Apple sent me a MacBook Pro 16-inch version and even, at first sight, it looks bigger than my 15-inch MacBook Pro 2019 model. You can see the size difference when you stack the 15-inch version on top of the 16-inch machine. It feels a little heavier — and I kept missing the letters on the … Continue reading MacBook Pro 16-inch: Bigger is just bigger.
You must always think of your blog as if you were starting it now, not in the past. The world is different. There was no Twitter in 1994. Twitter wasn’t usable until last year with the switch to 280 chars. Facebook was used for serious discourse (somewhat) until a couple of years ago. Email is … Continue reading How to blog today
It was the longest Sunday. It started in Newport Beach at 7:30 am and ended at 11 pm in San Francisco. In between, it featured the clear blue skies and light traffic that make for a fantastic road trip. This one turned out to be unlike any I had ever taken: it was my first … Continue reading Road Ra(n)ge
Two friends who I met when they were young punks are now taking the next steps in their professional careers. Steve Jang and Kanqi Maqubela raised $56 million for their early-stage fund. I have watched their progress for a while, and I am glad this news is finally in public. I absolutely love these two … Continue reading Friends doing well makes me happy
A few years ago, when my friends from Hodinkee were launching a podcast, they invited me to the show and we talked about life, photography, and of course, watches. That was episode#4. It seemed a lot of their listeners liked what I had to say so they have brought me back for the Episode 66 of the Hodinkee podcast. I obviously enjoy talking to Stephen Pulvirent, and this episode wasn’t any different as well. If you are interested, here is a link to the podcast which is available on all sorts of podcast distribution networks. Apple & Spotify links are here.
I will be the first to admit that the first time I paid any attention to Galileo, the European satellite navigation system, was when it actually went offline in July 2019. It didn’t get much media attention. However, I got an alert from friends who worry about our increasing reliance on GPS for everything from food delivery to autonomous navigation.
I wanted to learn more, but life and work got in the way. Also, I was too lazy to go beyond the news stories. This week, however, I randomly came across an in-depth primer on Galileo by Bert Hubert, a Dutch software developer, and entrepreneur. He looks at Galileo from more angles than you can imagine and I was left well informed and educated. Please find some time to read it.
Ever wondered why Elon Musk is so high on Starlink, the low orbit internet access centric satellite constellation his company, Space X is building? It is because despite all the talk about Mars colonies, for now, communications is what will pay the bills and keep SpaceX growing. And it could be a lot more disruptive by lowering the cost of satellite communications and by being more inclusive. Imagine what if it cost $100,000 to build and launch a satellite — and you can imagine the rest. Read this astute analysis of the Starlink phenomenon by Casey Handmer. (Also: Who is Casey?)
There has been so much angst about 1Password raising $200 million in new funding and many are expecting that the 14-year old company is going to be ruined by an influx of cash. It is understandable that their fans are worried — too much money corrupts. But why are reporters showing paranoia when instead they … Continue reading Some thoughts on iPassword funding + How to do strong passwords
Climate is changing our planet — and despite that, we as a society are failing to understand the emergency. A lot of the world as we know it is at risk. It doesn’t matter whose world — rich, poor, what religion or race, no matter which gender or color — once we lose what we … Continue reading Venice & Climate Change
“It’s amazing how many celebrated startups have been revealed as essentially labor arbitrage schemes disguised as cool new apps. A decade of high-frequency trading algorithms, but instead of tightening bid-ask spreads on oil futures they just find the lowest possible clearing price for human work.” Kevin Roose, New York Times columnist on Twitter. The above … Continue reading On tech-enabled labor arbitrage
