inforum.com/news/north-dakota/dickinson-high-to-retire-midgets-mascot-after-nearly-a-century
You may recall from my “Siri Is Super Dumb and Getting Dumber” piece back in January that the Dickinson Public Schools District in North Dakota had the rather unfortunate nickname the “Midgets”. Back in March, the school district announced they’d be retiring the nickname, after nearly a century. Last month they announced their new name: the Mavericks. I’m going to call this the best rebranding of the year.
We still have the Estherville, Iowa Midgets to cheer for. But even better: the Yuma Criminals in Arizona. Now that’s a nickname.
Link: inforum.com/news/north-dakota/dickinson-high-to-retire…
These screens make for a useful overview of what Apple thinks the highlight features are in each OS.
Aric Toler, a visual investigations reporter for The New York Times, on X back in April:
For about a year, I worked with a retired British academic named Alasdair Spark to solve a mystery: where did the original photo from the end of The Shining come from, and where/when was it captured?
Last week, we finally found the answer.
See also: This post from 2012 about the original photograph, from (who else?) Lee Unkrich.
electrek.co/2025/06/16/bloomberg-most-embarassing-report-tesla-waymo-self-driving/
fastcompany.com/91352848/field-notes-cult-notebook-started-out-as-a-side-project
Nice piece in Fast Company by Zachary Petit:
One critical moment came in February 2010, when J. Crew featured Field Notes in its catalog, alongside the retailer’s other “personal favorites from our design heroes.” There was a Timex watch, Ray-Bans, Sperry shoes — “and out of fucking nowhere, Field Notes,” Coudal says. “And when that happened, a lot changed for us.”
Coudal says it gave the brand instant credibility — after all, if it was good enough for J. Crew, it was good enough for your store. In time, friends began sending him screenshots of Field Notes in TV shows; he and Draplin would see people jotting notes in them in bars and elsewhere; on the design web, they became an obsession. By 2014, there was even a subreddit dedicated to them titled “FieldNuts.”
Link: fastcompany.com/91352848/field-notes-cult-notebook-started…
Daring Fireball
• Daring Fireball Department of Commerce
Automate compliance. Streamline security. Manage risk. Drata delivers the world’s most advanced Trust Management platform.
Link: drata.com/daring
variety.com/2025/biz/news/trump-mobile-wireless-phone-service-launch-1236431690/?ref=platformer.news
nytimes.com/2025/06/16/technology/whatsapp-ads.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PU8.G1Jy.5fcLP_rl3lYC
Eli Tan and Mike Isaac, reporting for The New York Times:
On Monday, WhatsApp said it would start showing ads inside its app for the first time. The promotions will appear only in an area of the app called Updates, which is used by around 1.5 billion people a day. WhatsApp will collect some data on users to target the ads, such as location and the device’s default language, but it will not touch the contents of messages or whom users speak with. The company added that it had no plans to place ads in chats and personal messages.
(a) I’ve never once looked at the Updates tab in WhatsApp; (b) does anyone believe they’re not going to put ads in the other tabs sooner or later?
My thanks to DetailsPro for sponsoring last week at DF — including being a sponsor on The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2025. DetailsPro is a designer/developer tool that lets you design with SwiftUI anytime, anywhere — from iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, and, of course, Mac.
With WWDC 2025’s introduction of Liquid Glass, Apple has introduced the biggest design overhaul since iOS 7. DetailsPro is ready for it, enabling you to prototype new and updated interfaces fast. You can build real SwiftUI layouts directly on your iPhone — no code needed. Export clean SwiftUI code straight to Xcode when you’re ready.
While everyone else is still thinking about how to adapt to the Liquid Glass era, you can already be building. DetailsPro is free to use, with pro features if you need them — via subscription, or a one-time purchase.
techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/the-meta-ai-app-is-a-privacy-disaster/
nytimes.com/2025/06/13/technology/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html
sixcolors.com/post/2025/06/the-good-bad-and-weird-of-apples-newest-platform-updates/
Dan Moren, writing this week at Six Colors:
But you’ve heard about all of that, I’m sure, so we’re not going to rehash it. Instead, let’s get personal: I’m picking out, in my opinion, the best and worst new features of each of Apple’s platforms. To be clear, these are my completely scientific and totally well-reasoned expert opinions on the features that were announced, not just some off-the-cuff reactions less than a day later.
