The best images from space, and some from the ground, and some from the ISS can be both spectacular and inspiring. Here are some great ones that dazzle. Thanks to digg,com for collecting them. (Falcon 9 time-lapse shot via SpaceX.)
Find iOS 12 Shortcuts You can Try Out at Sharecuts
With Apple’s Shortcuts app now available for iOS 12 developer beta testers, the big question is, “What sort of automated actions can you create?” You can get started by checking out the Sharecuts website where you’ll find Shortcuts for uploading App Store links to Trello, getting your current location, sharing your own Shortcuts on Sharecuts, and more.
New LSST Telescope Will Search for Asteroids on Collision Courses
An international team of hundreds of scientists is finishing construction of the LSST telescope, or Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. It will search for asteroids that are on a collision course with Earth. Despite our best technology it’s difficult to detect asteroids, let alone asteroids that are speeding toward our planet. The reason is that asteroids are dark; they don’t give off visible light and are hard to detect in the blackness of space.
With significant funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, LSST will search for PHAs during its 10-year mission by observing the same area of sky at hourly intervals searching for objects that have changed position. Anything that moves in just one hour has to be so close that it is within our solar system.
Kensington Intros USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 Mobile Docking Station
Kensington has a new portable USB-C docking station for Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C equipped Macs and other PCs. The eloquently named SD1600P Universal USB-C Mobile 4K Docking Station includes USB-C pass-through power, HDMI (4K@30Hz) and VGA Full HD video out, two USB 3.0 ports and a USB-C data sync port, Gigabit Ethernet, and a fold-away cable for connecting to your computer. The dock is priced at US$99.99 and is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Chrome.
iPhone USB-C Charger Photos Leaked
There’s a good chance Apple will include an 18 W USB-C charger with the next generation iPhone, and now photos showing up online seem to back that up. The photos popped up on Chongdiantou and show what appear to be an Apple charger that could work with both iPhones and iPads. If so, it’s likely a prototype. If not, it’s a clever attempt to trick people into thinking this is an Apple charger. Considering Apple is moving Macs to USB-C from USB A, it’s likely that change is coming to iPhone and iPad chargers, too, and could come as soon as this fall.
Check Out Matt Groening's New Series: Disenchantment
Matt Goening gave us The Simpsons, then Futurama, and now Disenchantment. His new animated series is coming to Netflix on August 17th and it takes us back in time to a medieval fantasy world Netflix describes as “the misadventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf companion and her personal demon.” Good thing I already have a Netflix subscription because I’m in for anything Groening does.
LEGO Voltron Kit Available August 1
If you’re of a certain age it’s totally fine for you to flip out now: the LEGO Voltron kit is available on August 1st. The kit is a LEGO Ideas project so the fan designer, Len_D69, has to be pretty excited. The kit includes all five Voltron Force lions and they assemble into the full Voltron with sword and shield. The assembled kit is 15-inches tall and includes 2,321 pieces. It’s priced at US$179.99 and looks absolutely epic.
Awesome Tiny House Built in Style of Lunar Lander
Kurt Hughes, in Seattle, has used his boat design experience to construct a 250 square foot (23 square meter) tiny house in the style of the lunar lander used in the U.S. Apollo program. It features a kitchenette, breakfast alcove (with a view), bathroom and sleeping quarters. The home will be used for “weekend trips and creative respites.” The photos are great, so take a look.
Instagram Lets People Add Music to Stories
Instagram announced Thursday that users can now add music to their Stories, the temporary videos borrowed from Snapchat. Users will be able to select a song, searching by name, mood, genre, and other criteria. Once selected, users can scrub through it to find the part that matches their video, and then post it. Users can also choose a song before starting a live video. So far, you can only select from a limited library of songs chosen (and paid for) by Instagram. The company said it was adding more songs to that library “daily.” Go forth. Influence.
Audio Hijack 3.5 Adds Broadcast Streaming Support
Audio Hijack 3.5 for the Mac is out and it adds a feature we lost when Nicecast was discontinued: the ability to livestream over the internet. The version 3.5 update adds a Broadcast block for Shoutcast and Icecast servers, which is just what podcasters need to livestream as they’re recording shows. It also supports multi-broadcasting and adaptive bitrates, plus switching between two inputs. Audio Hijack 3 is priced at US$59 and the update is free for version 3 users. You can get the app at the Rogue Amoeba website.
The 'Star Wars Home' in South Carolina is for Sale
What can I say? You’ll just have to go look at the photos of this house on the beach in South Carolina. It was specially designed, by virtue of its shape, to be hurricane resistant. But the interior? OMG cool. Thanks to Business Insider for the glimpse. And photo credit: Michael Royal/Pareto Real Estate. Now. Where did I misplace that $5 million?
Scout FM Introduces New Features, Like Compatibility with CarPlay
Scout FM is a podcast radio service that streams a curated selection of podcasts and radio shows. Today the service is getting new features, including compatibility with Apple’s CarPlay. A cool new feature is called Commute Mode, which automatically finds shows for you that fit your commute time. Scout FM is a bit different than other podcast apps. You don’t subscribe and download podcasts. Instead it’s more similar to a traditional radio station. There are stations focused around categories like Daily News, Brain Food, and True Stories. You just pick a station and immediately start listening. App Store: Scout FM – Free
Captain Kirk Has His Own Bourbon
If you’ve been thinking what you need in your life is Star Trek bourbon, you’re in luck because it’s available in your sector now. The James T. Kirk straight bourbon whiskey is Paramont-approved and made by Silver Screen Bottling Company. The whiskey is small batch from barrels aged between four and 12 years and is touted as “for the Star Trek fan and the serious bourbon fan alike.” You can pre-order a bottle now for delivery in October for US$59.99, which is $10 off the list price, or pick up a bottle at San Diego Comic Con. And drink responsibly because no one wants your starship to crash.
