Episode 279 — Subscriptions

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newspapers
Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash

Michael and Michael are back together for some fun filled fourth festivities, much of which is centered on the theme of subscriptions, hence the catchy episode title! 

Starting off with a recap of Michael R’s experiences at the virtual WWDC, the team switches gears to the 2020 Apple Design Award winners, and marvel at the StaffPad app’s ability to convert handwritten sheet music into digital form.  This spurs a fun conversation about one of Apple’s latest iPadOS innovations called “scribble” and the similarities & differences with graffiti, the data input technique made popular by the PalmPilot family of personal digital assistants.  Later in the show, the subject of design resurfaces with the iconic ThinkPad TrackPoint II pointing device.

The co-hosts then go deep into the topic of subscription, dealing with car features that could be enabled or disabled based on the user’s subscription.  This reminded them of the recent story about the used car marketplace, and how this monetization concept could be used as a car passes from one owner to another.  The idea of micro transactions for heated seats did not exactly sit well with the pair, and they turned the corner to another topic: D&D! 

Roll20 is an online RPG management system that you can subscribe to — a digital representation of the tabletop discussed way back in 2018.

After news of the Google acquisition of AR glasses company North, Michael and Michael punch their ticket to the Lost Horizon Festival and enjoy some of the festivities there.

This was the weekend to subscribe to Disney+, as was streamed on 3 July.  What an amazing story, and while seeing it on the small screen is a different experience than seeing it on the big stage, it was moving evening on such an engaging story with amazing music.

Give this episode a listen and ask your friends to subscribe, like and share!  

Selected Links

Random Thoughts blog: WWDC 2020 – Day 1 — http://michaelrowe01.com/index.php/2020/06/22/wwdc-2020-day-1/ 

Techcrunch article: Apple reveals its 2020 Apple Design Award Winners — https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/29/apple-reveals-its-2020-apple-design-award-winners/

StaffPad — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/staffpad/id1442074103/ 

Apple Insider article: Testing Scribble on iPad with Apple pencil in iPadOS 14 — https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/27/testing-scribble-on-ipad-with-apple-pencil-in-ipados-14 

Palm Pilot’s Palm OS Grafitti — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti_%28Palm_OS%29 

Techcrunch article: BMW wants to sell you subscriptions to your car’s features — https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/01/bmw-wants-to-sell-you-subscriptions-to-your-cars-features/ 

iDropNews article: BMW is Getting Ready for Apple Car Key, But It Could Require a Subscription — https://www.idropnews.com/news/bmw-is-getting-ready-for-apple-car-key-but-it-could-require-a-subscription/138812/ 

Games At Work episode 260: 1984 Tesla for Sale — https://gamesatwork.biz/2020/02/10/episode-260-1984-tesla-for-sale/ 

Ars Technica article: How to move your role-playing game nights online — https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/06/how-to-move-your-role-playing-game-nights-online/ 

Roll20 — https://roll20.net 

Games At Work episode 199: Augmented GDPR Reality — https://gamesatwork.biz/2018/05/28/episode-199-augmented-gdpr-reality/ 

Techcrunch article: Google acquires smart classes company North, whose Focals 2.0 won’t ship — https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/30/google-acquires-smart-glasses-company-north-whose-focals-2-0-wont-ship/ 

PYMTS article: Google Buys Smart-Glasses Maker North For A Reported $180M — https://www.pymnts.com/news/partnerships-acquisitions/2020/google-buys-north-smart-glasses-maker/ 

Lost Horizon Festival — https://www.losthorizonfestival.com 

Beatport Live for Lost Horizon Festival — https://www.twitch.tv/beatportofficial/squad 

Circuit Breaker article: The ThinkPad TrackPoint tried to build a better mouse — https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2020/6/30/21292182/thinkpad-trackpoint-mouse-nub-button-trackpad-challenges-design-user-input 

3D Printing Industry article: Researchers Publish Open-Source Lower Cost Design for 3D Printed Robot Dog — https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/researchers-publish-open-source-lower-cost-design-robot-dog-172877/ 

The Verge article: This pokemon engagement ring has gone terribly wrong — https://www.theverge.com/21309879/pokemon-engagement-ring-design-pikachu-pokeball 

Pokemon rings — https://www.pokemoncenter-online.com/?main_page=product_list&keyword=wedding_ring&pc_top=banner 

The Verge article: Disney’s deep fakes are getting closer to a big-screen debut — https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/29/21306889/disney-deepfake-face-swapping-research-megapixel-resolution-film-tv 

Hamilton on Disney+ — https://disneyplusoriginals.disney.com/movie/hamilton 

Slashfilm article: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Hits CBS All Access This August; See Teaser Art Here — https://www.slashfilm.com/star-trek-lower-decks-release-date/ 

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Episode 278 — Big Apple & Big Sur

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New York corner of 12th & Broadway
Photo by Michael Martine, 2015

For this week, Michael and Michael had other demands on their time, so while there is not a podcast to listen to, there still are several interesting stories that captured the co-hosts’ attention that we wanted to share with you. 

