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Category: Just for Fun

Adam Engst 2 comments

Steve Jobs’s Predictions from the 1983 International Design Conference

As part of a new digital exhibit, the Steve Jobs Archive has released a video of Jobs addressing designers at an industry conference in Aspen. Although it’s interesting to look back at the time, it’s also fascinating to see how accurate his predictions were.

Adam Engst 4 comments

Fast Company’s View of the Internet in 1994, Expanded by “Internet Explorer’s Kit for Macintosh”

Curious about what the Internet was like 30 years ago, in 1994? Fast Company has published an article looking at 15 websites from that year, but for a much more comprehensive (and amusing) view, check out the “Internet Explorer’s Kit for Macintosh” book by Adam Engst and Bill Dickson, now available online.

Adam Engst 45 comments

Text Conversations with an iPhone Thief

Veronica de Souza shares the texts she received from the thieves who stole her iPhone and then tried to convince her to unlock it.

Adam Engst 7 comments

iOS 17.5 Adds Cross-Platform Location Tracking Alerts

Apple has released a large set of operating system updates, including iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, macOS 14.5 Sonoma, watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, HomePod Software 17.5, macOS Ventura 13.6.7, macOS Monterey 12.7.5, iOS 16.7.8, and iPadOS 16.7.8. New features include alerts for Android-paired tracking devices moving with you and a new game and leaderboard for Apple News+ subscribers.

Adam Engst 22 comments

Online Messaging Systems of Yesteryear

Want to wax nostalgic? This history of online messaging system is sure to trigger some memories of when the Internet was a smaller, kinder place.

Adam Engst 5 comments

Apple Plugs Apple Watch Ultra 2 Usage in Long-Distance Relay Race

Apple has posted an account of a team using the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (and iPhone 15 Pro Max) during The Speed Project, an unofficial, unsanctioned relay race from Santa Monica to Las Vegas. Adam Engst wonders how well the technology really worked.

Adam Engst 9 comments

The Last Man Standing in the Floppy Disk Business

Floppy disks may not be seeing a revival like vinyl records, but they’re still in demand by hobbyists and manufacturers—medical, aviation, embroidery—that created long-lived machines during the heyday of the floppy. Learn more from the man still serving those customers.

Adam Engst 1 comment

Federico Viticci’s Hacked-Together Mac-iPad Convertible

In a stunning feat of hackery, Federico Viticci of MacStories removed the screen from a MacBook Air and replaced it with a detachable iPad for the best of both worlds… and a better Mac Virtual Display for the Vision Pro.

Adam Engst 12 comments

Reading Too Much into Pong Wars

This mashup of Pong and Breakout provides a sort of hyperactive digital lava lamp that's surprisingly mesmerizing.

Adam Engst 32 comments

Celebrating the Mac’s 40th Anniversary across the Web

Numerous publications have posted articles surrounding the 40th anniversary of the Mac, and we’ve collected a bunch of the best ones.

Adam Engst 7 comments

How Big Is YouTube?

Researchers have come up with a way to estimate how many videos there are on YouTube and various metrics surrounding them. It's a fascinating look into a site that has become an integral part of many people's lives.

Adam Engst 3 comments

The Evolution of Rogue Amoeba App Icons

Rogue Amoeba has posted a graphical timeline showing how the company’s app icons have evolved over the years.

Adam Engst 24 comments

Microsoft Word Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

One of the longest-standing Mac apps is also one of the most popular to this day—Microsoft Word. It has been a fixture in the Mac world for 40 years now.

Adam Engst 13 comments

Internet Artifacts Virtual Museum Exhibit Documents 30 Years of the Internet

When you have a few spare minutes, check out Neal Agarwal’s Internet Artifacts, a virtual museum exhibit of Internet history from 1977 through 2007. Apple shows up twice.

Adam Engst 11 comments

The Unbearable Ambiguity of Emoji

A Canadian court ruling that a thumbs-up emoji counted as a valid signature causes Adam Engst to ponder the difficulty of knowing what any given emoji might mean.