I’m not a huge Porsche fan, but the 911 is a fascinating study in how a design language can work for decades.
posts
Clockwise 100: The Speed of Your Voice⇢
As part of #RelayBirthday, Myke and I took over Clockwise today:
An introspective, touchy-feely edition of Clockwise as we celebrate our 100th episode with special guest hosts and special guest guests.
Get it while it’s hot.
iPods continue to fade into history⇢
Mark Gurman:
Typically reserved for accessories like Apple Watch bands, headphones, and iPhone cases, Apple Store accessory walls will now be home to the recently-updated iPod line. Apple products, ranging from iPods to iPads to Macs, have typically been stored in the back of Apple Stores and brought to a customer upon the point of sale. Now, when a customer wants to buy an iPod, she or he can simply pull it off a shelf without needing to wait for the product to be brought from the back room.
Connected 53: Go Down the Pole and Run to the Fire⇢
This week’s show was a special one:
This week, Stephen and Myke are joined by David Sparks to talk about Relay FM’s first anniversary, the MacBook and the Apple Music Festival.
My thanks to these sponsors:
- lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.
- TextExpander 5, from Smile: Type more with less effort.
- Igloo: An intranet you’ll actually like, free for up to 10 people.
Kbase Article of the Week: What’s the difference between a "disc" and a "disk?"⇢
I linked to this back in 2009, but it is well-worth another post:
They’re pronounced the same, but, technically speaking, there is a distinct difference between a disc and a disk.
You can just feel the Nerd Annoyance dripping off this article.
Podcasts aren’t an overnight success⇢
Romain Dillet at TechCrunch:
When Myke Hurley and Stephen Hackett launched Relay FM, they expected to build a small independent network of weekly tech podcasts. Just a year later, Relay FM features 16 different shows and delivers 1.5 million downloads every month. Building this loyal audience was an overnight success six years in the making.
If you want to learn a lot about our podcast network and how we run our company, this article is for you. What a day!
A Guide to the Apple Newton
This article is written by my friend Thomas Brand, who blogs at EggFreckles.net.
Apple released four distinct Newton form factors containing eight different models between August 1993 and February 1998. Each form factor was an evolutionary step forward for the platform, and introduced design considerations and features that were different from past and subsequent models. Choosing a Newton requires understanding each models benefits and weaknesses and applying that knowledge towards selecting the Newton that best meets your requirements.
How I’m spending my (indie) time so far
I’m a couple of weeks into indie life and things are going pretty well. It may be a side effect of having done most of my work on the side for so long, but I haven’t hit any real surprises yet.
Sure, there’s stress about workspace and finding the right balance between work and home life, but except for being late for a phone call today, nothing’s really come off the rails.
The NASA Design Program⇢
Michael Bierut:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Design Program is a modernist vision for an optimistic future. The logo (often referred to as the “worm”) evokes qualities of unity, technical precision, scientific capabilities and uniqueness. Reduced to its simplest form; the one width, continuous-stroke letters are as contemporary today as when the logo was first introduced by Richard Danne (Design Director) and Bruce Blackburn (Designer) at Danne & Blackburn, New York, NY) more than 37 years ago. How then, in 1992, after 19 years, did such an emblematic design program for a future-oriented Federal Agency be dropped for it’s previous (now current) Insignia (the “meatball”)? What follows is a heartfelt personal account from Mr. Danne on the obstacles and achievements of one of the century’s most important and widely published design programs.
Top Four⇢
In addition to Liftoff, we’re also announcing Top Four, a podcast hosted by Tiffany and Marco Arment in which they basically rank things like movies, TV shows, games and more. It’s a ton of fun to hear.
Announcing Liftoff, a new podcast about space from Relay FM
Over the past six months or so, I’ve been writing, talking and thinking a lot more about space and how we get there.
That’s led — somewhat inevitably — to a new podcast on Relay FM. We’ve named it Liftoff.
Here’s the fancy description my cohost Jason Snell came up with:
Liftoff is a fortnightly podcast about space, the universe, and everything. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand the latest developments as explained by enthusiastic space fans Stephen Hackett and Jason Snell.
RSS Sponsor: Magic Number⇢
Magic Number is the calculator for the rest of us. Unlike other calculators, it lets you do math naturally.
You can see math as math. Typing is completely ‘what you think is what you type’. Editing is delightfully simple. Everything clicks. Magic Number is all about making calculations easier and enjoyable.
No wonder The Loop calls it a fantastic calculator for OS X.
And you can do more. You can zip through tax and time. Help your kid with fractions and algebra. Sail through statistics and complex numbers. Nothing gets in your way. You feel empowered.