Category: Blog

Life
Enjoying the World Cup so far. Good games, couple of surprising results and no fan trouble either.

Tragedy at the Glasgow School fo Arts with a second fire in 4 years this one far worse than in 2014. Hopefully the building can be saved and/or restored…it’s too important to lose.

Media
Westworld season 2, episode 8. One of the best so far.

Links

• The 25 best game trailers from E3 2018 – The VergeSome great trailers, but this felt like an E3 waiting for new hardware rather than one delivering for current consoles.
• Cyberpunk 2077 – official E3 2018 trailer – YouTubeCyberpunk was the standout game for me but by all accounts it’s at least 2020 before anyone will play it and probably on the next generation of console and high end PC’s.
• Rogue Amoeba – Under the Microscope » Blog Archive » On The Sad State of Macintosh HardwareWhen you see a post like this laying out how old the current Mac hardware is it’s hard to recommend a Mac to anyone. Shameful. I do hope Apple updates some of the Mac’s in the next few months.
• Tesla workers say they pay the price for Elon Musk’s big promises | Technology | The Guardian
  There’s something not quite right with Tesla.
• Oil Industry Copes With Climate Impacts As Permafrost Thaws : NPRWow. Didn’t know this was going on. Climate really is fecked.
• Andy Murray column: How I’ve recovered from lowest point of career – BBC SportGreat to see him back. 6-8 hours of rehab every day isn’t fun.
• George Lucas reveals his plan for Star Wars 7 through 9—and it was awful | Ars TechnicaThanks goodness we got Force Awakens instead as this sounds complete shit.
• Banks close 2,900 branches in three years, says Which? – BBC News60 branches a week! I knew banking was changing but not at this rate. For some communities with no banks, especially for the elderly or poor, what do they do?
• Listeners Labelled This Call From A Ukipper To James O’Brien The Greatest Call Ever – LBCWow. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.

Life
Quiet week enjoying the weather and then an almighty thunderstorm on Saturday cleared the air. Looking forward to seeing what E3 brings us this week.

Media
Pacific Rim Uprising. Crap. Don’t waste your time with this one.

Links

• WWDC 2018: Apple’s Software Chief Details How iOS Apps Will Run on Macs | WIRED
  In an exclusive interview, Apple’s Craig Federighi explains how developers will be able to get their iOS apps working on Macs.
  Considering it was to be a quiet WWDC there was a lot to like. No hardware but plenty of software to keep us interested including, finally, some interesting Mac updates.
• The Midlife Unraveling | Brené BrownGreat read. Can happen to us any time.
• Anthony Bourdain and the Power of Telling the Truth | The New Yorker
  Helen Rosner writes about Anthony Bourdain, who died on Friday, at sixty-one, and his ability to speak truth to power, especially when supporting his partner, Asia Argento.
  Sad week but liked this post about Bourdain the most.
• Underpaid and exhausted: the human cost of your Kindle | Technology | The GuardianWe all want cheap gadgets but the cost is getting to be too high.
• Your Phone Is Listening and it’s Not Paranoia – VICEToo many stories like this for it not to be true.
• G-7’s Iconic Photo Shows Its Success, Depending on the Angle Amazing photo. Politics right now is wild.
• First Man – Official Trailer (HD) – YouTubeGreat cast and a film about the race to the moon – whats not to like?
• THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB – Official Trailer (HD) – YouTubeMore a scene than a trailer but Claire Foy looks amazing.
• Widows | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX – YouTubeWhat a cast and a fantastic director. Can’t wait for this.

Life
Better week, good weather although could do with being a wee bit cooler. Never liked too much heat. Also enjoying Linode and a wee bit of scripting. Likely move all online accounts to Linode over the coming weeks.

Media
Finally caught up on Kenny, a documentary on Kenny Dalglish. Loved it and well worth catching while still on iPlayer.

Also enjoying the new Chvrches album, really good.

