On 11 August 1987, Apple released the “software erector set” HyperCard at Macworld Expo in Boston, and while it hasn’t been with us for many years now, back then it made a huge difference in the lives of Mac users, enabling many to give life to ideas that would otherwise never have seen the light of day. That might include even TidBITS, since we published our first 99 issues in HyperCard format, in a stack that could import its content into a searchable archive. Without the thrill of publishing in an entirely new format, it’s possible that TidBITS might have fallen by the wayside. Scroll through what others have posted in this Twitter search, and be sure to check out Infinite Canvas on the iPad too!

iOS app developer David Barnard of App Cubby has an interesting look at the likely sales numbers behind the Sparrow email client that suggest that too-low prices in the App Store mean that it’s now extremely difficult to earn the necessary amounts of money to fund ongoing development. The better approach? Sell your company (see “Sparrow Bought by Google,” 21 July 2012).

In an MIT Technology Review article reprinted on Mashable, David Talbot covers the emerging privacy concerns surrounding Apple’s storage of questions addressed to Siri. Apple says that the recordings are used only for Siri’s operation and to help improve understanding and recognition, but privacy wonks worry that the voiceprints could be used to identify the speakers. Where should the privacy line be drawn between providing services that require storage of personal information and worrying about Big Brother?

Master of analogies Andy Ihnatko draws the parallels between a developer “just” switching from MobileMe to iCloud and renovating a home — as anyone who has done this knows, as soon as you start, it’s a cascade of decisions that result in more work and expense, not to mention a game of “Mother, May I?” with the authorities.

An NPR intern on the “All Songs Considered” program posted recently about how she has 11,000 songs in iTunes, but has purchased only about 15 CDs in her life. Her post prompted a firestorm of responses — pro and con, interestingly — and NPR’s Robin Hilton links to a number of them in this blog post. Most notable is the “Letter to Emily White” from David Lowery, a songwriter and lecturer at the University of Georgia’s music business program, but it’s worth reading a number of the articles Hilton references.