First time I’ve intentionally visited BuzzFeed.
Government Set Up A Fake Facebook Page In This Woman’s Name.
Vogue Interview with Jony Ive
Robert Sullivan at Vogue recently interviewed Jony Ive, just before the launch of the Apple Watch.
My favorite bit:
Work is conducted behind tinted windows, serenaded by the team’s beloved techno music, a must for the boss. “I find that when I write I need things to be quiet, but when I design, I can’t bear it if it’s quiet,” he says. Indeed, the design team is said to have followed an unwritten rule to move away from their work whenever the famously brusque Jobs entered the studio and turn up the volume so as to make his criticisms less audible, less likely to throw them off course.
Startup Podcast Episode #4: Startups are a Risky Business
A new episode from one of my favorite new podcasts, StartUp with Alex Blumberg. Alex continues to meet with investors to explore how to develop his podcasting business. He also takes the unusual step of having a discussion with a sponsor, Mail Chimp, regarding how much they pay him per episode and whether they think that is a worthwhile investment. The discussion itself is the actual ad. StartUp continues to by a must-listen as soon as each new episode is released.
You can listen here:
John Gruber and Ben Thompson Discuss the Apple Watch
Two of my favorite podcasters, John Gruber and Ben Thompson, discuss Apple’s Watch on the latest episode of Gruber’s The Talk Show.
How Marco Arment Livestreams His Podcasts from His iPad
Read the article to see how he puts this together:
Hardware
Software
Snell says he used a Blue Yeti USB microphone but doesn’t clarify what Arment uses. He doesn’t specify what type of headphones he uses.
On Wednesday, ESPN suspended writer, podcaster, and Grantland editor-in-chief Bill Simmons for comments he made regarding Roger Goodell and his handling of the Ray Rice fiasco.
“Goodell, if he didn’t know what was on that tape, he’s a liar. I’m just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie-detector test, that guy would fail.” He added: “I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell, because if one person says that to me, I’m going public. You leave me alone.”
The podcast has been removed from the Grantland site, but you can still listen at Overcast.fm. Simmons begins discussing the situation at 12:01, and the central offending comments are made starting at 16:11.
ESPN’s reasoning for the suspension:
“Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN’s journalistic standards,” the company said in a statement. “We have worked hard to ensure that our recent N.F.L. coverage has met that criteria.”
My two thoughts:
- If I publicly made comments to embarrass the CEO of one of my employer’s business partners, I would be fired.
- ESPN has created a conflict of interested by working with the NFL as a business partner while also providing commentary on the NFL.
For most people, there is no reason to provide public commentary on the activity of their business partners. It’s not part of their job. ESPN is different, and Bill Simmon’s role in particular is especially unique. Simmon’s has stated many times that he is not a reporter whose job is to provide breaking news. His job is to provide commentary. He does so in his unique voice. That’s why ESPN hired him. That’s why ESPN helped him build his own fiefdom of Grantland within the ESPN kingdom. The description for Grantland is “Sports and Pop Culture from Bill Simmons.”
ESPN cannot be objective and loses credibility when they suspend their staff for making comments that might offend their business partners. It is not a “journalistic standard” to censor an opinion that might cause them to lose money. It is a business standard.
Upgrade – A New Podcast from Jason Snell and Myke Hurley
Upgrade
Upgrade takes a look at how technology shapes us over time and how companies like Apple, Amazon and Google continue to drive us into the future.
This show broadcasts live. Check the schedule.
Published weekly, I assume. There’s only one episodes, but all other Relay FM podcasts follow a weekly schedule.
Typically 90 minutes
Freeing Up iPhone Storage From Orphaned Podcasts
While clearing up storage space on my iPhone for the upgrade to iOS 8, I found 2.2 GB dedicated to podcasts. I knew I only had about 8 podcasts in Overcast, so that seemed like an unusually high number.
Podcasts currently downloaded in Overcast
Digging deeper, I found several podcasts that not only have no current episodes in Overcast, but also that I had not listened to for months.
Where are these podcasts stored?
Prior to Overcast I had used the Apple Podcasts app. I suspect that when I deleted the Podcasts app, it did not delete the podcast that were downloaded in the app. I tapped “Edit” and deleted all of the podcasts. No more podcasts without an app home!
No more hidden podcasts!
Alex Blumberg’s New Podcast: StartUp
The most recent episode of Planet Money introduced us to StartUp, a new podcast by Alex Blumberg. StartUp is Blumberg’s journey to start his own podcasting company. Private conversations with his wife, meetings with potential investors and sponsors, and discussions with his business partner Matt Lieber give listeners insight into the excitement, fear, frustration, and joy that Blumberg experiences as he tries to get his young venture off the ground.
I don’t remember the last time I was emotionally moved while listening to a podcast, but Blumberg, a former producer for This American Life and co-founder of Planet Money, brings to his new podcast a fantastic story-telling ability. Every step of the way I felt what Blumberg was going through, expressing his fears to his wife, feeling inadequate in negotiating equity with his partner, and generally feeling excited and anxious to do something on his own. I immediately subscribed and downloaded all three episodes produced so far. I haven’t had an opportunity to listen to them (as I just discovered it on my drive to work), but the comments on Facebook and Twitter tell me that my assumptions about the podcast are well founded.
You can read review more eloquent than mine by Paul Riismandel at Radio Survivor and by Michael Wolf at Forbes.
You can learn more about StartUp here:
Inquisitive
Inquisitive
Inquisitive is a show for the naturally curious. Each week, Myke Hurley takes a look at the paths his guests have taken that have enabled them to create exciting things.
Published weekly
Typically 70 – 90 minutes
Synthesis 