This past week was Apple’s annual World Wide Developer conference, and per usual, there was a great deal of tech news about the new innovations for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS and macOS.  Michael R spent the week participating in sessions and has blogged about them over on https://michaelrowe01.com — check it out!  Michael M joined in for several overview and detailed sessions, and even completed his first ‘hello world’ AR project with Apple’s Reality Composer.

We hope that you will enjoy Jonathan Mann’s “I Just Go Into Jiggle Mode” Song A Day #4191, and learn a little more about his project of creating a song each and every day.

An interesting article about the credits that ran at the end of the keynote address sharing how the production of the video was done in a safe and social distancing respecting manner, that may be a precursor of how video production will be done, and recognized in the credits as content creators cope with the challenges during the pandemic.

In the AI space, check out the partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Nvidia, where the two corporations are teaming up to support autonomous driving and over the air software updates.

If you need a funny and simple way to get out of a video conference, check out the Kotaku article for a new device you can buy.  Just remember to stop moving and talking when employing this device!

Wrapping up the links for this week, and apt, considering that there is no audio component for us this week, were a pair of stories about soundscapes.  First, the New York city soundscapes, where the New York Public Library gifted the citizens of the big apple with their own missing sounds.  And second, a National Geographic article about earth’s most quiet places, which have their own healing qualities.

We hope that you enjoy the sounds of silence from our team, and have a look at the fun and intriguing links we would have talked about right here, on Games At Work… dot…  biz! 

Selected Links

Johnathan Mann — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvj5S3f10rO6CoibatfRGzg 

Boy Genius Report article — iOS 14 caught TikTok and other apps spying on your clipboard — https://bgr.com/2020/06/26/ios-14-beta-privacy-features-tiktok-spying-clipboard-data/ 

Slashfilm article:  Apple Event COVID-19 Message Might Be a Preview of Things to Come — https://www.slashfilm.com/apple-event/ 

The Verge article:  Here are all the devices that can run iOS and iPadOS14, macOS Big Sur, and watchOS7 — https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21299686/apple-ios-14-ipados-macos-big-sur-watchos-7-compatibility-update-new-software-wwdc-2020 

The Verge article: Mercedes-Benz and Nvidia team up to develop next-generation supercomputers for cars — https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/23/21300614/mercedes-benz-nvidia-computer-orin-self-driving-adas-ota 

Kotaku article: A Device to (Maybe) Help You Get Out of Zoom Meetings — https://kotaku.com/a-device-to-maybe-help-you-get-out-of-zoom-meetings-1844115744 

JSTOR Daily article: Recalling City Sounds During a Quarantine — https://daily.jstor.org/recalling-city-sounds-during-a-quarantine/ 

New York Public Library — https://www.nypl.org

National Geographic article: Discover the planet’s last few ‘naturally quiet’ places — https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/2020/06/discover-the-planets-last-few-naturally-quiet-places/

Episode 278 — Augmented Lamps

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light bulb
Photo by Michael Martine, 2020

To sleep, perchance to dream — Michael and Michael start off this week’s episode with an AI mashup of art and photography that is reminiscent of the MIT Technology Review article from 2019, where in the Deep Dream Generator, artificial intelligence tools are used to interpret a photo in a unique way.  Definitely worth a look at the link from the show notes in order to understand and see for yourself!  

A first for the United States FDA this week is the EndeavorRx, a prescription-only game-based device for pediatric patients with ADHD, designed to require the patient to focus on multiple tasks at the same time.

In the space of Covid-19 and IoT security & privacy, there are several stories related to contact tracing, how consumer devices share information, how lightbulbs can serve as microphones and Oura rings as proximity warning detectors.

