Category: Weekly digest

Life
A week is a long time in politics. Roll back six weeks and no one could have predicted what we’ve seen in the last few days. May is a busted flush. Indyref 2 looks dead…but I’m sure brexit or some other significant and material change will bring it back into the limelight. As for me, looking forward to a week off work from this Friday.

Media
WipEout Omega on the PS4 launched and is stunning. If you like anything about the original series you will love this.

Links

• The Second Coming Of iPad
  A great WWDC from Apple and this post covers my views on the iPad potential.
• The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2017 on Vimeo
  Recorded in front of a live audience at The California Theatre in San Jose, John Gruber is joined by Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi to discuss the news from WWDC:…
  Enjoyed The Talk Show live with Gruber. Always teases out some nice background to the new WWDC announcements and how Apple thinks.
• How to Make $80,000 Per Month on the Apple App Store
  At WWDC, Apple reported that they’ve paid out $70 billion to developers, with 30% of that ($21 billion!) in the last year. That’s a huge spike, and surprising to me because it didn’t seem like my…
  Scummy. Apple need to act to get rid of these type of apps.
• Urchins and alleyways: a rare glimpse of 19th-century Glasgow – in pictures | Cities | The Guardian
  Photographer Thomas Annan captured Glasgow between the 1860s and 70s, at a time when the city had transformed and rapidly grown
  Nice to spot some buildings that are still standing.
• A Photo of James Comey Takes the Internet by Storm – NYTimes.com
  What an image…how many more like this while Trump is in charge?
• How Britain Voted – The New York Times
  Results and analysis from the British general election.
  Great visualisations on what happened last week in the elections.
• The PM is like a deadbeat dad who’s gambled away the housekeeping | Marina Hyde | Opinion | The Guardian
  The PM is like a deadbeat dad who’s gambled away the housekeeping
  Marina Hyde on form.
• Insight: Wake-up call for Nicola Sturgeon’s indyref2 dreamers – The Scotsman
  In the end there was no real Portillo moment: the claiming of one high-profile scalp – such as Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster – that symbolised the much-touted blue surge.
  Shame to see Angus Robertson go from the House of Commons, but there’s no doubt that lasts weeks vote was a large drop for SNP…and nothing to do with Labour voters defecting to the tories despite what the Nat’s are spinning.
• Black Panther Teaser Trailer [HD] – YouTube
  HERO. LEGEND. KING. Watch Marvel Studio’s Black Panther teaser trailer now. ► Subscribe to Marvel: http://bit.ly/WeO3YJ Follow Marvel on Twitter: ‪https://tw…
  Looking good.

Life
What a fucked up week. Politics, terrorists and all the while the predominantly right wing media twist everything to suit their will. Hoping next Thursday will be a day of reckoning. Fearing it won’t be.

At least there’s WWDC to look forward to.

Media
Really enjoying Ready Player One. I can see me getting more into Audiobooks thanks to this.

Links

• 2017 Internet Trends — Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers
  2017 Internet Trends
  Always interesting, although almost double the length of last years and harder to parse.
• Britain’s most average place – BBC News
  The views on the streets of Worcester – Britain’s most average constituency.
  Great article just one week before the election.
• StockStream – Twitch
  Mike Roberts is an Amazon engineer who is letting the crowd guide his $50,000 investments via Twitch. Bold…and it will be interesting to see if the wisdom of the crowd pays out.
• What Is ‘Covfefe’? The Internet Wonders
  Late Tuesday night, President Donald Trump tweeted the word “covfefe,” sending the internet into a frenzy.
  The Mango Mussolini strikes again…but what does it mean? I don’t think I’ve seen so many memes spread so quickly. Twitter at it’s best.
• 7 Ways to Maximize Misery 😞 – YouTube
  Love this from CGP Grey
• Inside Google’s Global Campaign to Shut Down Phishing | WIRED
  Google really are fighting a war on our behalf.
• What Really Happened with Vista
  A long read but really great. Vista was a mess and this story reveals some of the reasons why.
• Grilling Glasgow: a short documentary about Glasgow’s burger scene – YouTube
  Between 2012 and 2015, Glasgow experienced a foodie phenomenon – a burger boom. In this short documentary, we speak to the biggest and most influential playe…
  Good wee video into the burger scene in Glasgow and how it grew over the last few years.
• How Lego clicked: the brand that reinvented itself | Johnny Davis | Life and style | The Guardian
  Lego was part of my childhood and I love that they are still around and growing stronger. Picked up this last week and looking forward to building it soon.
• Channel 4 News on Twitter: “What brings politics into disrepute? @Krishgm spoke to Brexit Secretary David Davis. https://t.co/6QijvEtrLG”
  David Davis tries to be smart…Krishnan Guru-Murthy opens up and rips him a new one. Love it.

