This week on the podcast, Damien Schreurs joins David and I to talk about what makes a good password, the deal with passkeys, and Apple’s upcoming Passwords application.
posts
A Look Back at ResEdit⇢
The Macintosh was intended to be different in many ways. One of them was its file system, which was designed for each file to consist of two forks, one a regular data fork as in normal file systems, the other a structured database of resources, the resource fork.
Resources came to be used to store a lot of standard structured data, such as the specifications for and contents of alerts and dialogs, menus, collections of text strings, keyboard definitions and layouts, icons, windows, fonts, and chunks of code to be used by apps. You could extend the types of resource supported by means of a template, itself stored as a resource, so developers could define new resource types appropriate to their own apps.
maciNTosh: Windows NT for Power Macintosh⇢
Wack0 on GitHub has put together an incredible project: the ability to install and run select versions Windows NT on a handful of PowerPC Macs, including:
- iMac G3 (tray-loading)
- Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White) “Yosemite”
- Macintosh PowerBook G3 Bronze Keyboard “Lombard”
- Power Macintosh G4 PCI “Yikes!”
A couple of videos showing the process have surfaced:
CrowdStrike Bug Leads to Worldwide BSODs, Grounding Flights, Halting Banking, and More⇢
Thousands of Windows machines are experiencing a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) issue at boot today, impacting banks, airlines, TV broadcasters, supermarkets, and many more businesses worldwide. A faulty update from cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike is knocking affected PCs and servers offline, forcing them into a recovery boot loop so machines can’t start properly. CrowdStrike is widely used by many businesses worldwide for managing the security of Windows PCs and servers.
When it Comes to Apple Intelligence, Patience is a Virtue⇢
David Sparks, writing about the rumors that say the new Siri won’t show up until next year:
The big question about all the Apple Intelligence elements is not “When do we get them?” but “Do they work”? Significant market pressures forced Apple to explain its AI position, and now it has. I generally agree with the thinking behind Apple Intelligence, and if it works as promised, it will be very impressive.
August 2025: The Death of Google’s URL Shortener⇢
Sumit Chandel and Eldhose Mathokkil Babu:
In 2018, we announced the deprecation and transition of Google URL Shortener to Firebase Dynamic Links because of the changes we’ve seen in how people find content on the internet, and the number of new popular URL shortening services that emerged in that time. This meant that we no longer accepted new URLs to shorten but that we would continue serving existing URLs.
Today, the time has come to turn off the serving portion of Google URL Shortener. Please read on below to understand more about how this will impact you if you’re using Google URL Shortener.
Connected #511: A Potentially Warm Take: The Story of Apps⇢
This week, the guys celebrate the release of a new HomePod mini and the Public Betas, then talk about the new versions of UTM, Delta, and Overcast.
The New Overcast is Here
I was at a concert when I got access to the first beta of Overcast. I had barely any reception at the venue, but as soon as my wife and I got back to the car, I downloaded it and started playing with it.
That was ten years ago, and I’ve been using Overcast ever since. It pulls down new episodes faster than any other podcast player I’ve tried and Marco Arment’s audio work means shows that are poorly mixed can still sound great.
Kaleidoscope 5⇢
Kaleidoscope is one of those apps that makes me happy to be a Mac user. It solves a specific problem in a fun and nicely-designed way. Version 5 rolled out last week, with a bunch of cool new goodies.
Apple Updates the HomePod mini
I love my HomePod minis, and today there is a new one:
Today, Apple introduced HomePod mini in midnight, made with 100 percent recycled mesh fabric. At just 3.3 inches tall, HomePod mini offers big sound in an impressively compact design. With a seamless, acoustically transparent mesh exterior and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge, HomePod mini is a stunning smart speaker that complements any space. HomePod mini in midnight is available starting Wednesday, July 17, and joins other bold colors, including yellow, orange, blue, and white.
Sponsor: Listen Later: Listen to Articles as Podcasts⇢
Imagine turning your reading list into a listening playlist. With ListenLater.net, your favorite reads become accessible as engaging podcasts in your preferred podcast app.
Have you ever found an intriguing article but lacked the time to read it? Whether commuting, exercising, or relaxing, ListenLater.net makes it easy. Just email the article’s URL and Listen Later converts it into a lifelike podcast episode. You’ll be immersed in the experience as if listening to a real person.
Mac Power Users #753: Apple Gear & Accessories⇢
This week on the show, David and I share some of our favorite accessories that help extend our Apple devices and maximize their usefulness.