Links

• How Fortnite conquered the world | Games | The GuardianDidn’t expect this when Fortnite first came out. Bit random, clone of PUBG and wasn’t sold on the accuracy of it all. Roll on a few months and its the daddy and PUBG are suing. Wow.
• What It’s Like When Elon Musk’s Twitter Mob Comes After YouSad. Musk is a genius but on Twitter at least is coming across like a Trump or Assange.
• Internet Trends Report 2018
  Internet Trends 2018 Report – Mary Meeker, Code Conference May 30th, 2018.
  Geek out on this report. Summary…smartphone growth flat, China is the market to be in. Love seeing this every year.
• We bought 5,000 Panini World Cup 2018 stickers and still didn’t complete the album
  Got, Got, Need
  World Cup is only days away and this is the best take on it so far.
• Richard Madeley cuts off Gavin Williamson after he repeatedly dodges question on Russia – YouTubeDetest Madeley but fair play to him. Williamson is one of the worst politicians in years and thats saying something.
• How Apple Programmer Sal Soghoian Got Apps Talking to Each Other | WIREDGreat profile and a nice read before WWDC hits.
• Looking for Life on a Flat Earth | The New YorkerI just don’t get this.
• Why You Should Stop Being So Hard on Yourself – The New York TimesLove this, so much rings true.
• Eerie silence falls on Shetland cliffs that once echoed to seabirds’ cries | Environment | The GuardianShocking decline over the last 10-20 years.
• At times I can’t tell where I end and my migraines begin | Eva Wiseman | Life and style | The GuardianThis describes exactly what a migraine feels to me. They are so impacting but like the author sometimes it’s easier just to try and get through it….shouldn’t do it.
• Bye, Chrome: Why I’m switching to Firefox and you should tooAgreed.
• How Instagram’s algorithm works | TechCrunchClever and all that, but let me pick chronological if I want to. Fuckers.

Life
Shit week with no sleep and some crap news. Onwards.

Media
Patrick Melrose…difficult to watch in places, Benedict Cumberbatch is pretty amazing throughout. Spotted the Barras and a couple of other Glasgow streets stepping in for New York.

Champions League final. Ramos is a nasty wee shite. Bale was quite magnificent. Robertson kept Liverpool in it. Karius was crap. If ever a game showed why Liverpool need a goalkeeper this was it.

Links

• Patrick Melrose captures heroin addiction perfectly – my memories flooded back | John Crace | Society | The GuardianNever taken drugs and felt the TV show was over the top…clearly not.
• Second Life: Rethinking Myself Through Exercise, Mindfulness, and Gratitude – MacStoriesReally great read and some advice worth following.
• Red Giant | TANKLoved this. Less than 3 mins, give it a try.
• Google’s File on Me Was Huge. Here’s Why It Wasn’t as Creepy as My Facebook Data. – The New York TimesSame for me. Facebook data was weird and full of stuff that wasn’t mine either.
• Irish abortion referendum: Ireland overturns abortion banWonderful wonderful result. Slowly but surely religion is losing it’s grip. NI next!
• How TV Studios Are Scrambling to Keep Talent in the Age of Netflix | Hollywood ReporterToo much TV…this will pop eventually.
• Technology is driving us to distraction | James Williams | Opinion | The GuardianSee it everyday. People on phones constantly, the need to reply to messages even thought they are crap. Let it go.

Life
Long and messy week ended with some Ramen, shopping and more work but hopefully thats the last out of hours stuff for a while.

Media
Westworld still weaving it’s magic. Four episodes in and it’s great while also a wee bit confusing but it’s good to watch something that makes you think.

Finally got the photo’s from last weekends Caterham racing at Knockhill online. Full album can be found here on Flickr. Yep, still using that old thing.