Life
More crazy hours at work meant for another tiring week but hopefully thats all done for a while. Thanks to a quirk at our place and despite tomorrow being a UK holiday…we don’t get it so no rest for the wicked. Booking a week off in June though to top up the batteries.

Media
Caught up with Logan. Loved it even though the ending was telegraphed through the film. Finally a good Wolverine movie, and my favourite X-Men film.

Also got into Ready Player One, via Audible as I find long reading quite dull. Hour and a half in and I’m hooked. What can I say – #dannywasright

Links

• Mossberg: The Disappearing Computer – Recode
  Tech was once always in your way. Soon, it will be almost invisible.
  Walt Mossberg is the tech writer and this is his last column. Loved his articles and recently enjoyed his Ctrl-Walt-Delete podcast. Will be missed.
• Heroic humour or Katie Hopkins? This was a week to choose British values | Marina Hyde | Opinion | The Guardian
  Fantastic column from Marina Hyde…and hopefully the beginning of the end for the horror that is Hopkins.
• ‘Corbyn wrong to link foreign policy to terror’: UK defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon – YouTube
  Fallon made to look foolish by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Delicious.
• A Year of Google Maps
  Detailed look at Google Maps constant improvement and Apple Maps relative stagnation. Google Maps still the top of rme.
• BBC One – Glasgow 1967: The Lisbon Lions
  Great documentary – well worth a watch.
• James Bond on Twitter: “Bond, James Bond. Nobody does it better. We remember Sir Roger Moore. https://t.co/kalCFEslFY”
  Nice tribute to Sir Roger Moore who passed this week but still a shit Bond in my opinion.
• Essential apps for switching from Mac to Windows – Charged
  If you’re making the jump from Mac to Windows like I did, you’re probably missing some of your favorite apps. Here’s a selection of my favorite Windows apps.
  Some good Windows apps recommended here.
• How Anker is beating Apple and Samsung at their own accessory game – The Verge
  Inside the portable battery pack giant
  Anker really is the goto for accessories.
• Emmanuel Macron on Twitter: “À Bruxelles, unis avec nos alliés de @NATO. https://t.co/7nyaoI8hki”
  Can’t get bored of this…two fingers to Trump from Macron.
• Cover Story: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Definitive Preview | Vanity Fair
  Star Wars devotees who can’t wait for December need look no further. With exclusive access to writer-director Rian Johnson, plus interviews with Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, and others, V.F. presents the ultimate sneak peek at The Last Jedi—and Carrie Fisher’s lasting legacy.
  Some good info on the upcoming movie without anything being revealed. Roll on December.
• ‘Progress is painfully uneven’: Baltimore, 15 years after The Wire | Television
  15 years! Sad to see so little has changed in Baltimore.
• Game of Thrones Season 7: Official Trailer (HBO) – YouTube
  War is coming.

Life
As expected the last week was busy and tiring but ultimately interesting and enjoyable. Hopefully more of the same next week with a few original twists to keep me on my toes.

Media
American Gods is well worth a watch, apart from that it’s been a week of catching up on podcasts.

