Category: The Longform

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The Longform

Perpetually Updating

Later, later, later. That’s what we always say to those annoying popups. They hound us. They implore us to act on them. In the end, we find them supremely intrusive and frustrating. But it’s the world we now live in. It’s a place where nothing is produced in a Final version and we constantly have to live with those decisions. We live in a world of the software update. It Ships When It’s Done Before the internet was ubiquitous, it was commonplace to purchase software of any sort in one form. That was it. Whether you were purchasing a copy…

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The Longform

All The Data

The same news comes around every few years: Friends, the TV show that shows no slowing down in popularity, moves to another streaming service. From Netflix to HBO Go Max, this is one show that always makes headlines when it moves. Plenty of others makes the rounds too: Seinfeld, classic Disney films, etc. But there are those who are immune to this Where’s Waldo of programming. People who look to own their media and have it always available at the press of a button, regardless of where it’s available for streaming. In their cases, they may not even have a…

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The Discman was amazing. The Discman was awful.

When it comes to music in the “before times” prior to the iPod, there was a huge boon when Sony introduced its Walkman portable cassette player. It was the first time someone could go anywhere and hear their music without carrying a giant boombox. It was the first time you could use headphones on the go to listen to whatever you wanted. Technology carried on and soon the Discman, and products like it came to replace the Walkman. And that is where things became… difficult. The idea of the Discman was insanely basic: do what the Walkman / portable cassette…

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The Longform

I Spy With My Little TV

The march of technology is inevitable. As time passes, components get cheaper. Manufacturing costs dwindle as efficiencies get established. What was once an expensive device to build can get lower in price with better ways to do things. From computers to phones to most any gadget, we see this happen time and time again. But one piece of technology has come so far that it can turn against us if we’re not careful. One item we all have and very possible two or three. It watches everything we do and reports it back to its manufacturer wherein that information is…

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The Longform

Reboot Madness

Clicking around the internet, you may be looking for something new to watch. Some TV shows look interesting while some have run their course, yet continue for another season. But then you spot it. Something familiar. A title that hasn’t crossed your mind in 5, 10, or even 20 years. A TV show that once graced the airwaves is in the news again. But it’s not because of some controversy. It’s because it’s new. And it’s coming back. It happens again and again and it’s the state of many streaming services to bring back “TV comfort food”. Because we live…

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The Longform

Next Of Kin

The unveiling of a new product is a milestone for any company. Years of R&D, hundreds of hours in meetings, immense time and money spent, all to coalesce into a single moment: the launch. Every company has high hopes for their new products, but some fly higher than others. Even mediocre products can float along for years before a company kills them off. In 2010 Microsoft held one of their unveilings. A mysterious new product aimed at an under-targeted demographic was to unleash a new era of communications. They had all their ducks in a row: the experience of an…

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The Longform

Walking The Catalog

It’s a normal Saturday afternoon of browsing shelf after shelf of items for sale. Some displays are elaborately laid out. Other sections have setups that feature wonderful layouts on the walls. In the middle of it all is a jewelry section complete with attendants waiting to help their next customer. After going through the immaculate display of a store, you decide that the stereo you saw earlier was the one to take home. And this is where things are different. Because there are no boxes in this store. No stock of products waiting to be brought to the checkout. Here,…

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Permanent Deletion

We scroll and eventually pause. Is it a funny photo that caught the eye? Perhaps it’s a memory that the algorithm has surfaced. Or maybe it’s simply some piece of content that’s got way too many likes and comments for its own good. It won’t be an ad, of course, because we scroll right by those. As far back as I can recall, that was my typical time on Facebook. Always scrolling, sometimes posting, never satisfying. Then something strange happened: I’d had enough. I proceeded to do what most people never even consider doing. This is the story of my…

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The Longform

Page ‘Em

It’s a beautiful day in the woods. Far off the grid, away from stores, people, or even shelters more stable than a tent, Jeff Wilson is backpacking through deep woods. It’s a return to nature that brings him enjoyment and is a complete disconnection from society. But Jeff has no connection to the world at large and in this case, unaware of what is coming. He is deep in the forest when a loud series of beeps emits from his pocket. The small plastic rectangle continues to sound until Jeff pulls it out and silences it with a push of…

