Notices by Dwight Silverman (dsilverman@mastodon.social)

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).

NIST proposes barring some of the most nonsensical password rules | Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/nist-proposes-barring-some-of-the-most-nonsensical-password-rules/

@WarnerCrocker Great, yeah, things have been rock solid ever since. My new Series 10 Watch has had no issues unlocking my Mac, either.

Soo what happens when the assistant on a Google Pixel phone is used to make a reservation and it encounters one of these host bots? https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/113180922674591701

The TV industry’s response to cord-cutting has finally backfired | TechHive

https://www.techhive.com/article/2455264/tv-industry-response-to-cord-cutting-has-finally-backfired.html

Excellent explainer on the "bottomless pit" into which traditional cable TV providers are tumbling. Worth your time to read!

Elon Musk sues OpenAI, Sam Altman for making a “fool” out of him | Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/08/openai-wouldnt-exist-without-me-elon-musk-says-reviving-lawsuit/

Elon makes a fool of himself daily, doesn’t need OpenAI to do it for him.

Missing the point of what writing is. Funny and brilliant.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/31/google-gemini-ai-dear-sydney-ad-olympics-satire/

Excellent guide to different web browsers from @Newmy - on the Advisorator site but not limited to subscribers, yay!

Very useful if you’re frustrated with the browser you use and want to learn more about your alternatives.

https://advisorator.com/members/web-browsers-a-field-guide/

@WarnerCrocker @Onmyom I have personalized ads turned off in Apple News, and the ads are already awful and annoying, pre-Taboola. I am among those who think that, if you’re paying for Apple News+, it should be ad-free.

Windows 98 Disk Defrag Simulator

https://defrag98.com/

SOUND ON.

(h/t @Newmy)

Google Now Defaults to Not Indexing Your Content - Vincent Schmalbach https://www.vincentschmalbach.com/google-now-defaults-to-not-indexing-your-content/