Links

• Apple’s New Campus: An Exclusive Look Inside the Mothership | WIRED
  Flawless curves, milled aluminum, endless glass, walled garden—sounds like an Apple product. In fact, it’s the company’s biggest launch ever.
  Looks stunning, will be interesting to see how it ages over the next few years.
• Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador – The Washington Post
  Nothing he does is a surprise anymore…untouchable?
• Panic Blog » The Case of the Stolen Source Code
  Big shock to see one of the premier Apple developers get stung like this. Shows you how easy it is to be compromised, even on Mac OS.
• How and Why Has “Mr Brightside” Never Left the UK Charts? – Noisey
  Who knew? Love the song but it’s bizarre that it keeps on resurfacing like a Christmas classic.
• Google’s 18-Month Quest To Redesign Its Terrible Emoji
  Google is notorious for having some of the worst emoji on the planet. Now it’s righting its wrongs–and taking on gender stereotypes, too.
  1…2…3…finally!
• Theresa May to create new internet that would be controlled and regulated by government | The Independent
  Theresa May is planning to introduce huge regulations on the way the internet works, allowing the government to decide what is said online. Particular focus has been drawn to the end of the manifesto, which makes clear that the Tories want to introduce huge changes to the way the internet works. “Some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and the internet,” it states. “We disagree.”
  What a mess. This is unworkable bullshit, just hyperbole to appeal to the right wing.
• ‘Fat but fit is a big fat myth’ – BBC News
  Researchers say being fat but medically fit does not protect people from heart disease.
  Some folk at work need to read this.
• IBM tells thousands of remote employees to come back to office or find new jobs | Ars Technica UK
  While selling benefits of “telework” to others, IBM forces relocation in stealth layoff.
  Bonkers. Flexibility of when and where I work is one of the better perks that I currently get. While getting everyone together has it’s benefits, in todays age of fast broadband and comms over IP this is such a backwards step.
• “MP3 is dead” missed the real, much better story – Marco.org
  It’s the patents not the format thats dead.
• Literary fighters: Glasgow’s last surviving independent book shops – The Scotsman
  Since the rise of internet giants and high street chain stores, the humble independent book shop has all but disappeared from our towns and cities. With only a few remaining, we talk to the owners of some of Glasgow’s finest, and find out what drives them
  Voltaire and Rousseau is a must visit, a west end classic.
• The big picture – The Verge
  Photos is growing faster than YouTube, Gmail, or Chrome.
  It’s also far better than Apple Photo’s. Will we see any improvements at WWDC?
• iOS 11: iPad Wishes and Concept Video – MacStories
  Some great idea’s which I fear will remain as items on a wish list.
• Ebay accused of failing its sellers as fraudulent buyers manipulate the system | Money | The Guardian
  Ebay has been a mess for a while and they are doing nothing about it. Shame.
• LUNAR on Vimeo
  This short film is dedicated to all people who believe in peaceful expansion of our borders. In the year 1957 the cold war expands to space. The Soviet-Union…
  A video on space? Of course I’ll watch it…and so should you as it’s stunning.

Life
House fixing progressing….could be an expensive year. Apart from that work is pretty busy and the next couple of weeks will see some very early starts. Joy.

Media
Mario Kart is incredibly good. Finished off Billions this week as well which is well worth a watch.

