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 our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment. This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and as we prepare for its final voyage, we will take what…
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 Binging with Babish series on YouTube, Brian does some of his own series-inspired cooking. The 16-minute video is a fun look at how Kevin’s snacks on the show could actually be cooked and even if it’s a good idea. Baumgartner is a lot of…
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 resources into its list of firsts: GUI, a mouse, menus, file systems, multiple apps, usability, and friendly computing. The Lisa was also incredibly expensive. The machine started at $9,995 (equivalent to $27,190 in 2021). But, without the Lisa, the Macintosh would never have been the success…
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 in the tech industry right now. Frankly, it’s a bloodbath out there. And it’s scary. I went from a stable job performing QA work I enjoyed to now having to figure out navigating incredibly tough waters. Companies ghost candidates at a moment’s notice. Promising leads…
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 Times shows how parrots are benefitting from this too. First, participants taught their parrots how to request a video call. When the birds rang a bell. Their owners would offer a tablet or phone with photos of other participating parrots, like a digital avian Rolodex.…
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 hold pushpins that are sold in sets of five. Sounds crazy, right? Sarah Perez has more of this absolutely real line of cases. We regret/are happy to inform you that these cases are real. We have them in hand and have put them through their…
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 something that isn’t a service should not be expected. This brings me to this CNBC video further goes over the overload we have reached with tipping, why it continues to be out of hand, and the fact that huge inflation will likely stop this trend…
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 this is a hotly-anticipated game would be an understatement. Its predecessor was one of the best games of all time. But there’s something important I’ve been doing since last month and will continue to do until I finish it: avoid all the spoilers people post…
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 were. Chance Miller at 9to5Mac has more. One red flag that multiple former employees cited was a notable period during which Brydge did not have a chief financial officer… Instead, Brydge internally promoted someone from their head of finance role to act as CFO. Multiple…
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 tell you the last time I took my T2i out of its bag. I am recounting my DSLR tale because when I was camera hunting I came across DPreview, a long-running and in-depth camera review website. For camera nerds (unlike me) it is THE place…
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.
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 told me it’s important to learn the correct way to play an instrument or else I’d learn it “wrong”; then it would be difficult to unlearn it. The joke was on them; I never ended up learning to play anything. 😉 I’ve had a computer…
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 to write the script, do the voiceover, and generate the video for a 30-second ad. It’s incredibly weird, creepy, and funny because it’s so random and dumb. But in some weird way, it works. One thing that didn’t even occur to me is the time…
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 video has the duo go through four songs, each with an incredible flair and intimacy. If you’re not a fan of U2, there’s not much here for you unless you want to view the numerous acts that have graced NPR with their presence. If this…
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.
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. Once it’s on you, it’s impossible to wash off. It’s rare to have people declare their non-use of something in order to maintain a level of credibility. Brands can become toxic for one reason or another. For many years it was creatives using the Mac…
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 with them: savings accounts. And the draw to entice people? A killer interest rate. More from Ashley Capoot at CNBC: Apple on Monday launched its Apple Card savings account with a 4.15% annual percentage yield. It requires no minimum deposit or balance, Apple said, and…
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.
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.
Read to the end for a post making a spooky exit. Happy Tuesday, everyone. Let’s get to it. I think I have come to the conclusion that our adult lives are spent chasing the pure satisfaction and joy we encountered as children. “Time speeds up” is a common saying as we grow older. As a child a year felt like FOR-EVER and hence annual events (birthdays, etc) were really special. Yes, as kids we had the monotony of school that is akin to the monotony of a day job, but there was a discovery at every turn. Then we get…
In an effort to ensure sustainability and reduce costs, invisible solar panels have been installed on ancient Roman ruins in Pompeii. Created by Dyaqua, the traditional PV tiles mimic materials like terracotta, stone, wood, concrete, and brick. This upgrade not only provides sustainable energy but also blends seamlessly into the historic site’s aesthetic, preserving its authenticity for millions of annual visitors.
Jack Black, the actor loved by many, is set to voice Bowser in the new Super Mario Bros movie. But did you know that forty years ago, he starred in a commercial for Pitfall? Pitfall was a popular adventure game for Atari 2600 and featured advanced graphics for its time. Now, you can enjoy Black’s past work before seeing his new performance in 2023.
Investors demand automakers adopt in-car connected features for recurring revenue, but a survey by AutoPacific shows car buyers aren’t interested. Of 11 features, only 30% want to pay for a $15/month data plan for their car’s Internet access. Built-in feature subscriptions are a stupid idea that needs to stop.
Read to the end for a post about tidying up the web. 👋🏻 Welcome to this week’s edition of TimeMachiner. Thanks for subscribing and checking out my work. I’m so happy you’re here. Sometimes good things happen after a rant. Case in point was after last week’s giving up on getting my Collector’s Edition of the next Zelda game, I managed to score a copy from Best Buy. Go figure. LOL. I think sometimes we have to be a bit patient with life and also let things go that aren’t worth the time. Putting in too much effort for a…