Notable

Red Sprite Lightning over the Czech Republic

I've been lucky enough to see the Nothern Lights, but nothing like this before.

Posted 26th Sep 2022 @ 10:26

I made Retro Pokémon Game Box

I wish I had both the skill and the patience to do something like this.

Posted 26th Sep 2022 @ 09:05

Roller Jet

Love the idea behind this printer from Jisan Chung:

In many places, printed paper has been replaced by screens, changing the role of home printers. Yet, at the same time, we enjoy tangible interactions - such as taking notes on printouts and simply carrying them around for reference.
RollerJet proposes new use-cases for home printers in this digitalised world. Using a roll of paper instead of sheets, it can print out any length you want - from small sizes for tickets, check-lists, daily schedules, grid lines or gift wraps to A4 size or larger for documents. After printing, the paper can be easily torn off with a single hand.

Posted 23rd Sep 2022 @ 10:40

Hit The Island – iPhone 14 Pro game concept

Posted 14th Sep 2022 @ 08:29

New York City is forcing some cars to slow down

We recently brought a car and it can read speed signs and will display the current speed limit on the instrument cluster. Nice to see at a glance and if you go above, while it doesn't restrict you, it will flash as a silent warning. I think you can enable audible warnings too in our case.

In addition to a bunch of other tech, our car does feel extremely safe, so I don't really object to these types of features. While we're still in control of the whole experience though, I feel that they need to be passive in their application. For now.

If autonomous vehicles really become a thing and the scales tip in their favour then it would make sense for them to become more intrusive.

I have wondered many times why car companies shout about safety features very few drivers benefit from. Lane keep assist is almost always a paid option or "standard" as part of the most expensive configurations. If safety was the top priority then these features need to trickle down faster into smaller models, but at the base level too.

Posted 10th Sep 2022 @ 12:00

Ad Tech Revenue Statements Indicate Unclear Effects of App Tracking Transparency

I've had this post by Nick Heer bookmarked for ages and wanted to expand on it in a bigger post but just haven't found the time. Rather than sit on it, I thought I would share and come to it in the future when I have some more time.

Posted 8th Sep 2022 @ 10:32

Democrats want to outlaw Apple from thinking differently

Good post by John Gruber over on Daring Fireball. Apart from this bit:

Prior to Lightning, USB connectors were both unidirectional (one side was up, the other down) and ungainly.

This is surprisingly untrue. I backed a project on Kickstarter a few years ago called Quickdraw 2.0 which featured a reversible USB-A connector.

I could not believe that this was possible with USB-A and had not been taken advantage of (at least not in a cable I'd come across) before. From their campaign page:

Which way do you plug this cable in? Any way! A reversible USB has been the most requested feature and we have finally been able to get MFi approval so have now been able to include it in the Quickdraw 2.0. Now your cable will always plug in first time and every time. No more fumbling behind your computer or with your wall plug. This is a very little and simple thing but Oh! does it make life easier. We promise you will love this.

Overall, I do agree with Gruber that these mandates are unlikely to lead to more innovation. I do, however, remember the state of mobile phone chargers at the turn of the century where even a single manufacturer would have different chargers for different models of phones.

I don't think any cable I had was reusable with a new device until they started to take advantage of Micro-USB ports.

Posted 7th Sep 2022 @ 09:00

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