Links

• BLADE RUNNER 2049 – Official Trailer – YouTube
  There are still pages left in this story. Watch the NEW trailer for #BladeRunner2049, in theaters October 6. — Thirty years after the events of the first fi…
  Can’t wait to see this…don’t fuck this up!
• ‘Blade Runner’: A Game-Changing Science-Fiction Classic • Cinephilia
  And to get you in the mood for October, this is a must read on the original BladeRunner.
• The Secret Hit-Making Power of the Spotify Playlist | WIRED
  Playlists are the new album.
• Amazon trounces rivals in battle of the shopping ‘bots’ | Reuters
  It’s bot wars, not shop wars.
• How to shoot on iPhone 7 – Photography – Apple
  We believe that everyone can take great photos. So we’ve put together these tips and techniques to help you take even better ones with your iPhone.
  Apple posted some short videos on how to take better pictures with your phone. Nicely done.
• Collection of information : NHS Cyber Attack | HiddenText
  I fear this is only the beginning of more attacks like these. Who to blame? It’s a long list in which I place Microsoft near the top.
• How to Accidentally Stop a Global Cyber Attacks | MalwareTech
  This guy is a hero…and how damaging would WannaCrypt have been if the domain check wasn’t included?
• With New Digital Tools, Even Nonexperts Can Wage Cyberattacks – The New York Times
  The ransomware tactic behind a global cyberattack on Friday was nothing new. But new digital tools mean that hackers “don’t even need to have any skills to do this anymore.”
  Scary.
• Which Tech Giant Would You Drop? – The New York Times
  The Big Five tech companies increasingly dominate our lives. Could you ditch them?
  Interesting article. I’d drop Facebook first but the rest are a bit more challenging to sort the order.
• Sorting 2 Metric Tons of Lego · Jacques Mattheij
  Who doesn’t love Lego.
• history of the entire world, i guess – YouTube
  Well worth 20 minutes of your time.

Life
The weeks are flying by. Work is busy, health is fair to middling and there’s never enough time to do what I want. turning attention to some projects around the house – shit needs fixing.

Media
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was pretty fantastic. Made me laugh, the visuals were top notch and the 3D wasn’t bad. Add on another great soundtrack and there’s not much to hate. Yes it follows a formula, but when done well it’s not an issue for me.

Also watched Nightcrawler (from 2014). What a great but creepy/disturbing film.

Links

• PSA: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it now.
  Everyone knows a horror story about PayPal, I’ve had several painful experiences with them over the last decade, but now I’ll never have to experience that again, as I’ve just been permanently banned…
  PayPal are such a shitty company. Avoid them if at all possible.
• Earth From Above – Earth From Above
  Aerial photography has really taken off now that drones are affordable and the camera’s on them are so good. Some of these images are jaw dropping.
• Elon Musk: The future we’re building — and boring | TED Talk | TED.com
  This just sounds bonkers.
• Diane Abbott’s Agonising Interview Over Police Policy Cost – LBC
  Diane Abbott being Diane Abbott. The problem with Labour isn’t just Jeremy Corbyn, but that his top team are not of the right calibre to run a country. She followed up with another car crash interview later in the week.
• You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you – The Oatmeal
  Take 10 minutes to read this. Stunning.
• Damage – Matt Gemmell
  Apple’s destruction of the value of software, and the sustainability of indie developer businesses.
  Hard to disagree with this. Software has so little value for so many people and the App Store hasn’t done enough to combat that perception.
• SQL is 43 years old – here’s 8 reasons we still use it today | The Official SQLizer Blog
  In this year’s Stack Overflow Developer’s Survey 64,000 developers laid bare their innermost developer secrets. How they learn, the tools they use, what they…
  Still love SQL.
• Don’t Let Facebook Make You Miserable – The New York Times
  Raw Google search data proves that we are not who we say we are on social media.
  Social media can be bad for your health…
• Report: Facebook helped advertisers target teens who feel “worthless” [Updated] | Ars Technica
  Leaked 2017 document reveals FB Australia’s intent to exploit teens’ words, images.
  And allegedly Facebook will target your misery…although they do deny the story, but they would, wouldn’t they?
• Regulating the internet giants: The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data | The Economist
  A NEW commodity spawns a lucrative, fast-growing industry, prompting antitrust regulators to step in to restrain those who control its flow. A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Now similar concerns are being raised by the giants that deal in data, the oil of the digital era.
  Thought provoking, especially in this age where news spreads so quickly, almost nothing is fact checked and the mob can rule.
• The great British Brexit robbery: how our democracy was hijacked
  Some great reporting on the sites behind fake news.
• Laura Galante: How to exploit democracy | TED Talk | TED.com
  Hacking, fake news, information bubbles … all these and more have become part of the vernacular in recent years. But as cyberspace analyst Laura Galante describes in this alarming talk, the real target of anyone looking to influence geopolitics is dastardly simple: it’s you.
  Video of the week.
• Nike’s Quest to Beat the Two-Hour Marathon Comes Up Oh So Short | WIRED
  It was close, but the two-hour marathon remains unbroken. For now.
  What an amazing run. The times are mind boggling.
• Introducing Microsoft Surface Laptop – YouTube
  This could easily be an Apple advert…except it’s using a modern CPU.

