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Category: Just for Fun

Adam Engst 7 comments

Looking Back on Past April Fools Day TidBITS Issues

Happy April Fools Day! We have no jokes or pranks this year, but here’s a look back through our April Fools efforts in past years that proved prescient.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 7 comments

Bowflex’s C6 Bike Is a Less Costly, More Versatile Peloton

Peloton exercise bikes are expensive and lock users into the company’s exercise service. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tried a less expensive alternative, Bowflex’s C6 bike. It gives users the flexibility to use a range of fitness services with an iPhone or iPad, an Apple TV, or a Mac.

Josh Centers 7 comments

Learn to Tickle the Ivories with Simply Piano

Simply Piano gamifies the tedious process of learning to play piano, but is it worth the subscription cost?

Josh Centers 27 comments

How to Play Wordle, the Word-Guessing Game of 2022

What is Wordle? It’s the Internet’s latest word-game craze, and it’s quick and easy to play. We show you how.

Adam Engst 20 comments

Colorful Vinyl Skins Help Differentiate and Protect Apple Laptops

Annoyed by constantly picking up his wife’s MacBook Pro instead of his MacBook Air, Adam Engst decided to decorate the laptops with inexpensive full-color vinyl skins. It worked like a charm, and the skins also make the laptops more secure to carry and offer protection against scuffs and scratches.

Josh Centers 1 comment

Panic Reveals Secret iPod Prototype

Apple development company Panic has had an iPod prototype in a closet for two decades and is now showing it to the world.

Josh Centers 11 comments

The Mystery of Why Web Hyperlinks Are Blue

Why are hyperlinks dark blue and underlined? On Mozilla’s blog, Elise Blanchard explores the history and possible reasons for this seemingly arbitrary design choice.

Josh Centers No comments

A Look at a Working AirPower Prototype

An Italian man has procured a prototype of Apple’s infamous AirPower—a multi-device wireless charging mat the company canceled two years after its announcement without ever shipping it.

Adam Engst 3 comments

A Solution for Group “Best Wishes” Certificates During the Pandemic

Faced with the inability to gather signatures in person on a commemorative certificate for a departing friend, Adam Engst simulated the process by collecting messages with Google Forms, turning them into text graphics with handwriting fonts, and arranging them in a layout program.

Josh Centers No comments

The Hottest Apple Handhelds of an Alternate Year 2000

Parker Ortolani of 9to5Mac has created concept art of Mac OS 9-based phones, watches, and tablets. Imagine what might have been if the hardware technology of the day had been up to the task.

Adam Engst No comments

2022 Apple Hardware Calendar from Stephen Hackett

Looking for the perfect gift for an Apple fan? Look no further than Stephen Hackett’s 2022 Apple Hardware Calendar, a 20-by-13-inch wall calendar featuring product photos and launch dates.

Josh Centers 1 comment

What Happens When You Mail an AirTag?

Kirk McElhearn mailed an AirTag to a friend to see if he could track it as it worked its way through the mail system. Short answer: he could, although the AirTag’s behavior upon arriving wasn’t entirely as expected.

Adam Engst 5 comments

Beware the Mac Chimes of Death

Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels has gathered together sound clips of the chimes of death played by various classic Mac models when they couldn’t boot. They’re fascinating, but if you experienced these a lot back in the day, beware of flashbacks!

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 11 comments

Some Fancy E-Bikes Have Their Own Apps. We Tried Two

Electric bicycles have become popular for their motor-assisted, eco-friendly locomotion, and some even have companion apps. Julio Ojeda-Zapata took a break from his traditional road bike to test two such high-tech e-bikes and found that their iPhone-based connectivity adds considerably to the experience.

Adam Engst 12 comments

Remembering Dantz Development’s “Drink Different” Posters

Remember Apple’s “Think different” ad campaign and those striking black-and-white images of historical figures? What you probably didn’t know is that backup software company Dantz Development had parodies created of those posters as decorations for a late-1990s Macworld Expo party. Here they all are.