Links

• Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle [PHOTOS] – Variety
  After all the hype I’m glad the wedding is out of the way, but there’s no doubting it was a pretty special day.
• Five years later, Sony looks back at how the DualShock 4 Share button happened – PolygonTime flies – five years since the DualShock…although I hardly use the share button.
• How gamers with disabilities shaped the Microsoft Adaptive ControllerIn other controller news, the new Adaptive Controller from Microsoft is a pretty special device. Sony have won this generation but kudos to Microsoft for trying to make gaming playable for everyone.
• John Carmack – Steve Jobs My wife once asked me “Why do… | FacebookThese notes are amazing.
• Daring Fireball: The End of Third-Party Twitter Clients?Twitter seem hell bent on forcing it’s community to use official apps only. Shame…a backwards step.
• Why Instagram Makes You, Me and Selena Gomez Feel BadKind of harsh on Instagram…follow the right people and it’s a really healthy place to be.
• How North Korean hackers became the world’s greatest bank robbersWho knew…great read.
• Germany Acts to Tame Facebook, Learning From Its Own History of Hate – The New York TimesFighting a losing battle?
• A breakdown of Black Panther’s visual effectsAgree with Kottke, so many film and TV shows using visual effects and in many cases they are hard to spot.
• Above NYC – Filmed in 12KYou need a fast machine and plenty bandwidth…but this is well worth it. Stunning.

Life
Knackered. Work travel followed by a long long Friday and then a cracking day at Knockhill has left me a bit bust. Top tip…put on some fucking suncream next time you are going to be standing in the sun all day. Idiot.

Media
Homeland finished this week and it was one of the best seasons yet.

Links

• Exclusive: How Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is rethinking Windows – The Verge
  In this exclusive interview with Dieter Bohn, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicks of the Build developer conference by speaking with Dieter Bohn about Windows, AI, and the ethics of cloud computing.
  The change in Microsoft is astounding, shows you what a true leader can deliver.
• Google’s AI sounds like a human on the phone — should we be worried? – The VergeAmazing tech but more than a little creepy. Also if it was so good why not show on stage but instead show a pre-recorded clip or two.
• iMac Pro + Hasselblad H6D Photo Review: Antarctica — Austin MannLove Mann’s reviews and this is no exception.
• Apple, Influence, and IveInteresting interview with Ive. His influence throughout Apple is huge…maybe too much power though?
• Childish Gambino’s This is America and how the internet killed the cultural critic | WIRED UK
  The response to Childish Gambino’s This Is America shows the emergence of a new type of criticism: one done by fans
  Where have all the reviewers gone?
• Euan McColm: Don’t let song remain the same on mental health – The Scotsman
  ‘Don’t forget the songs that made you smile,” sings Morrissey, “And the songs that made you cry. When you lay in awe on the bedroom floor…”
  Scott Hutchison wrote about his problems, talked about them too but still passed too soon. McColm’s article is well worth reading and taking action if you or others around you need help.
• My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed. – WIL WHEATON dot NETLong but important read. Set aside some time for this.

Life
Nice weather equals a weekend of garden DIY. I’m also a little late this week cause holidays! Dabbling with the photography side of things too. Started a separate Instagram account just for the photo’s and following photographers…not sure it’s helping. Also having some thoughts about domains and doing some self-hosting. Time will tell.

Media
Black Panther – Second watch and still really good
Molly’s Game – Good film, great cast and a typical Sorkin script but just seemed to be missing something?