Life
Another busy week at work and at home and little flair up in health but it’s a holiday weekend so all is good. It’s also, ever so slightly, starting to warm up. Finally.

Media
Line of Duty has just finished. Another strong series…can’t wait for the 5th.
Big Little Lies also finished this week and it was a great watch. Catch up with it if you can and hopefully they will just leave it there with no follow up.
Mario Kart on the Switch – spot on and yet another amazing title for the Switch.

Links

• Jimmy Wales goes after fake news with Wikitribune | WIRED UK
  Interesting step to try and combat fake news. Even that term pisses me off thanks to Trump.
• Google Rewrites Its Powerful Search Rankings to Bury Fake News – Bloomberg
  Google isn’t planning to rid fake news from its search results — but it’s trying to purge it from the top.
  Google has to tak action, but not sure that this is a long term solution.
• Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj White House Correspondents’ Dinner full monologue – YouTube
  Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj took full advantage of Donald Trump’s absence by taking aim at the president and his administration during his monologu…
  Trump hid from the correspondents dinner, as it suits his narrative that the media is the enemy and purveyors of fake news. Hasan Minhaj shone in his absence.
• Watch this incredible, rare video of the streets of North Korea’s capital city
  Finnish journalist Mika Mäkeläinen captured rare video of daily life in the Hermit Kingdom, Vox reports.
  North Korea looks…normal.
• Apple Dubai Mall opens April 27 – Apple
  Apple premieres its newest store, Apple Dubai Mall, overlooking the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountain.
  Another destination store from Apple – this opening windows!
• How Online Shopping Makes Suckers of Us All – The Atlantic
  Will you pay more for those shoes before 7 p.m.? Would the price tag be different if you lived in the suburbs? Standard prices and simple discounts are giving way to far more exotic strategies, designed to extract every last dollar from the consumer.
  Holds up hand – I’ve been duped.
• Heineken | Worlds Apart | #OpenYourWorld – YouTube
  Heineken presents ‘Worlds Apart’ An Experiment. Can two strangers with opposing views prove that there’s more that unites than divides us? #OpenYourWorld Fin…
  Great advert…but are they real people or actors?
• Deacon Blue’s iconic Raintown album cover showing Glasgow’s skyline gets modern makeover 30 years on – Daily Record
  Oscar Marzaroli’
  30 years since Raintown, a favourite album of mine. The almost 60 years of change in the photo is also interesting.
• Vuelo nocturno – The magic of flying at night – Beyond The Clouds – An Airline pilot’s journey
  Lose yourself in the video. Gorgeous.

Life
Another quiet week, nothing much happening in the world and then boom – another election. The next 8 weeks or so will be very interesting…if not a little tiring. I’m election jaded.

Media
Line of Duty is firing on all cylinders – can’t wait for tonights episode. Shout out to Homeland which also had a really strong series this year. If you dropped it after Brody died it’s well worth catching up with.