Vanderbilt's New Prosthetic Ankle Moves Artificial a Lot Closer to the Real Thing
Check out this amazing video from Vanderbilt University about their new prosthetic ankle (via TechCrunch). Vanderbilt calls it smart, not because it’s connected, but because it adjusts on the fly, making it much easier to navigate uneven and rough terrain. According to the school, “The ankle has a tiny motor, actuator, sensors and chip that work together to either conform to the surface the foot is contacting or remain stationary, depending on what the user needs.” That’s just crazy cool, and the technology in this device could really make a qualitative difference in the lives of amputees and other people who need artificial legs. Plus, our future robot overlords will probably appreciate it, and it’s always good to try and get an inside edge with them. Check out the video.
Ride Along With a Space Probe As it Crashes Into a Comet
In September 2016, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta space probe crashed into comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Here’s a video from the spacecraft’s camera as it approaches. It shows the comet’s surface up close as Rosetta plunges in. (Courtesy Digg.) It’s very cool.
SongShift Lets You Transfer Apple Music Playlists to Other Services
There’s an app called SongShift that lets you transfer Apple Music playlists to other services. Supported services include Apple Music, Deezer, Discogs, HypeMachine, LastFM, Napster, Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, and YouTube. You can “shift” complete playlists from one streaming service to another, and automatically keep all of your playlists synced with each other. I’ve heard some Apple customers say that when they unsubscribe from Apple Music, then re-subscribe later on, none of their playlists and content is saved. I’ve never unsubscribed yet so I haven’t run into this issue, but it sounds like SongShift can help in these cases. App Store: SongShift – Free
Just How REALLY Big Are The SpaceX Rockets?
Because of they way they’re photographed, we don’t often get a good perspective on how big modern rockets are. For example, the SpaceX Falcon 9 is 230 ft (70 meters) tall. The SpaceX BFR rocket is 348 ft. (106 meters) tall. What does that really mean in everyday terms? In this video, a VFX artist, with great style, puts the size of these rockets into perspective for us. (Those who’ve been to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida will understand.)
Some Very Cool Images from Space
Here’s a nice collection, “The Week’s Coolest Space Images.” From spectacular dunes on Mars to the Guatemala volcano eruption. photos like these help us visualize and tell a story that can’t be appreciated with just words. And they also punctuate the importance of satellites that can observe the surface of planets. Not to mention the science. Check it out.
Check Out How Much Apple Sells Every Second
Curious how many iPhones Apple sells every second? How about iPads or Macs? Or how much revenue the company brings in every second? You can see that, and a lot more about the company’s per-second activity at Every Second. The website lists those stats, along with profit, app and song downloads, iMessages sent, FaceTime calls, and more. You can check out all the numbers and watch then continue to count up at the Every Second website. It’s mesmerizing.
Want an Apple Music Web Player? Try This
Ever since Apple Music first came out, people have been clamoring for an Apple Music web player. Recently, Apple has opened an Apple Music API for developers. Although Apple hasn’t created an official Apple Music web player, Redditor u/zseguin has come to the rescue. It’s still in early development, but the code is available on GitHub. All you have to do to get started is sign in with your Apple ID, and allow the app to connect to your account. Everything is available. Not only can you find your own music, but even Apple Music recommendations in the For You section. However, note that the player is built on an API that is currently in beta. The application may stop working at any time.
Create a Universal Music Playlist With Soundsgood
Soundsgood is a platform that lets you create a universal music playlist. You can sync your playlists across Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Deezer, and more. You can also create an online music player and share it with people. You’ll get a Stats Dashboard so you can see how many people play songs and follow your playlists. I haven’t tried it out yet but I plan to try the service soon. The company markets it as a social player to “get more followers” but I think the cross-platform universality is far more interesting. There also appears to be an iOS app as well.
WhenWorks for the iPhone Makes Scheduling Appointments Easy
Scheduling time for meetings can be a pain, but WhenWorks for iOS makes the process easy by letting your colleagues and clients book times online. The book online through a web page, so no need for them to install an app first, you can block out times you don’t want any appointments, and everything that’s scheduled automatically shows up on your calendar. WhenWorks is from BusyMac founder John Chaffee and we’ve been really happy with the app in our pre-release testing. It’s easy to use and free for up to 5 appointments each month, or US$49.99 a year for unlimited appointments. You can download WhenWorks at Apple’s App Store.
iPhone X Shipments Continue to Dominate
Was there ever any doubt? Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has been maintaining all along, since it shipped, that the iPhone X is the best selling iPhone. But it’s also killing the competition as well. Business insider reports: “Thanks to the iPhone X and the iPhone 8, recent estimates show that Apple once again holds the top two spots for the most-shipped smartphone models in the world, debunking reports that demand for the iPhone X was lacking.” And here are the numbers. Oh, and by the way, the iPhone 8 was #2 for 1Q 2018. Not bad.
Tim Cook Interview on Bloomberg: Meeting and Working with Steve Jobs, More
Tim Cook sat down for an interview with David Rubenstein, Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, for Bloomberg. It’s a different kind of interview for Tim Cook, and you can see it in his different demeanor. Part of it is Mr. Rubenstein—he’s an excellent interviewer. But for whatever reason, Mr. Cook is more personable, less tightly-controlled, and he tells a few new anecdotes along the way. He talked about his first meeting with Steve Jobs and why he came to work for Apple. He also talked about Apple Watch, running for president (spoiler: he says he’s not), politics and Apple, giving tech support to Warren Buffett, coming out, and more. I call this a must-watch interview if you’re interested in Apple and Tim Cook.