Link: sixcolors.com/post/2025/06/the-good-bad-and-weird-of-apples…
MG Siegler:
The underlying message that they’re trying to convey in all these interviews is clear: calm down, this isn’t a big deal, you guys are being a little crazy. And that, in turn, aims to undercut all the reporting about the turmoil within Apple — for years at this point — that has led to the situation with Siri. Sorry, the situation which they’re implying is not a situation. Though, I don’t know, normally when a company shakes up an entire team, that tends to suggest some sort of situation. That, of course, is never mentioned. Nor would you expect Apple — of all companies — to talk openly and candidly about internal challenges. But that just adds to this general wafting smell in the air.
The smell of bullshit.
Jason Snell:
After last year, Apple could’ve been forgiven for wanting to soft-pedal this year’s Apple Intelligence announcements and regroup. It didn’t do that, nor did it double down on last year. Instead, it’s chosen a middle ground — a bit safe and familiar but also a place where Apple can feel a bit more like itself. In the long run, it needs to get this right. In the short term, maybe it should focus on meeting its users where they are, rather than pretending to be something it’s not.
Agree with Snell’s take completely, I do.
Link: sixcolors.com/post/2025/06/apple-intelligence-shifts-gears/
Tight 7-minute video at the WSJ (and also at YouTube):
Apple’s AI rollout has been rocky, from Siri delays to underwhelming Apple Intelligence features. WSJ’s Joanna Stern sits down with software chief Craig Federighi and marketing head Greg Joswiak to talk about the future of AI at Apple — and what the heck happened to that smarter Siri.
Update: Here’s the full 24-minute interview. Just an excellent job by Stern.
Link: wsj.com/video/series/joanna-stern-personal-technology/apple…
Ben Thompson:
To that end, while I understand why many people were underwhelmed by this WWDC, particularly in comparison to the AI extravaganza that was Google I/O, I think it was one of the more encouraging Apple keynotes in a long time. Apple is a company that went too far in too many areas, and needed to retreat. Focusing on things only Apple can do is a good thing; empowering developers and depending on partners is a good thing; giving even the appearance of thoughtful thinking with regards to the App Store (it’s a low bar!) is a good thing. Of course we want and are excited by tech companies promising the future; what is a prerequisite is delivering in the present, and it’s a sign of progress that Apple retreated to nothing more than that.
apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/apple-introduces-a-delightful-and-elegant-new-software-design/
512pixels.net/2025/06/wwdc25-macos-tahoe-breaks-decades-of-finder-history/
Stephen Hackett, noting the biggest news of the day:
Something jumped out at me in the macOS Tahoe segment of the WWDC keynote today: the Finder icon is reversed. […]
The Big Sur Finder icon has been with us ever since, and I hope Apple reverses course here.
I’m obviously joking about this being the biggest news of the day, but it really does feel just plain wrong to swap the dark/light sides. The Finder icon is more than an icon, it’s a logo, a brand.
Link: 512pixels.net/2025/06/wwdc25-macos-tahoe-breaks-decades-of…
Daring Fireball
• Daring Fireball Department of Commerce
With WWDC25 bringing the biggest design overhaul since iOS 7, you’ll want to prototype your new interfaces fast. DetailsPro lets you build real SwiftUI layouts directly on your iPhone — no Mac required, no code needed. Mock up your WWDC-inspired designs during coffee breaks. Export clean SwiftUI code straight to Xcode when you’re ready. While everyone else is still thinking, you’re already building. Free to use, with pro features if you need them. Perfect for the design renaissance.
Location: The California Theatre, San Jose
Showtime: Tuesday, 10 June 2025, 7pm PT (Doors open 6pm)
Special Guest(s): Indeed
Price: $50
A different type of show this year, and I’m excited for it. If you can make it, you should come. You’ll even enjoy the prelude, mingling with fellow DF readers and listeners.
Link: ti.to/daringfireball/the-talk-show-live-from-wwdc-2025
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/all-the-ways-apple-tv-boxes-do-and-mostly-dont-track-you/