like Hollywood: full of ego and severely lacking genuine compassion.
An Analysis of Blaster Fire in Star Wars
Incredibly geeky wonderfulness.
If The Internet Was Completely Destroyed
We need to begin by no longer treating the Internet like a ghost. It’s made of more metal, plastic, and fiber than you can fathom—and it’s spread across the whole world, a monster machine that hugs the entire globe. So we hunted down the web’s physical foundation, across land and sea, to pinpoint exactly what you’d need to take out. Hypothetically. It turns out, Anonymous’ threat isn’t insane—just the way they talked about doing it. You can’t destroy a signal while using it; the Internet’s destruction requires analog violence, not some beefed up DDoS strike.
We always think of threats agains the Internet as cyberwarfare or some abstraction, virtual to the point of meaningless. But this is mostly bluster and software-mongering. The enormous, invisible truth of the Internet is that it’s enormously strong. There’s no main switch, no self-destruct button, no wire to be snipped for an easy blackout. The Internet, through a mix of chaotic serendipity and brilliant planning, is redundant to the point of near invincibility. Like a fiber optic hydra, you can hack off great expanses of it, and the thing will keep chugging. It’s smart—almost self—sustaining, able to repair and reroute its paths from one continent and country to another, making up detours on the fly.
An incredibly fascinating piece by Sam Biddle at Gizmodo. Not only will you learn how the internet works at a global level, but what it would take to completely blow the thing to hell.
Essentially, you take out the fiber optic cables that connect continents (most of them are apparently collecting seagull poop on beaches), then destroy the main domain name servers around the world. You finish it off by leveling the key data centers. Boom. The internet is dead. (Of course it’s way more complicated than that, but that’s the gist.)
Not only did this article remind me of how the internet shares the exact qualities of Skynet, but I also think that “destroying the internet” would make for a fantastic movie script.
Facebook Buying Instagram Finally Makes Sense
Mike Isaac for AllThingsD:
It’s called Facebook Camera, and it’s essentially Instagram redux. One, it’s a standalone Facebook application, separate from the Facebook app proper, much like the company’s Facebook Messages app. Facebook Photos product manager Dirk Stoop told me in an interview this morning that it’s an instant portal to one of Facebook’s largest use cases: Photo sharing
…
In essence, Instagram was taking over mobile photos, and Facebook couldn’t wait around and watch the company snap up every user while still working on perfecting the Facebook Camera app.
I got the gist of why Facebook bought Instagram when it happened, but today’s release of the standalone Facebook Camera iPhone app finally brings it all together.
It’s about a complete takeover of photo sharing on mobile. I wouldn’t be surprised if Instagram and this new app merge into each other over time. Smart move, Facebook. Really smart move.
Also, the Facebook Camera app is actually really fast and slick. Kudos all around.
An Interview With Jony Ive
The Telegraph has a great interview with Apple design guru Jony Ive.
My favorite part:
Ive has achieved an awful lot and still has a long career ahead of him. Even so, a knighthood is a good time to take stock. If he was to be remembered for just one of his Apple designs, I ask, which one would he pick?
There is the long pause. “It’s a really tough one. A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what we’re working on now feels like the most important and the best work we’ve done, and so it would be what we’re working on right now, which of course I can’t tell you about.”
Digitimes And Apple Rumors
Alex Heath, in a story titled, “Digitimes: We’re Sorry We Get All Our Apple Rumors Wrong” at Cult of Mac:
Digitimes has been one of the main sources of Apple rumors over the last several years, but anyone who follows Apple will tell you that the Taiwanese publication is more often wrong than right.
Heath wasn’t kidding when he said “main source.” A quick Google site search returned over 3,200 results for “Digitimes + rumor” on Cult of Mac.
I’m sure that number will be bigger if I run my search again in a year.
For someone who cares so much about “journalistic integrity,” Hackett didn’t bother to skim down a few more paragraphs and include where I say:
Cult of Mac has continued to cover Digitimes rumors throughout the years because we want to let our readers know about the information that’s out there, but that’s never stopped us from being skeptical. Our faith in Digitimes has significantly waned over the years, but we do what we can to let you know when a story seems credible or not.
This comes down to a fundamental difference in how people digest Apple rumors. At CoM, we label them as [Rumor] and try to make sure readers know how they fit into the bigger picture of what Apple is/isn’t actually up to. When it’s Digitimes, we frequently add a line about the skeptical nature of the source.
People want to know the rumors. “Journalists” can’t wrap their minds around this for whatever reason. There’s a difference between “news,” and “rumors.” Reporting rumors as hard news (say, being on par with Apple issuing a press release) is a problem. Reporting rumors themselves (with context) is not inherently evil at all. In fact, people like it. Heck, it can be fun.
I’m frankly shocked at how viciously certain bloggers and “journalists” devote time and energy to griping about the rumor mill.
Me? I try to not stress about stuff that doesn’t matter. I hear you live longer that way.
UI design in The Avengers
So awesome.
The Leap is a small iPod sized USB peripheral that creates a 3D interaction space of 8 cubic feet to precisely interact with and control software on your laptop or desktop computer. It’s like being able to reach into the computer and pull out information as easily as reaching into a cookie jar.
The Leap senses your individual hand and finger movements independently, as well as items like a pen. In fact, it’s 200x more sensitive than existing touch-free products and technologies. It’s the difference between sensing an arm swiping through the air and being able to create a precise digital signature with a fingertip or pen.
I’m highly skeptical of this thing, but it will be earth-shattering if it actually works. Pre-orders have started. It’s only $70.
‘Rise Of The Tech Bandits’
The newest issue of SAY Magazine is a must read for anyone interested in the evolution of tech media.
