512 Pixels

NASA:

In the not-too-distant future, astronauts destined to be the first people to walk on Mars will leave Earth aboard an Orion spacecraft. Carried aloft by the tremendous power of a Space Launch System rocket, our explorers will begin their Journey to Mars from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the spirit of humanity with them to the Red Planet.

The first future human mission to Mars and those that follow will require the ingenuity and dedication of an entire generation. It’s a journey worth the risks. We take the next step on that journey this Thursday, Dec. 4, with the uncrewed, first flight test of Orion.

Thursday is a big milestone on the trip to Mars, which NASA has slated for the 2030s. While the timetable isn’t as accelerated as Apollo’s was, it’s still amazing to imagine watching the news in 15 years and see a human being waving back to Earth from the surface of Mars.

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Bradley Chambers over on The Sweet Setup:

The Apple ecosystem has no shortage of ways to share files. There are countless apps and services that aim to make this as easy as possible. With a lot of the articles we write here at The Sweet Setup, we are comparing apps and services that are virtually identical outside of user interface. With this category, that is not the case. These apps, while appearing similar, all have a different focus.

Automate your bookkeeping tasks for your small business, setup takes 10 minutes. Join the tens of thousands of business owners that gave up on spreadsheets and quickbooks and decided to give LessAccounting a try. Let us show you a less stressful way to handle bookkeeping and make your accountant happy. 14 day trial, 30 day money back promise, stop wasting time with bookkeeping and get back to being a badass.

Simple Beep is a new podcast that does deep dives on historical Apple topics. So far, Ed and Brian have tackled the startup chime and interface customization.

If you like some of my old Apple stuff, check out this show.

There’s been a lot of talk over the last few days about podcasting and podcasting equipment.

Production and gear costs are — to a degree — a chicken-and-egg problem in podcasting. Blogging has a very low barrier to entry; podcasting’s is higher.

However, if you want to be taken seriously, it does matter — to a degree — how you sound. I don’t think Casey’s argument of “Use whatever you can, even your earbuds, if you have to. The point is what you’re saying, not how it sounds” is a good one.

But I’m not saying that to have a successful podcast (or network) you have to go out and drop serious money on serious equipment. I think Jason’s recommendation of the Blue Yeti is fine, if you have a quiet enough room. I like and use the Rode Podcaster, but it’s not at all required kit.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that your success is tied to what equipment to use or how to edit your show, but I do want to echo what Marco said in his post:

And if you put in the effort, your audience will reward you for it. Podcast audiences aren’t usually the biggest, but they’re by far the best. You won’t find more engaged, loyal, devoted fans than podcast listeners. Podcasters know it, advertisers know it, and listeners know it.

All the arguing about what equipment is best, if taking donations alongside advertising is shady and if networks are dead or not is just noise in the face of this truth: podcasting is special, but it’s hard.

A million factors go into making a show successful. Audio quality takes the front seat because it’s perhaps the easiest to throw money at, but your content, show notes, release consistency, co-host chemistry, branding, website, social presence, iTunes ratings and cultivating relationships with fans all play an important role.

The common thread? Working hard, often without direct reward.

Relay FM is what it is because Myke and I sweat every detail. The entire stack — the shows, notes, content and website — have all been carefully considered. Our mics are part of that stack, but just one element of it.

My iPhone’s hardware is so … boring.

This week, we are back to discuss Federico’s use of a remote Mac mini for weird tasks and my new Pebble before debating Twitter’s new App Graph.

This episode was made possible by:

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Mike Solomon:

I saw this great post about how tiny the original Macintosh screen was compared with the current (and enormous) Retina 5K iMac screen.

So I thought I’d take the opposite approach. Below are 1-to-1 pixel mockups of how Mac OS X Yosemite would have appeared on the original Macintosh’s 512×342 pixel screen.

It’s crazy to think about the progress the Macintosh has made in 30 years.

via Daring Fireball

My buddy and coworker Jeffrey Abbott has a new book out on Dropbox:

We all have Dropbox accounts. Most people throw a few pictures up there and forget about them. There’s so much more Dropbox can do for you. If you’re a productivity/organizational freak, this is your chance to maximize your Dropbox potential. It’s not just a folder, it’s a tool to simplify your work and personal life.

It’s a good gift for the starter nerd in your life.

Twitter:

To help build a more personal Twitter experience for you, we are collecting and occasionally updating the list of apps installed on your mobile device so we can deliver tailored content that you might be interested in. If you’re not interested in a tailored experience you can adjust your preferences at any time (read below). Additionally, if you have previously opted out of interest-based ads by turning on “Limit Ad Tracking” on your iOS device or by adjusting your Android device settings to “Opt out of interest-based ads,” we will not collect your apps unless you adjust your device settings.

This is another good reason not to install the official Twitter app, and another reason I think that someday soon, we won’t have that choice anymore.

This is my new favorite Yosemite bug.

Just in time for the holidays, we have Relay FM stickers and shirts for sale. Big week.

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