Links

• The Complete Timeline of Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies, From ‘Iron Man’ to ‘Infinity War’
  Great write-up of the MCU timeline so far. There’s spoilers at the end for Infinity War but the rest is gold.
• I tried leaving Facebook. I couldn’t – The Verge
  Facebook is an emotional labor machine, and if you want to leave it, you’re going to have to start doing a lot of work
  Facebook is really sticky despite being a total shit of a company.
• Oculus Go review: VR has never been so good for so cheap
  The Oculus Go is the first VR headset that truly makes it easy to dive into VR without the hassle of connecting a phone or PC.
  I still have faith in VR as a platform but it has to be easier than it currently is. Too much faff.
• Scenes Unseen: The Summer of ’78 – The New York Times
  These photo’s are so good…and so well presented.
• Please don’t use this study to justify your horrible habit of using two spaces after periods – The Verge
  Is it better to have one or two spaces after a period? The first study investigating this hotly contested issue is here, and it supposedly gives the win to the two-spacers. But a closer look at the research suggests that the only reasonable interpretation is that double spacing after a period remains bad. It’s ugly, it doesn’t help when it comes to what matters most (reading comprehension), and the experiment that supports its benefits used an outdated font style.
  Who still does double spaces after periods? If you do….stop it.
• The original iMac: 20 years since Apple changed its fate – Six Colors
  Six Colors by Jason Snell and Dan Moren
  Weirdly l thought the iMac was older than 20 years. It was an amazing design and so fresh compared to the beige towers that everyone had at the time. I remember a friend picking up one of the MacBooks before they brought in the aluminium design. It was gorgeous but the new designs made it look like a toy. For me it was the same when the white iMacs came out and then switched to Intel. That was my jumping in point and I’ve never looked back. The iMac and iPod were amazing gateway devices.
• Panic Blog » The 2017 Panic Report
  Love reading this each year. Feel we should do something similar at work…year in review and whats next.
• It’s Impossible to Prove Your Laptop Hasn’t Been Hacked. I Spent Two Years Finding Out.
  Scary that an expert can’t confirm his laptop hasn’t been hacked.
• Subscription hell | TechCrunch
  I have too many subscriptions and there’s no end in sight. Want all the content then prepare to pay for more and more separate subscriptions. I’ve a few software subs as well but some app’s I’ve just abandoned as the ROI just isn’t there to justify a subscription. Tricky.
• The Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code – Bloomberg
  Bill Benter did the impossible: He wrote an algorithm that couldn’t lose at the track. Close to a billion dollars later, he tells his story for the first time.
  Who knew! Great read.
• Lobe – Deep Learning Made Simple
  Lobe is an easy-to-use visual tool that lets you build custom deep learning models, quickly train them, and ship them directly in your app without writing any code.
  The thirteen minute demo video is a must watch. Looks to have a lot of power behind a really simple interface.
• Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ Gives a Haunting Take On Our Country’s Toxic Cycle of Violence – Black Nerd Problems
  Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino unleashes a gorgeous visuals of black joy and hot take on America’s cycle of violence in ‘This is America’
  Powerful. You need to watch this.

Life
Busy busy at the moment and not sleeping. I’m blaming the change in seasons. Yawn…

Media
Avengers Infinity War – this was excellent. No spoilers, but what I liked most was that there was no big explainers. Just straight into the film and rewarded anyone thats watched all the films. 2 1/2 hours flew by and they really handled so many characters well. There was also quite a bit to think about – not your average superhero movie.

Britains Biggest Warship – finished tonight and was really enjoyable. Be great to see a follow up in 18 months time showing the jets arriving and the ship on mission.

Westworld – back with a bang. Love it.

Links

• Real People Are Turning Their Accounts Into Bots On Instagram — And Cashing InDo not like. Spent the weekend messing around with new accounts and there’s so much spam on Instagram.
• ‘Call from God’: American pro-lifer’s role in Alfie Evans battle | UK news | The Guardian
  Catholic fundamentalists advised Alfie’s parents and arranged for medical experts to assess the terminally ill child before his death
  This whole story is tragic and some might say this is too soon, but some good old fashioned journalism questioning the legal campaign shows up some truths that were so far hidden from all.
• TSB Train Wreck: Massive Bank IT Failure Going into Fifth Day; Customers Locked Out of Accounts, Getting Into Other People’s Accounts, Getting Bogus Data | naked capitalismOuch. What a mess.
• Death by the sea: how drug abuse is scarring Britain’s coastal towns | Society | The GuardianI know Barrow pretty well and this is such a sad turn for the town.
• Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming. It’s Time for That to Change. – Stack Overflow BlogGood to see they are looking to tackle this.
• Michelle Wolf COMPLETE REMARKS at 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (C-SPAN) – YouTubeLoved this. LOVED IT. The looks on people’s faces.
• Opinion | Michael Hayden: The End of Intelligence – The New York Times
  How do you brief a president who doesn’t distinguish between truth and lies?
  Good companion to the Michelle Wolf video.