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Nuggets and Noms

A pizza box sits on a table. Moments later two curious faces enter the frame, excited by its contents. The two keep glancing at each other while building their anticipation for what lies inside. Each speaks in a gibberish only the other can understand. With a lift of the lid, the pair are shocked to discover it’s empty. First, there’s shock. Then there’s bellyaching. The pair turn to the camera and send gibberish accusations at whoever is filming. Finally, they slink away off camera, defeated again. This entire sequence plays out in less than 20 seconds. The narrative is tight,…

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The Longform

The Paid Social Network Nobody Wanted

In the early 2010s there were two mighty giants in the social media landscape: Facebook and Twitter. One behemoth was scrapping its way in an attempt to be a third. This company was backed by lots of money, a thoughtful design, and a single focus to topple the others. It wanted to be king. But this is not about Google with their Plus endeavor or even the weirdly-limited Path wherein you were only allowed 50 friends. This is the story of a scrappy startup that set its sights on Twitter. A company that felt that enough people were willing to…

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The Contest to Steal Your Art

“Win an iPad!” the flyer said. Quite the prize and one that immediately enticed my kids to read on. In only a few paragraphs it was evident what was being proposed to school-aged children: they draw and design something that can go onto a t-shirt and in exchange the winner is given an iPad. I immediately said ‘no’. “But, why?” the confused voices asked me. The answer, or devil as they say, is in the details Because this ‘contest’ was like many. One where the ability to easily take ownership of others’ ideas is common and the idea of paying…

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Dial I for Information

It’s the top of the 5th inning and the NY Mets have a runner on first. I’m sitting with three of my closest friends at Yankee Stadium, enjoying a crisp summer evening when suddenly it hits me: I didn’t check the price of a single stock I owned. Did it close higher today? Did it sink a few points and I should consider buying more? There’s only one thing to do. I pull out my Nokia 3310 and dial the number for TellMe. A computerized system picks up, I ask for the stock quote and get the answer seconds later.…

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The Longform

Twenty One Years and Waiting: The Fans Keeping Sliders Alive

“What do we do now?” Those were the final words uttered by a character in the final scene of the final episode, The Seer, of the final season of the 90’s sci-fi adventure show Sliders. The fate of humanity was in another character’s hands. He’d leaped through an interdimensional vortex and left his friends behind. The Seer’s cliffhanger would never be resolved. Those people, called “sliders”, would remain on their version of Earth forever. This ending was the result of a risky gambit by the producers to force a sixth season. They had failed, leaving fans disappointed. However, all was…

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The PC Game That Stalked You

You log on and check your inbox. A new message has been sitting for a few hours and you anxiously click on it. It begins: Due to a fire at our Anim-X studios, we at Electronic Arts are forced to suspend the online game MAJESTIC until further notice. The message goes on to say they’re working to get power back quick. At the end is a link to the Portland Chronicle where you can watch a news report about this disaster. But there is no disaster. There is no Anim-X nor is there a Portland Chronicle. A moment later your…

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The Longform

Streaming Movies at Home Will Always Be Better… and it’s Theater’s Fault

Forget about COVID. This is the real reason I never go to the movies It’s the summer of 2008. I’m sitting in a packed theater waiting for The Dark Knight to begin. Knowing how awesome Batman Begins told the Batman origin story, I was elated to see the next installment from Christopher Nolan. 152-minutes later I walked into the parking lot deflated. Not at the movie (although it suffers from the notorious “unnecessary extra 20-minutes” at the end) but at the people watching the movie with me. Various people talked throughout the showing. More people than I could count were…

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Hello, Wrist

Events happen during our lives shaping how we live from that moment on. Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone in 2007 changed everything we do. The Nintendo Entertainment System hitting the US in 1985 revived a dying industry and set off a video game revolution. On April 11, 2012 an unknown group of five people would cause a seismic shift in a category without a name (now called ‘wearables’). While they’re gone now, it is fun to look back at what was an ambitious product that predated the proliferation of Apple Watch being a normal device. This is a look back…