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Liftoff #18: The SLS⇢
This fortnight, Jason and I talk about rockets on drone ships, visiting space via virtual reality and NASA’s next launch vehicle, the SLS.
SpaceX sticks the landing⇢
After several failed attempts over the last year or so, SpaceX has successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on an at-sea drone ship.
Falcon 9 first stage on our droneship in the Atlantic after propelling the Dragon spacecraft to the @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/Cnnej7zEnt
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 8, 2016
While this isn’t the first time the company has landed a spent rocket stage, doing it at sea (as opposed to at Cape Canaveral in Florida) should work in SpaceX’s favor in their quest to lessen the cost of future flights by reusing these vehicles. Landing at sea also means the company should be able to recover rockets from a wider range of mission types and launch locations.
The Mac Product Grid
The other day, I published this image, which was Apple’s approach to the Mac product line for several years after Steve Jobs came back:
Of course, that isn’t how things are shaped now. A couple of readers wrote in suggesting something along these lines, which had been rattling around in my brain as well:
At first pass, I though this Grid of 6 explained the Mac lineup pretty well, but it really breaks down in the details.
Cassie⇢
I had seen photos of this prototype Apple keyboard, but now I know a lot more:
Cassie is pure SnowWhite. What computers would it look good with? Perhaps a Mac SE or Apple IIgs, but even those strike me as a little too sharp-edged and hard. A computer to go with Cassie would have to be soft, like Esslinger’s other designs of the period.
via @morrick
On the iMac’s place in the world
Since its groundbreaking introduction in 1998, the iMac has been at the heart of the Macintosh line. Even as notebooks have consumed most of the market, the iMac holds its ground, outlasting the PowerMac and having a heritage richer than that of the Mac mini. While the 12-inch Retina MacBook may be a wonder of engineering, the iMac is still the spiritual leader of the Mac family.
It wasn’t always this way. While the iMac helped bring Apple back from the brink in the late 1990s, it was just one machine. For years, it was easy to understand the iMac’s place in Apple’s grid of products: it was the consumer desktop machine:
Leo Laporte interviews Bill Atkinson⇢
This is simply wonderful:
Big changes at Macminicolo⇢
In short, I’ve decided to sell ownership of Macminicolo and merge it with another company. I will stay on as President of Macminicolo and also serve as a Vice President of the parent company, MacStadium.
Now, I could just announce this with no explanation and be done with it. I could also write one of those generic acquisition posts focused on sunsets and brands and blah. Instead, I’ll be forthright and real like I’ve always tried to be with customers.
Kbase Article of the Week: Charging iPod shuffle on an iMac G3 and eMac⇢
While it’s easy to think Apple does oddball stuff with accessories and products today, it’s been that case for years. Here’s Apple Support discussing how to charge the original iPod shuffle:
Because of its design, iPod shuffle cannot be connected to the USB ports on the side of iMac G3 and eMac computers—it will not fit. You can connect iPod shuffle to your keyboard’s USB ports if your computer has Mac OS X 10.3.6 or later, however, iPod shuffle will not charge due to the keyboard’s low-power USB ports.
Connected #85: Pokédex of iMacs⇢
This week on Connected, Myke shared a surprise with the rest of us, then we talk about the current state of home automation and the iMac’s place in the world.
My thanks to our sponsors this week:
- Braintree: Code for easy online payments.
- Squarespace: Enter offer code WORLD at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
40 years in 40 songs⇢
Apple has published an Apple Music playlist highlighting some music from its rich history of ads. There are some fun songs in here.
Feels like the Future⇢
Underscore David Smith, writing about his Tesla Model S:
I know and am keenly aware that writing a blog post extolling the virtues of an undeniably expensive car is ripe with peril. I thought long and hard about whether I even should. In the end what made me write this post was the overwhelming excitement I feel about driving it. It genuinely feels like the future. Each time I walk up to it, even months later, it puts a smile on my face.