Phish's "Big Boat" Contains a Song Recorded Entirely on an iPhone

Today Phish released “Big Boat,” their 13th studio album, and it turns out one of the songs was recorded entirely on keyboardist Page McConnell’s iPhone. From Alan Paul, writing for the Wall Street Journal:

[Producer], Bob Ezrin gave the band members specific instructions: Learn and play 10 folk songs, then start writing, beginning with a folk song. Mr. McConnell’s effort, “Things People Do,” not only made the final cut, but the version included is his demo. Phish made multiple versions of the song before agreeing that nothing topped the original low-fi version, recorded on Mr. McConnell’s iPhone, sitting atop a Wurlitzer piano in his living room.

You can listen to “Big Boat” and, more specifically, “Things People Do” on Apple Music, of course.

Legit Jetpack Testflight Filmed with iPhone 6s

OK, we don’t have flying cars yet, but jetpacks seem to be closer than ever. Check out this video from JetPack Aviation showing CEO and Chief Test Pilot David Mayman testing out the company’s JB10 jetpack. The flight took place on October 1st in Monaco. Come on, how cool is that? The firm said it was filmed on an iPhone 6s, too.[Via Digg]

TMO's Apple AirPods Earbud Alternatives Roundup

Apple’s AirPods wireless are set to ship some time in October, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to get your hands on—or ears in—fully wireless earbuds. The Mac Observer found some options worth checking out, and they’re all available today.

TMO Daily Observations 2016-10-07: DJ Remixes on Apple Music, Listener Comments

The streaming music market just changed because now Apple Music and Spotify can give us DJ remixes. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at the implications bringing remixes to the two big music services will have on the market and on SoundCloud. They also respond to listener comments from Wednesday’s discussion on Yahoo helping intelligence agencies scan our email.

Easy DIY iPhone Charging Holder

I stumbled on this awesome little project on Instagram from @Instructions (via IG’s “Videos You Might Like” feature). It’s a do-it-yourself charging holder for your iPhone made from stuff most of us have lying around. Pretty clever, I think. I’d love to hear from anyone who makes it themselves.

Watch Out SoundCloud, Apple Music Just Got Remixes

SoundCloud is taking it on the chin because one of its standout features, DJ song remixes, just came to Apple Music and Spotify. The first to hit Apple’s streaming music service is DJ Jazzy Jeff’s remix of Room in Here from Anderson .Paak, and as more remixes roll out music fans will have fewer reasons to use SoundCloud.

Keyboard Maestro: $19.99

Keyboard Maestro is one of our own Dr. Mac’s favorite Mac utilities, and we have a deal on it for you. With Keyboard Maestro, you can create macros and trigger them with keyboard shortcuts to help automate regular activities. You can get it through our deal for $19.99.

Fujitsu Begins ScanSnap Fixes for macOS Sierra

Fujitsu announced a schedule for ScanSnap updates to correct issues in macOS Sierra. The company has been dealing with compatibility problems that threatened PDF content for Apple’s newest Mac operating system. Futjitsu pushed updates to some users on Thursday and unveiled a schedule for other devices later in October.

VC Confessions: Apple 'Outrageously Expensive,' Hasn't Facebook Heard of Friendster?

Writing for Fortune, Polina Marinova has gathered up confessions from venture capitalists who passed on companies that would become massive successes. It’s a fun read (via The Loop), but it’s also interesting. Included are comments about Apple. BVP partner Neill Brownstein called the company “outrageously expensive” before Apple went on to what was then the largest IPO in almost three decades. Another VC at BVP passed on Ebay, saying, “Stamps? Coins? Comic books? You’ve GOT to be kidding.” And yet another to Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin: “Kid, haven’t you heard of Friendster? Move on. It’s over!” Check out the full piece, because there are lots more.