Read to the end for a post about a Rambo typo. Thank you to everyone who has become a Time Traveler and those who tossed me some “coffees”. It helps a ton and I appreciate it. I’m going to be unemployed for a while. If you want to help me out, consider a TimeMachiner membership.…
Getting Cozy With Games
The first thing people generally think of when they hear “video games” is Mario or shooters such as Halo or Call of Duty. While these are wildly-popular types of games, there is a new genre gaining momentum out there: Cozy Games. These are games where the gameplay is simple. No time limits, no complicated set…
Chromebook Trash
One interesting part of the 2020 COVID lockdowns was the frenzy of school districts to procure computers to facilitate remote learning for all students. There were months-long waits for Chromebooks specifically because these low-cost machines worked with a school’s budget and integrate well with Google Classroom. But due to a literal Expiration Date, hundreds of…
Half-Life’s Dream
Half-Life is one of the most successful video games of the early 2000s. The introduction of supreme storytelling into a shooter while adding exploration elements flipped an industry on its head. Half-Life was everywhere… except one notable place: Sega’s Dreamcast. It has been a mystery as to what happened with a game destined to have…
Post of the Week
A New Quest
Read to the end for a post about naming penguins. I want to briefly say a big THANK YOU to those who pitched in last week. A few of you became Time Travelers and others tossed me some “coffees”. It helps a ton and I appreciate it. I’m going to be unemployed for a while.…
Galactic Starcrasher
In not-so-surprising news, Disney has announced they’re shutting down its Galactic Starcruiser hotel and experience in September. You know, the two-night immersive Star Wars hotel that costs $2500 per night. Here’s the short and sweet announcement from Disney. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by…
Cooking With Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner’s character of Kevin from The Office is legendary. There are many reasons, but of course, his chili segment is The One that everyone remembers. Even Peacock put the recipe into its Terms of Service simply as an easter egg to see who’d notice. While The Office is long over, its popularity remains. In…
The Lisa That Started It All
Every time Apple talks about its history during a keynote, they focus on the Macintosh. Its 1984 debut was industry-shifting. However, nearly every groundbreaking idea it embodied stood on the shoulders of its lesser-known predecessor. The Apple Lisa was a much-chunkier computer released 40 years ago. It was a complete flop. Apple poured boatloads of…
Post of the Week
Jobless
Read to the end for a post fantasizing about The Price is Right. This is one of the hardest editions of TimeMachiner I’ve had to write. I’ll cut to the chase instead of going on and on. Late last week I was affected by downsizing at my company. Now I find myself unemployed, like many…
FaceTime For The Birds
When Steve Jobs debuted FaceTime back on the iPhone 4, it felt like the future had arrived. For decades we dreamed of portable video calls that The Jetsons had promised. Now it connects people millions of times daily. But would that connection work for other species? A fascinating report from Emily Anthes at the NY…
Phone Crocs
Crocs are all the rage right now. Collabs with 7-Eleven and Wu-Tang Clan are some of the unforeseen ways in which these kinda-ugly clogs have struck gold. Hoping to piggyback onto this trend is smartphone case maker Casetify which has launched a series of iPhone cases that resemble Crocs shoes, with 13-14 holes designed to…
More People Reach the Tipping Point
Tipping. We all hate it. I’ve talked about it in the past. It’s out of hand and as time goes on, we’re seeing more examples of people that are simply over it. Last week I saw CBS Sunday Morning broach this topic. They even spoke to a ‘manners expert’ who also declared that tipping for…
Post of the Week
Avoiding The Hype Spoilers
Read to the end for a post about protecting butter. Tuesday has come around again and it’s time to dive in. Finally, after over a year of waiting for it, I will embark on a new adventure with Link beginning on Friday. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming out. To say…
A Brydge Too Far
In late-breaking news last week, I was stunned to find out that iPad accessory maker Brydge had closed up shop, ceasing operations immediately. On its own, this is a sad story because I’ve held their products in high regard. However, the out-of-nowhere aspect looks to be due to the co-CEOs hiding how bad things really…
I’m the first to admit I’m not a camera buff. When my kids were born I splurged on a Canon T2i DSLR camera because I wanted to take the best photos possible. Those photos look amazing, but I (like most) still default to using my phone to snap 99% of what’s around me. I couldn’t…
Belkin May Not Matter
Matter, a common language for smart home tech, faces issues with Belkin pausing adoption. Belkin’s devices don’t offer anything unique and can become commodities, making it hard to stand out. The company plans to differentiate its products, but it is unclear when.
Post of the Week
Read to the end for a post on how to get free food. Tuesday has come around again and it’s time to dive in. I’m really set in my computer habits. I’m sure you are too. Like any other “thing” we do, we learn a certain way and it sticks. It is why people always…
Pepperoni Hug Spot
I know there is endless hype around AI. And as I’ve said previously AI chatbots are nothing more than a next-word-prediction algorithm (that loves to lie). But sometimes when you mix different AIs together, you get something really funny. Enter Reddit user SharpCartographer831 and their AI-Generated pizza commercial. This person used a series of AIs…
Tiny Desk, Big U2
The NPR series “Tiny Desk” is really fun. The small space made to look like a busy cubicle is set up for big-name musical acts to perform. It’s an intimate setting and one that Bono surely isn’t used to. He and The Edge recently recorded a session of Tiny Desk and it’s amazing. The 20-minute…
Voice Password Failure
AI-powered voice cloning technology has advanced to the point where scammers can now easily create convincing fake audio of someone’s voice. In a proof-of-concept video, Watch how Joseph Cox from Vice demonstrates how he was able to access his bank account by simulating his voice using AI.
Post of the Week
Read to the end for a post about making friends at the movies. Happy Tuesday, everyone. Let’s get to it. There is nothing more telling about the state of Twitter than people adamantly stating they are not paying for its Twitter Blue service. It’s almost as if having that blue check is like The Stink.…
Cupertino Savings
It’s no secret that Apple is making many inroads in the financial sector. I would guess it’s a lucrative place for them to focus now that services are fully established for the company. Apple Card allows Apple to save money in transaction fees. Now they’re able to provide another service to let people keep money…
AI Attempts Seinfeld Recreation
Nothing, Forever is an AI-generated stream that recreates Seinfeld, the hit 90s sitcom, with a fully-automated system. Created via machine learning and AI algorithms, the always-on show creates & delivers new content every minute on the fly.
The Old and the New NYC Subway
NYC’s subway system is a blend of old and new design elements, and a century of history. Architect Michael Wyetzner explores the fascinating cues that exist in the world-renowned subway system. For a quick history lesson, check out Architectural Digest’s fun video.