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Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 33 years
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Category: Just for Fun

Adam Engst 4 comments

The Most Twisted (Pair) Adapter Cable You’ve Ever Seen

Dongles get a bad rep, but as this video shows, they can accomplish some pretty impressive things.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 8 comments

Zwift Transforms Stationary Bicycling into a Shared Virtual Experience

Outdoor cycling is feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic, but long rides are impractical and group rides are an infection risk. Enter Zwift, a bicycling simulator you run on an iPad, Mac, or Apple TV as you sit on a stationary bicycle. As you pedal, your Zwift counterpart does the same as it roams exotic realms. You can meet friends on Zwift, and you might even see a T-Rex!

Adam Engst 5 comments

Slow Motion Video of the Apple Watch Ejecting Water

The Slow Mo Guys have published a YouTube video with slow-motion, highly magnified footage of an Apple Watch ejecting water. Well worth a look.

Josh Centers No comments

Keep Kids Entertained This Summer with Apple Camp at Home

Looking for something for your kids to do this summer with in-person camps limited or canceled? Apple is offering a free online camp this summer for kids to learn about art, coding, design, and video.

Adam Engst 5 comments

VintageApple.org Archives the Early Mac Universe

Adam Engst was recently turned on to the VintageApple.org site, which has full archives of Macworld, MacUser, and Byte, along with hundreds of vintage books about the Mac and Apple. Check it out!

Adam Engst No comments

Four TidBITS 30th Anniversary Podcasts

A number of podcasts helped us celebrate the 30th anniversary of TidBITS by inviting publisher Adam Engst on as a guest, and the resulting conversations are well worth listening to if you enjoy reminiscing about the early days of the Macintosh world.

Adam Engst 14 comments

Hey Fourteen: When Numbers Get Siri-ous

Do you know what happens when you invoke Siri and say “14”? After seeing numerous hits on our Web site for Google searches on that topic, Adam Engst spent some time suggesting numbers to Siri. He came up with some interesting results.

Adam Engst 7 comments

Strava (Finally) Listens to Its Users, Brings Back Chronological Feed

Will wonders never cease? Strava has acknowledged that users hate a two-year-old change in how the workout-centric social network service presents its activity feed. Strava users can once again enjoy a simple chronological feed, free of algorithmic interference. There are other welcome new features too.

Connie Laubenthal 11 comments

Black Ink Lets You Do Crossword Puzzles on Your Mac

Black Ink from Red Sweater Software is an easy and intuitive way to play crossword puzzles from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and other sources.

Josh Centers 6 comments

Movie Villains Don’t Use iPhones

An amusing anecdote from director Rian Johnson reveals Apple’s level of influence over Hollywood, but such influence isn’t out of the ordinary.

Adam Engst 1 comment

Guy Kawasaki’s New “Remarkable People” Podcast

This podcast is related to the world of Apple only through the Mac cred of its host, Guy Kawasaki, but his lineup of guests makes it well worth checking out.

Adam Engst 94 comments

The Few Remaining Uses of the Word “Macintosh”

Nagged by the question of whether Apple still uses the term “Macintosh” anywhere, Adam Engst pores over targeted Google search results to confirm that the company has excised “Macintosh” from all modern uses, with a few odd exceptions.

Adam Engst 1 comment

The Life and Times of a Backblaze Hard Drive

Backblaze has published a description of what it’s like to be a hard drive in the company’s data center, writing it from the perspective of a hard drive called Zach. Wonderfully silly, for sure, but it’s an engaging approach complete with interesting technical bits.

Josh Centers 4 comments

Xbox and PlayStation Game Controllers with Apple Arcade: The FAQ

iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS 10.15 Catalina, and tvOS 13 all support game controllers from Microsoft and Sony. Here’s how to connect them to your devices to make the most of Apple Arcade.

Timothy Buck 22 comments

Headspace: A Guided Meditation Companion

If you struggle to sleep, can’t seem to focus, or grapple with persistent stress, you might want to check out Headspace. It’s a personal meditation guide available for iOS, Android, and the Web with a large catalog of guided meditations for people of every experience level.