Probstisms
Hey Apple! I have a great idea for you.
Why not make iMessages available on the web as part of iCloud+? There is even a spot just waiting there on the iCloud site for the iMessages icon. The assumption that iOS, iPadOS, and macOS users will always have access to an internet connection on their device is short-sighted and flawed.
It is important for people to stay in contact wherever they are on whatever device they are using. Why limit access when it is really not necessary?
It was a really good week for new music from some of the biggest artists of the last 30+ years!
First we have a single from Jay-Z featuring Gil Scott-Heron. “NEW YORK (CONCEPT DE PARIS)” is a rethinking of “Empire State of Mind.” It’s got everything you’d want in a great song – really cool rhythms, trumpet, guitar, drums, and of course, Gil Scott-Heron. In a nod to the original version, we still get a sample of Alicia Keys. Awesome stuff!
The second song that dropped was from Foo Fighters. “Rescued” is the first release since Taylor died last year. The music is unmistakably Foo Fighters, and the lyrics have all of the feels of a band that has been through a lot together. While there has been no official announcement, there are a couple drum licks in the song that I know Dave Grohl has played in Nirvana or Foo Fighters songs so I’m going with Dave on drums for this album. I am so happy the band decided to push forward and keep on rocking!
California’s destructively wet winter has a bright side. You’ll want to see it
When so much of California is suffering from the impacts of this winter’s storms, a wildflower super bloom visible from space is one heck of a silver lining!
Thinking more about NPR and PBS leaving Twitter (which I think is a good thing) . . . This is a really great opportunity for media creators or really any internet creator to take a step back and think about whether or not it makes any sense to produce content in a walled garden like Twitter, Meta, etc.
There are internet standards and protocols that make syndicating information and interacting with content consumers free and open like RSS and ActivityPub. There are protocols from the major operating system vendors that allow notifications directly from websites, and it is always possible to use an app to completely control how a consumer experiences content.
My point is this – if enough creators choose open standards to distribute their content, consumers no longer need to use scattered, disparate, and walled solutions to consume information. The question is no longer what consumers are able to access but how they want to access it.
NPR and PBS have a big opportunity to lead here.
NPR quits Twitter after being falsely labeled as ‘state-affiliated media’
This is something NPR had to do. When Musk first took over Twitter, I questioned whether or not it made any business sense for another business to use it – whether or not a business could trust the platform. I would wager that NPR and PBS are only the beginning.
Velázquez slam shakes Wrigley, fuels unreal Cubs comeback
I know it’s early, but this Cubs team is going to be fun to watch!
We subscribe to Apple News+. Access to the Wall Street Journal and other large regional news papers and magazines are worth the relatively small cost.
What drives me completely insane is when I click on a link to read an article from any application, and I am sent to Safari where the publisher’s website has no clue that I subscribe to their publication through Apple News+. Why not redirect that link to the Apple News app? The metadata to do this is so simple. Surely someone on Apple’s product team has already thought of this feature, right?
While we’re on the topic of things that just make sense, why in the world is there no web version of Apple News+? Some of us do not have the choice to use an Apple device for work. It seems like a no-brainer to publish Apple News+ to the web.
Can we make these things happen, Apple?
Texas judge suspends FDA approval of abortion pill mifepristone
I am absolutely furious! Livid! My daughter has less rights and control over her body in 2023 than my mother has enjoyed her entire adult life and my wife has enjoyed her entire life.
How can this be? Why are we allowing the minority to control us? Why are we allowing people with ancient and fringe opinions to make the rules?
This is not going to fix itself. We need to stand up. Fight! VOTE!
We will not go back!
Why am I hearing Bible verses as advertisements during the Cubs radio broadcast? There’s no crying in baseball, and there certainly should be no praying unless, of course, we’re asking Jobu for help with hitting curveballs.