Links

• Fairytale Prisoner by Choice: The Photographic Eye of Melania Trump
  Why won’t the first lady show up for her job? Why? I became obsessed with this question and eventually looked to Melania’s Twitter history for answers. I noticed that in the three-year period between…
  Amazing article on Melania Trump by analysing her photography. What a contrast to Michelle Obama.
• Vigilante botnet infects IoT devices before blackhats can hijack them | Ars Technica
  Hajime battles with Mirai for control over the Internet of poorly secured things.
  The botnet wars have started.
• The Flickr Explore page is still really amazing
  I’m still a Flickr member and while I worry about it’s future, I’m loathe to leave. I also agree, I do still love the Explore page.
• These are the Winners of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
  Photography and Camera News, Reviews, and Inspiration
  Wow.
• All I Want for the UK’s General Election This Year | Civicist
  It will never happen but it’s a noble aim.
• Dawn Butler MP struggles through interview – BBC News – YouTube
  Labour MP Dawn Butler has struggled to explain her party’s policies during an interview with Eddie Mair on Radio 4’s PM programme. The former minister also a…
  Embarrassing, and sums up a lot of whats wrong with Labour.
• The web’s most useful tools and sites
  Some obvious entries but still a great selection of tools.
• BHS crash sets trend for a chain of closures on UK high streets | Business | The Guardian
  The retail sector is still reeling a year after the collapse of the chain, with rising numbers of staff on zero-hours contracts and other big hitters shutting shop as the internet squeezes their share of profits
  The change over the last decade is obvious…and the high street in Glasgow is very different with more changes on the way. Sauchiehall Street is a mess now.
• The Countries Most (and Least) Likely to be Affected by Automation
  What percent of tasks in your country could be done by machines?
  More change coming.
• What if we’re living in a computer simulation? | Technology | The Guardian
  Interesting theory…but complete bollocks in my view.
• Uber’s C.E.O. Plays With Fire – The New York Times
  Travis Kalanick’s drive to win in life has led to a pattern of risk-taking that has at times put his ride-hailing company on the brink of implosion.
  More crap from Uber. Apple should throw them out the Appstore.
• Steve Lacy Produced That Hot Kendrick Lamar Track Using Only His iPhone | WIRED
  Lacy’s smartphone has been his personal studio since he first started making music.
  So much talent.

Life
Busy week followed by a short holiday weekend. Trip to Barrow on Thursday, long drive but great day. Also picked up a new camera lens today. Well, I will do when Amazon delivers later on. Prime wins again.

Media
Re-watched Rogue One. Good, not great but between that and the new trailers I can’t wait for Last Jedi.

Still plodding through Zelda – what a game.

Links

• A Man Was Dragged Off A United Plane After The Airline Overbooked The Flight
  Still amazed that it took United over a day to say sorry. Disgraceful.
• How the BBC’s truth offensive beat Hitler’s propaganda machine | World news | The Guardian
  Rings more true given the last 18 months…stop being balanced, just tell the truth!
• AutoDraw
  This is a great tool from Google. Start doodling and more times than not the tool will give you a better version of what you were trying to draw.
• Technology is a marvel – now let’s make it moral | Martha Lane Fox | Opinion | The Guardian
  Sensible – yes. Enforceable – not so sure.
• Theft and Loss Recovery for iOS Users
  A post about theft and recovery from Fraser Speirs and it’s worth checking how you would recover from a similar situation. After reading I’m having to make a couple of changes to make sure I’m not totally locked out from all my accounts and devices.
• An Illustrated History of iOS
  Tower Blog – About Web and Software Development, Marketing and Design
  Nice summary of the improvements in iOS over the years. What will 11 bring in a few weeks time?
• Webstock ‘17: Cal Henderson – Emoji for fun and profit on Vimeo
  By 2020, all written language will have been supplanted by emoji. But how did it come to this? To understand how emoji work, you first need to learn a little bit…
  Nice explainer on the origins of emoji.
• Self Reflected – Greg Dunn Design
  Beautiful visualisation of the human brain.
• New Full-hemisphere Views of Earth at Night | NASA
  New pictures form Nasa of the earth at night.
• Thor: Ragnarok Teaser Trailer [HD] – YouTube
  This November, Thor: Ragnarok. Watch the teaser trailer now!
  What a great trailer, no doubt the best we’ll see this week…
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi Official Teaser – YouTube
  Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Arriving in your galaxy December 15.
  Fuck the Thor trailer – it’s Star Wars. Still get excited for new Star Wars films despite those dodgy prequels.
• ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Trailer Breakdown – Film School Rejects
  As ever there’s a lot to pick up from the teaser trailer.
• A Tribute To Carrie Fisher – YouTube
  May the Force be with you.
  There’s a little something in my eye.

