Click through the link below for my thoughts on the film. If you read it, are spoiled, and then get upset, don’t say you weren’t warned.
Category: General Tech
‘The subscription isn’t a single physical item, but an experience’⇢
Mike Bates, writing for Tools and Toys about Field Notes Brand memo books:
I have both a digital to-do manager and a more in-depth digital journal, but the act of physically writing things out helps me to be more intentional in planning out my day. It’s nice to jot something down on paper and still manages to be the most convenient way for me to take a quick note even in this very digital age.
Betamax tapes going off the market⇢
Today I learned you could still buy Betamax tapes.
Square files For IPO⇢
I like Square. I use a bunch of their services in running the non-Relay part of my business and have never had any issues. Coming from a world of pain when I used PayPal more, that’s a win in my book.
Documentary Films 101⇢
Mark Hackett — hey, brother! — writing about what he has learned in making films about Sudan:
If there’s one thing every human being in the world has in common, it is our collective love of stories and storytelling. The world’s most ancient texts are filled with sweeping stories of early civilization. Today, we can’t get enough of big-budget films, post-apocalyptic books, and real-life stories of ordinary people becoming heroes. We’re wired to come together around those who who create, write, and show.
Verizon burns everything to the ground⇢
John Callaham at iMore:
Verizon Wireless will be making some big changes in both its device data plans and its smartphone purchase options, starting on August 13. On that date, Verizon will offer four data plans, with no more separate single-line or family plan options. The carrier will also do away with two-year contracts and their smartphone subsidies, with customers now offered the option of either paying for the entire retail price upfront or paying via a monthly installment plan.
NYC MTA shows off century-old subway control system⇢
I love the look of all of these old panels and machines, but this video is a little scary to think about for more than a moment or two.
The Amiga turns 30⇢
Ars Technica has an eight-part series on the platform.
My backup strategy
I last wrote about my backup strategy almost 5 years ago, and a lot has changed in my setup since then, so I though it’d be good to revisit the subject.
I shouldn’t have to preach the importance of a good backup system, but there are some key tenants that should be part of any approach:
- Be redundant. Having a single backup is good, but what happens if it gets killed by the same power outage that cooks your computer?
- Be easy to manage. Time Machine is popular because it’s easy to setup and doesn’t need on-going care. Anything past the built-in backup will take more work, but it’s good to minimize it.
- Be testable. Every once in a while, restore data from a backup to make sure everything’s going well. This doesn’t have to be some big, drawn out thing. For me, a small recovery can put my mind at ease every quarter or so.
My current hardware setup is pretty simple. I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro as my main machine, and a Mac mini hooked up to the television and a Synology DS415+ with 6.3 TB of disk space sitting in the closet.
Back to the Future is the most perfect blockbuster ever made⇢
My all-time favorite movie turns 30 years old this weekend, and Vox’s Todd VanDerWerff’s takes a look at what makes it so special:
Back to the Future works because, in the end, its stakes are so very small. Beneath all the jokes and the moments where a mother unknowingly flirts with her son and the time travel and the action-packed countdown sequences, all that remains is a theme so universal that we keep returning to it in story after story after story: can you ever understand your parents? And perhaps even harder: can they ever understand you?
Verizon’s acquisition of AOL complete⇢
That seemed fast.
Donate to App Camp for Girls 3.0⇢
App Camp for Girls is one of my favorite things about our corner of the Internet. Their mission, while seemingly simple to understand, is of vast importance:
To empower girls by providing engaging and accessible educational programs in software development.
Their vision of gender equality in the software development profession is something we should all work together to realize.
The group is currently holding a crowdfunding campaign to take their work to the next level: