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A friend of mine who works in this weird market of indie tech content has a saying that he doesn’t “have a single unpublished thought.”

I don’t really know what Sparks means by this phrase, but it’s one that I turn over in my mind quite often.

One on hand, this phrase could be applied to work. Building an audience over time means sharing a lot. Blog posts, podcasts, tweets and YouTube videos begin to add up, and the machine always has to be fed new content or the whole thing comes to a screeching halt.

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Apple Support:

Starting May 25, Apple will introduce security changes that prevent older Windows PCs from using the iTunes Store. If you have Windows XP or Vista PC, your computer is no longer supported by Microsoft, and you’re not able to use the latest version of iTunes.

And:

Also beginning May 25, security changes will prevent Apple TV (1st generation) from using the iTunes Store. This device is an obsolete Apple product and will not be updated to support these security changes.

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Small, round and heavy

The HomePod in my kitchen

Fills the room with sound

Thumping bass without

Distortion with clear mids, highs

Made my Echo sad

Siri is still not great

Falling down on simple tasks

Confused and alone

Will it soon improve?

Can Apple make Siri better?

Timers can’t be that hard

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Mark Gurman is reporting that the AirPods are due for some exciting updates:

Like with its mobile devices – the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch – Apple intends to frequently update the AirPods with new hardware features. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is working on a new version for release as soon as this year with an upgraded wireless chip, the people said. A subsequent model for as early as next year is planned to be water resistant, they added, asking not to be identified discussing private product plans.

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Today, we’re introducing Subnet, a new “Flash Briefing” podcast by, well, me.

The idea is simple: each episode is just a couple of minutes long, and in each one, I cover the three tech stories you should know. That’s it.

Subnet is made in partnership with Anchor, whose platform makes it easier than ever to create a podcast. Their new platform makes creating and hosting a podcast easier than ever, including getting a show listed in the various podcast players on the market.

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This week on Connected:

Federico has a surprise for the group, then goes on to teach about Things 3 before Stephen complains about its repeating task support. In a shocking turn of events, Myke has the need for a Mac app.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• Ting: A smarter way to do mobile. Save $25 on selected devices or keep it as Ting credit.
• Pingdom: Start monitoring your websites and servers today. Use offer code CONNECTED to get 30% off.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code WORLD at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

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Alto’s Odyssey, the sequel to one of my all-time favorite iOS games is out today. I’ve played it for about an hour this morning, and I have to say, it’s really wonderful. It takes all the good things about the original and makes them better. I think you’ll love it; I know I do.

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Yours truly, over on MacStories:

Within the next few months, macOS Server as we know it today will be going away, with many of its services being deprecated. Things like hosting calendars, contacts, email and wikis are going away as Apple focuses the product on “management of computers, devices, and storage on your network.”

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. macOS Server has been languishing for years, with many of its most common features being integrated into the mainstream version of macOS.

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Apple, dropping the article before a product name years ago:

Xserve may exhibit a symptom where USB devices, FireWire devices, and the optical drive do not respond and external mass storage devices do not mount.

Xserve may be locked. Unlock Xserve using the Allen key that came with the server. Once the external mass storage volumes mount, you can lock the server again.

You can determine that the server is locked if the yellow security LED on the front panel is on:

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Holy smokes:

For the full Twitter experience on Mac, visit Twitter on web. ???? https://t.co/fuPJa3nVky

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) February 16, 2018

I’m glad Twitter got rid of all of the Nazis and Russian bots on their platform before this.

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NASA JPL:

The Sun will rise on NASA’s solar-powered Mars rover Opportunity for the 5,000th time on Saturday, sending rays of energy to a golf-cart-size robotic field geologist that continues to provide revelations about the Red Planet.

“Five thousand sols after the start of our 90-sol mission, this amazing rover is still showing us surprises on Mars,” said Opportunity Project Manager John Callas, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

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I spent Monday at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I was there as part of a #NASASocial event ( my second) to attend the agency’s “State of NASA” event, where Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot discussed the Administration’s 2019 Budget.

Jason Snell and I spoke at length about the budget on today’s episode of Liftoff. You should go check it out, but the TL;DR is that the White House wants NASA to push Mars to the back burner and get back to the moon next decade. There are a lot of questions about if that’s possible given the budget, and there is lot to be upset about, including cuts to Earth Sciences and education, the cancellation of the WFIRST telescope and the doubts it throws on the future of the International Space Station.

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