Life
In contrast to last week, health a bit more variable which is disappointing. Still keeping active and I’ve a couple of blog posts coming up which are long overdue on my favourite topics – Apple and gaming.

Media
What a week of sport…and there was some F1 too. I chuckled at Bernie’s suggestion that tracks should be artificially made wet…not that funny anymore. Still enjoying Zelda, although playing through at a slow pace.

Links

• The iPad Turnaround Is Coming – Monday Note
  Some good points made here and the iPad is no doubt the volume computer for Apple but it needs to do more especially on the software front.
• Daring Fireball: The Mac Pro Lives
  So un-Apple like to talk about products to come but they’ve dropped the ball and they had to do something. Some interesting choices to make over the next 18 months.
• A Brief History of Design – Microsoft Design – Medium
  It is easy to question everything designed before you when you join a new company. I mean, why the heck would a scroll bar be red in Windows 2.0 … what could they have possibly been thinking?! But…
  Nice summary of design at Microsoft. Some of the older designs bring back fond memories.
• Project Scorpio Exclusive: Final Specs Revealed! – YouTube
  Rich went to Microsoft to see Project Scorpio, talk to the people who made it and see software running. But just how powerful is it? This video reveals all. …
  Finally some specs and a screenshot for the updated Xbox. Looking forward to E3 as this will be my next console and hopefully will address the shortcomings of the Xbox One.
• HoloLems on Vimeo
  HoloLems is a holographic spatial platformer and homage to the classic 90’s video game Lemmings. Put on the Hololens headset and be challenged to safely guide…
  So clever. I wonder if a V2 Hololens, or similar/cheaper, would be part of Project Scorpio?
• How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons – The New York Times
  The start-up has undertaken an extraordinary experiment in behavioral science to subtly entice an independent work force to maximize company revenue.
  Interesting research and the visual design of the article is superb too.
• The Guardian view on Labour and Ken Livingstone: wrong decision, terrible message | Editorial | Opinion | The Guardian
  Livingstone should be expelled…and if Labour can’t govern themselves properly how do they expect to win the voters trust again? Shambles.
• Dani Garavelli: Rape clause shames the benefits system – The Scotsman
  If you have been watching the latest series of Broadchurch, you may have gained the impression that attitudes towards rape are becoming more enlightened. Julie Hesmondhalgh’s portrayal of survivor Trish Winterman challenges misconceptions around the “type” of woman likely to be affected and provides insight into the reasons victims may not report their rape immediately, or indeed at all.
  Tories can bring in heinous laws like this and Labour still can mount an effective opposition.
• EDL Birmingham protest photo woman ‘surprised’ by viral reaction – BBC News
  The image of Saffiyah Khan has been shared thousands of times on social media.
  Amazing photo of an amazing woman.
• A dying habit: why the average BBC1 viewer is 61 | Television & radio | The Guardian
  Broadcasters may be desperate for younger audiences but older telly-watchers dominate – the average ITV fan is 60, 55 if they prefer Channel 4. How worried should programme-makers be?
  Thats a really high average age, much more than I expected. Changing times
• Walt Mossberg is retiring in June – The Verge
  It was a June day when I began my career as a national journalist. I stepped into the Detroit Bureau of The Wall Street Journal and started on what would be a long, varied, rewarding career. I was…
  Walt Mossberg is one of the best tech journalists and will be missed. He does a great podcast, Ctrl-Walt_Delete with Nilay Patel which is worth catching while you can.
• Social entrepreneur Josh Littlejohn: ‘I want to build a utopia for the homeless’ | Society | The Guardian
  Sad that this is needed in this day and age…but when you look at the many homeless people in Glasgow especially around the old BHS in Sauchiehall Street then there’s no doubt it’s needed.