SteamWorld Build is a new city-builder with Anno and Dungeon Keeper DNA - Polygon
There's a demo on Steam that I played through last night. The underground aspect is really cool, and the city building has a nice amount of complexity to it without being as complicated as something like Cities. Looking forward to the release.
I'm very excited to have such a solid Mastodon app on iOS. I haven't been on Twitter in months and I'm not missing it.
I started using Twitter in 2007 because I heard of a cool new Mac app called Twitterrific. One of my favorite aspects of Twitter has been the third party app scene and they've made a huge impact for Twitter (like the invention of the "Tweet" in Twitterrific and pull to refresh in Tweetie). Yesterday it sure looks like Twitter has killed the API and has broken apps without even saying anything to the developers that have supported them for the past decade. I hope I'm wrong and this was just a mistake caused by the lack of employees running the company, but that is feeling less likely every hour.
Freeform
We’ve been using the new Apple app Freeform to organize our different choices of details for the new house and it’s been a great place to throw links, photos, and notes. Much easier to sort out thoughts and compare paint colors than using one big note.
Just a few weeks later and we already have the walls of our foundation. We also got loan (something that we finalized after starting construction, which I wouldn’t recommend but it worked out fine in the end). Full speed ahead!
Clive Thompson (Medium) - Why Cyclists Love The “Idaho Stop”
I'm a cyclist and I have always felt like other riders who roll through lights give "good" cyclists a bad rep. Turns out that it's safer that way. In hindsight it makes perfect sense since often when lights turn green cars just want to go and might not notice a bike alongside them. Consider me a convert and make this legal everywhere.
Electrek - Tesla launches $300 wireless charger inspired by Cybertruck
I had Nomad's charger which used the same technology but the magnets in MagSafe phones interfered and caused some issues. I wonder if FreePower (the company behind the tech) has fixed that, but either way why is Tesla making this? Do they think it'll help their stock price? 😂
YouTube - BARBIE Teaser Trailer
Who would've thought that I'd be interested in the new Barbie movie?
Home construction has begun. While this goes on we’ll be on a never ending quest for the right light fixtures. 😂
Hyundai Is Working on a Fake Automatic For its EVs
First they made fake manuals and now they're making fake automatics. Can't wait for the fake CVT.
Why Birds Changed Their Tune During the Pandemic - Atlas Obscura
Borrowed from [Kottke](kottke.org), a fascinating article about how birds changed their song in the day area due to the changes in noise levels during the (ongoing) pandemic.
Avatar’s ‘cultural impact’ is a silly debate - Polygon
A good article the cultural significance of Avatar.
The Game Awards was last night. It's always kind of a silly show but it's been improving year over year and I appreciate that it's still going on. There were a lot of announcements and many things that I'm looking forward to in the next few years.
Pepsi wants you to drink soda mixed with milk this holiday season | CNN Business
No.
Tweetbot Maker Tapbots Working on ‘Ivory’ Mastodon App - MacRumors
I'm still using Twitter but one of the major hurdles of switching to Mastodon has been that I love Tweetbot and Twitterrific. Nice to see that Tapbots (of Tweetbot) is making a new app for Mastodon.
Department of Public Safety - Daily Dispatch
On December 1, 2022, at around 2:00 am, the Alaska State Troopers were notified that an adult male traveling via snowmachine from Noorvik to Kotzebue had activated an Apple iPhone Emergency SOS via satellite on his iPhone after becoming stranded.
This is very cool. I hope it's reliable enough to help out some more people.
I'm excited to try this out!
How physics and a video game trick forever changed the NASCAR Championships - by Ethan Siegel
For whatever it’s worth, Chastain’s final lap time, where he incorporated this video game-inspired strategy into his driving, was 18.845 seconds: the fastest lap in the 75 year history of this track.
Using physics to explain that insane Nascar move from a few weeks back. Wow.
Arc web browser review: a new way of using the internet - The Verge
I've been using Arc for a few weeks (actually the preference window says since August) and I'm still finding it difficult to get used to. It's very strange and there are some very cool ideas - but some of them still feel clunky and don't fit with how I'm used to using the web. One of my biggest complaints is that bookmarks are not "pinned tabs" and you can't really tell which ones are open. This article made me realize that there are a lot of features that I'm not using that I'm hoping to try out (Easels). I loved the seemingly never ending release of new web browsers in the early 2000's (anyone remember iCab?) and it's exciting to see innovation in web browsing again.
A lot has been going on in the Twitterverse this week and I don't even know how to respond. I've been on Twitter since 2007 and it was a huge part of my high school and college life. I made great friends there and I value the time that I have spent (even if it may be too much...). The downfall of Twitter really started with the 2016 election, I think, but somehow Elon Musk has managed to obliterate it in a week. I'll be sad if it disappears, but nothing lasts forever.
iPhone 14 Pro Camera Review: A Small Step, A Huge Leap — Lux
The iPhone 14 never seemed like a huge camera upgrade, but Sebastiaan de With proves me wrong.
The Verge - This robotic tentacle gripper is gentle, practical, and terrifying
This is an interesting concept but I can't imagine it would be all that useful. Robots and automation require precision, which this tentacle gripper doesn't seem to have...
Hello there. I'm still around and hope to resume posting here more regularly. It has been a busy summer! We're also at the beginning of a big move and am working on building a house - so there will be plenty to talk about there.
NASA - First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope
These have been posted everywhere today but they're absolutely breathtaking.