Selected Links

Deep Dream Generator — https://deepdreamgenerator.com 

Games at Work E240 — Game of Life — https://gamesatwork.biz/2019/08/12/episode-240-game-of-life/ 

MIT Technology Review article: Turn selfies into classical portraits with the AI that fuels deepfakes — https://www.technologyreview.com/f/613995/turn-selfies-into-classical-portraits-with-the-ai-gnerative-that-fuels-deep-fakes-gans/ 

FDA Permits Marketing of First Game-Based Digital Therapeutic to Improve Attention Function in Children with ADHD — https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-permits-marketing-first-game-based-digital-therapeutic-improve-attention-function-children-adhd 

EndeavorRx — https://my.akili.care/endeavor/enrollment

Los Angeles Times article: Welcome, please scan your QR code: In South Korea, a high-tech registry for nightlife amid coronavirus — https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-10/welcome-please-scan-your-qr-code-in-south-korea-a-high-tech-registry-for-nightlife-amid-coronavirus 

APNIC article: How consumer IoT devices expose information — https://blog.apnic.net/2019/11/22/how-consumer-iot-devices-expose-information/ 

Ben Nassi post: Lamphone Real-Time Passive Sound Recovery from Light Bulb Vibrations — https://www.nassiben.com/lamphone 

Gizmodo article: Oura Rings May Be Part of the NBA’s Restart Plan, But That Doesn’t Mean It Will Save You From Covid-19 — https://gizmodo.com/oura-rings-may-be-part-of-the-nbas-restart-plan-but-th-1844064128 

Extended remix links for this week

The Verge article: Bose gives up on its augmented reality sound project — https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21293372/bose-augmented-reality-frames-glasses-over 

Cnet article: The iPad Pro can scan your house, and future iPhones might too — https://www.cnet.com/news/the-ipad-pro-can-scan-your-house-and-future-iphones-might-too/ 

Bloomberg article: Apple’s Secretive AR and VR Headset Plan Altered By Internal Differences — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-19/apple-team-working-on-vr-and-ar-headset-and-ar-glasses 

PC Gamer article: Baldur’s Gate 3: Everything we know — https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-everything-we-know/ 

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Episode 277 — Virtual Fans

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stadium
Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash

Michael and Michael are glad to welcome Andy back for this week’s episode and get things rolling with some automotive stories.  First off is an article about some innovative ideas on what auto manufacturers are designing into their vehicles based on the pandemic changing needs.  Ideas like anti-viral surfaces, increasing the heat of the car’s interior and ultraviolet light are some of what is being considered.  Speaking of automotive design, the crew reflects on the variation and similarity (red!) of the car emoji across various platforms.

With sports beginning to reopen around the world, a number of world class athletes are playing in empty stadiums, however, for broadcast television, piping in virtual crowd noises seems to be gaining fans.  Listen in to hear what Andy, Michael and Michael think about the sports equivalent of a laugh track.

This discussion of soccer / football causes a stroll down memory lane with Andy recollecting Sensible Soccer

Michael R is getting excited about the upcoming Apple World Wide Developer Conference, and we are sure that there will be much to learn.

Selected Links

Autoblog article: Coronavirus fears will influence car design, according to Kia — https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/06/coronavirus-will-alter-car-design-says-kia/ 

The Drive article: Car Emojis Are Broken — https://www.thedrive.com/news/33977/the-car-emoji-must-be-changed

Mashable article:  This bricklaying robot can construct a house in 48 hours — https://mashable.com/video/handrian-x-bricklaying-robot-48-hours/ 

The Verge article: Spanish soccer returns with computer-generated crowds, and it actually works — https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/12/21288963/la-liga-fake-crowd-noise-betis-sevilla 

Sky Sports article: Premier League restart: Crowd noise option part of Sky Sports innovative coverage — https://www.skysports.com/football/news/21564/12001299/premier-league-restart-crowd-noise-option-part-of-sky-sports-innovative-coverage 

The Vice article: Why ‘Sensible Soccer’ Is Still Gaming’s Friendliest Soccer Sim — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vdq479/why-i-adore-sensible-soccer-gamings-friendliest-football-sim-407 

Sensible Soccer — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensible_Soccer 

retrogamer.net article: The Making Of Sensible World Of Soccer — https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games90/the-making-of-sensible-world-of-soccer/ 

Apple’s upcoming WWDC — https://developer.apple.com/wwdc20/ 

Extended remix links for this week

Kotaku article: And Now, Realistic Trash for Animal Crossing: New Horizons — https://kotaku.com/and-now-realistic-trash-for-animal-crossing-new-horzi-1843992702 

Bass 808 Synth + AUv3 Platinum — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bass-808-synth-auv3-platinum/id1502480224 

Slash Film article: The Quarantine Stream: ‘Josie and the Pussycats’ Hilariously Rocks the Socks Off Crass Consumerism — https://www.slashfilm.com/the-quarantine-stream-josie-and-the-pussycats-hilariously-rocks-the-socks-off-crass-consumerism/ 

9 to 5 Mac article: Apple discontinuing iBooks Author and iTunes U, here’s what you need to know — https://9to5mac.com/2020/06/10/apple-is-discontinuing-ibooks-author-and-itunes-u/ 

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