Editorially shutting down ⇢

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We’ve used Editorially from day one on The Sweet Setup. Its editing and collaboration tools are excellent, and this news has bummed Shawn, Jeff and I out big time.

That said, I’m not surprised.

From the FAQ:

WHY NOT JUST CHARGE FOR USE?

We thought of that, and in fact, it was always our plan to do so. But Editorially is a sophisticated application that requires a team of engineers to maintain and develop. Even if all of our users paid up, it wouldn’t be enough.

I want to pay for things, but sadly, I fear I’m in the minority.

The Comcast and Time Warner merger is bad ⇢

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Bryan Bishop, on the news of Comcast’s desire to purchase Time Warner:

But with the prospect of a combined Comcast and Time Warner on the horizon, the question turns to what a merger would actually mean — both for consumers and the industry at large. If the move is approved by federal regulators, it could cement the kind of monolithic monopolies that have plagued cable subscribers all along, raising concerns over net neutrality and competition in the marketplace. Despite the very real potential for a media dystopia, however, there could be a silver lining: the chance that the deal could help break down a wall that’s kept innovation out of the living room for years.

I really hope the federal government keeps this deal from happening. It’s bad for customers, and it’s bad for competition, but in a world where net neutrality is basically dead, I don’t hold out much hope for a good decision to come out of Washington on this.

New Apple TV rumored for later in 2014 ⇢

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While Apple TV (and Apple television) rumors have been spinning for a while, the real question in mind isn’t about specs or input controls. It’s about content.

Adam Satariano and Edmund Lee at Bloomberg — in an article that inexplicably runs with an image of the first-generation Apple TV — address this question:

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is planning to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box as early as April and is negotiating with Time Warner Cable Inc. and other potential partners to add video content, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

If this is true, Apple may be extending its set-top box’s reach beyond Internet-specific content like iTunes, Netflix and Hulu.

I’m not sure I buy it, though. Unless it’s a radically new device that could be leaked during government approval, I’m not sure why Apple would announce something so far in advance. I’m also not sold on the idea that Apple would want to work with cable companies for content, or could even get said companies to the negotiating table. I may be proven wrong, but at this point, this report just doesn’t ring true for me.

Directional ⇢

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I’ve missed a couple recording sessions for The Prompt, and in my absence, Myke and Federico’s conversations have often turned to video games.

Today, they’re announcing Directional, a new show on 5by5 about gaming. Here’s how my two closest European friends describe the show:

We reflect about past trajectories and current directions, old games and new hits. Directional focuses on the games that are paving the way, the games that laid the foundations and just how dedicated games consoles exist in the smartphone age.

I’m excited for Myke and Federico, and even though I’m not a gamer, I can’t wait for the first episode to drop.

Flickr turns ten ⇢

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I first discovered photography in high school, but got more serious about in college. Flickr was a huge part of that experience; I could upload a photo and have comments on it almost immediately. I interacted with people who had similar interests in groups, and learned a ton by asking questions of other users.

The community that I once enjoyed on Flickr is no longer there – Twitter has replaced most of it — and at one point I closed my account. While I later re-joined the service, it’s just not the same, sadly. My 2013 Project 365 wasn’t nearly as fun as my previous two projects just because fewer people saw them.

All that said, Yahoo is clearly spending money and time on Flickr again, and while I don’t think it will ever reclaim the place it once held, I bet it’s got a long future ahead of it.

On podcast download links and Squarespace ⇢

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While I already subscribe to a ton of podcasts, I often find myself wanting to check out an episode or two of shows I don’t normally listen to.

To do this, I use an awesome service named Huffduffer, which is probably most easily described as Instapaper for audio. Hit a bookmarklet while on an webpage for a podcast episode and and it is added to your Huffduffer feed. This system allows users to subscribe to just one feed in their client, and listen to any individual episodes added to their account easily.

This works really well on sites like 5by5’s, but podcasts hosted on Squarespace don’t. If you host your show on Squarespace, you should check out Marco’s post.