Notices by Dwight Silverman (dsilverman@mastodon.social)

Apple Smells Blood in the Water | PetaPixel https://petapixel.com/2024/11/14/apple-smells-blood-in-the-water/

I Can't Stop Thinking About This Scene From ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence'

https://150wordreviews.substack.com/p/i-cant-stop-thinking-about-this-scene

@JohnDeVore revisits this misunderstood masterpiece.

Growing pains at Bluesky.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/technology/bluesky-growing-pains.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

"Times New Dumbass" is a font inspired by the owner of Xitter - Boing Boing

https://boingboing.net/2024/11/13/times-new-dumbass-is-a-font-inspired-by-the-owner-of-xitter.html

Gemini for iPhone: Google releases its AI app for iOS - The Verge

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/14/24296295/google-gemini-app-iphone-ios-ai

@WarnerCrocker I don’t think there will be another one-social-network-to-rule-them-all; it’s fractured and you’ll choose your neighborhood.

I dabble in all of them because watching these nascent communities grow and evolve is fascinating. At least to me, and maybe others who study online culture.

I have not seen similar growth at Threads, which has many more users already. I chalk much of the growth at Bsky to some of its unique features, including the ability to create your own feeds, user-driven moderation and Starter Packs, which make it easy to find people to follow. Also, Bsky looks a lot more like the original Twitter. The vibe is looser and more fun.

I can’t say I’ve seen much growth at all here. This is no longer a destination for Xitter refugees. (2/2)

There definitely has been a rush of people to Bluesky over the past few days. I've almost doubled the followers on my personal account, and the @spacecityweather Bsky account I manage has gained hundreds of followers. They're likely people fleeing the hatred, grifting and harassment that is now rampant on Xitter, post-election and since that hellsite has changed how blocks work (someone you block can now still see your posts, but can't interact with them). (1/2)

@WarnerCrocker Yes! I have a paid ChatGPT account and linked it in 18.2 public beta. Still experimenting with it.

Did you know there are people who still think Elon Musk is the smartest person in the world?

This should pretty much lay that delusion to rest.

Google steps in to correct Elon Musk election conspiracy

https://www.chron.com/culture/article/elon-musk-vote-election-texas-19890520.php

The Washington Post sold Democracy. Now it needs a new line of business. | Semafor

https://www.semafor.com/article/10/28/2024/the-washington-post-sold-democracy-now-it-needs-a-new-line-of-business

Nice to see my column being touted on Apple News.

@WarnerCrocker Yes, Adobe is not wrong.

Farewell to Foursquare's app | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/22/farewell-to-foursquares-app/

The company is focusing on its Swarm app, which was split off from the Foursquare app. Swarm is basically a check-in app, very useful to keep track of place you eat and frequent. (I can see how many times I've eaten at our favorite Vietnamese place, for example.) It's back to basics.

I had not upgraded my Apple Watch in six years, going from the Series 4 to 2024's Series 10. From the display to battery life to speed, it is a revelation. If you've been holding on to an older Apple Watch, it's worth taking the plunge.

Gift link:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/tech/article/apple-watch-series-10-review-19844039.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaG91c3RvbmNocm9uaWNsZS5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvdGVjaC9hcnRpY2xlL2FwcGxlLXdhdGNoLXNlcmllcy0xMC1yZXZpZXctMTk4NDQwMzkucGhw&time=MTcyOTM0MzkxNjkzMw%3D%3D&rid=YmE1NjU5MDMtMDM4OS00MDYwLWE1YzItNTYwNzYwZDQ2NDc5&sharecount=Mw%3D%3D

I often come across products in this gig that are interesting but don’t rise to the level of a full column. Or, when I write about something there may be a feature that deserves a mention, but I didn’t have the time or space for it.

Such is the case with these nuggets: The current state of AT&T’s 5G mobile network; the latest version of the Apple Pencil; a power bank from UGreen; and a low-cost USB-C adapter with a built-in power meter.

Gift link:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/tech/article/apple-pencil-review-att-5g-19826489.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaG91c3RvbmNocm9uaWNsZS5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvdGVjaC9hcnRpY2xlL2FwcGxlLXBlbmNpbC1yZXZpZXctYXR0LTVnLTE5ODI2NDg5LnBocA%3D%3D&time=MTcyODgyNTk4NjY5Ng%3D%3D&rid=YmE1NjU5MDMtMDM4OS00MDYwLWE1YzItNTYwNzYwZDQ2NDc5&sharecount=MA%3D%3D

Bill Gross wants to save media ... with AI https://crazystupidtech.com/archive/bill-gross-wants-to-save-media-with-ai/

Man learns he’s being dumped via “dystopian” AI summary of texts - Ars Technica

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/10/man-learns-hes-being-dumped-via-dystopian-ai-summary-of-texts/

“Nice Guy” Matt Mullenweg, CEO of WordPress.com Cries Foul and Threatens Me With Legal Action | by Kellie Peterson | Oct, 2024 | Medium

https://medium.com/@kelliepeterson/nice-guy-matt-mullenweg-ceo-of-wordpress-com-cries-foul-and-threatens-me-with-legal-action-f116ac57d862

This story just gets weirder and weirder every day.

I installed ipadOS 18.1 beta and turned on Apple Intelligence (there's a "waitlist" in settings for it, but the only wait is for the components to download). So far, most impressed with the summaries in Mail, which instantly useful. But you have to click the summary button every time - they should be on by default - and sometimes they are too short.

Hey journos: The summaries are REALLY useful for evaluating press releases (and for the quick nuking of irrelevant ones).