Exam Numbers
Tim Sweeney Declares Find My ‘Super Creepy Surveillance Tech and Shouldn’t Exist’
macrumors.com/2024/07/30/tim-sweeney-find-my-creepy-surveillance-tech/
Tim Sweeney on X, with what can only be described as a weird take on Find My:
This feature is super creepy surveillance tech and shouldn’t
exist. Years ago, a kid stole a Mac laptop out of my car. Years
later, I was checking out Find My and it showed a map with the
house...
An extensive history of Birdo’s gender (according to her Nintendo appearances). “If...
An extensive history of Birdo’s gender (according to her Nintendo appearances). “If you do consider Birdo to be trans, then she’s the first-ever trans character in a video game.”
Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win...
Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win is a forthcoming book by Jessica Valenti (who writes the Abortion, Every Day newsletter) that will be out on Oct 1, just before the election.
Clive Thompson writes about the influence of BASIC (“the most consequential language...
Clive Thompson writes about the influence of BASIC (“the most consequential language in the history of computing”) and the giddy adolescent thrill of using it for the first time. “I felt like I’d just stolen fire from Zeus himself.”
A nationwide study of young people in South Korea found a significant...
A nationwide study of young people in South Korea found a significant increased risk (~3.5X) of hearing loss for those with a positive diagnosis of Covid-19 (versus those without).
For the first time, wind & solar generated more of the EU’s...
For the first time, wind & solar generated more of the EU’s electricity in the first 6 months of 2024 than fossil fuels. “We are witnessing a historic shift in the power sector, and it is happening rapidly.”
An explainer of the conservatives’ plan for women in America. “If enacted,...
An explainer of the conservatives’ plan for women in America. “If enacted, Project 2025 wouldn’t just ban abortion. It’s a step-by-step plan on how the government can force American women out of public life and back into the home.”
Speed jigsaw-puzzle competitions are a thing…and the mindet required seems the same...
Speed jigsaw-puzzle competitions are a thing…and the mindet required seems the same as any other sport: “What differentiates a true champion is the ability to self-control, to ensure that the pressure does not affect them or they hardly notice it.”
Ask WWDC
Interesting new site, offering AI-powered answers to WWDC-related developer questions. Ask a question, it tries to answer (some answers seem great, some not), and offers links to relevant WWDC sessions.
The small print at the bottom of the page disclaims “Ask WWDC is not affiliated with Apple Inc.” Instead it’s the work of developer Matt Spear, using a new tool he’s building that aims to allow anyone to build a similar “ask site”.
Link: askwwdc.com/
Extended Trailer for The Rings of Power Season Two
I was among the minority of viewers who enjoyed the first season of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power, so I was excited to watch this extended trailer for the show’s second season. It seems to give away a little too much of the story for my taste (even though we all knew where it was going), but I am definitely pumped for season two.
Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.
Season two starts streaming on Amazon Prime on August 29.
Tags: The Lord of the Rings · The Rings of Power · trailers · TV · video
Germans are installing “plug-and-play” solar panels to feed energy back to the...
Germans are installing “plug-and-play” solar panels to feed energy back to the grid. “You don’t need to drill or hammer anything. You just hang them from the balcony like wet laundry.” Collectively, they are contributing significantly to solar capacity.
Apple Intelligence Hits Beta With New Beta OS Releases for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS 15.1 Sequoia
Dan Moren, writing at Six Colors:
Not all features, as I said, will be available to try out in this
release. Among those included are the systemwide Writing Tools
features to help proofread and rewrite text; inbox prioritization,
summaries, and smart reply in Mail; the n...
Drum Beat Typography
Graphic artist Anthony Burrill has applied his unique typographic style to design posters and t-shirts of iconic drumming patterns for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The designer, known for his powerful and positive messaging, has created exclusive artworks in partnership with drumming legends, including Paul McCartney’s drummer Abe Laboriel Jnr, Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders, Simple Minds’ Cherisse Osei, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, and Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison.
It would be fun to see a working visualizer that used Burrill’s style to visualize any song’s drum beats. (via daniel benneworth–gray)
Tags: Anthony Burrill · design · infoviz · music · typography
💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Ran across this hilariously nonsensical gymnastics commentary by Joe Tracini this morning...
Ran across this hilariously nonsensical gymnastics commentary by Joe Tracini this morning and it definitely filled up the ol’ joy meter. “Winding up for a spooky bassoon…”
Parker or Driver?
I am reading All Fours by Miranda July right now and it hooked me right out of the gate. Granta published a excerpt of the book back in April – you can use it as a barometer for whether you’d like to try the whole thing.
I came into the house my usual way, like a thief. I t...
‘Pulp Fiction’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The Rewatchables! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast. In Part 2, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey run through the categories for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction.’ Producer: Craig Horlbeck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How Democracy Happens: First Gradually and Then Suddenly
Today’s piece by Heather Cox Richardson takes the form of a hopeful history lesson on how sometimes democracy happens in fits and starts.
At this country’s most important revolutionary moments, it has seemed as if the country turned on a dime.
In 1763, just after the end...
Lithub: The Republicans’ Project 2025 is disastrous for books. “Project 2025 is...
Lithub: The Republicans’ Project 2025 is disastrous for books. “Project 2025 is the single most expansive, extreme attack on our freedom to read that we’ve seen with ambition for federal government implementation.”
10 settings to tweak to increase iPhone battery life, including turning off...
10 settings to tweak to increase iPhone battery life, including turning off the always-on display and reducing your screen refresh rate. Also, stop quitting your apps…it doesn’t help!