Apple Intelligence uptake, needy programs, Google breaks YouTube links, solid-state drives slowly lose data, and mounting criticism of generative software.
🔗 Links
Take on Me by A-ha turns 40
Song Exploder podcast episode 301: “Take on Me”
Article on backstory behind “Take on Me”
Take On Me music video (4K, YouTube)
LibrePods: AirPods liberated from Apple’s ecosystem
Needy Programs
The unpowered SSDs in your drawer are slowly losing your data
Microsoft Exec Asks: Why Aren’t More People Impressed With AI?
Mozilla to add “AI” to Firefox
The Mozilla Cycle, Part III: Mozilla Dies in Ignominy
You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space.
Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.
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49:01
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49:01
Time-Traveling Ads
Justin has a new toy, the creator of Mastodon steps down as CEO, Apple Podcasts now generates chapters, dynamic ad insertion plagues podcasts, and misguided folks force links to open in new browser tabs.
🔗 Links
BTXETUEL 4-Key Mechanical Keyboard
The “Vibe Coding Keyboard”: How I Made My Walk-and-Talk Setup Even More Awesome
Helium web browser
My next chapter with Mastodon
The Peaceful Transfer of Power in Open Source Projects
Chapters on Apple Podcasts
Transcripts on Apple Podcasts
Timed Links on Apple Podcasts
You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space.
Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.
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37:16
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37:16
Charmingly Antiquated
Valve announces new Steam video game hardware, Plex neglects its core user base, Canva makes Affinity Suite free, Nisus Writer may be moribund, and Nike announces robot shoes.
🔗 Links
TextSniper
I Hate Screenshots of Text
Valve announces Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller
Affinity Suite is now free
Acorn is a great image editor for MacOS
Graphite is an open-source, cross-platform, image editor (alpha)
Nike unveils Amplify: world’s first powered footwear for running and walking
You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space.
Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.
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55:17
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55:17
An Era in Middle Earth
Large language models and command-line coding agents can expand programming horizons, and Bazzite Linux puts the fun back into playing video games on PCs.
🔗 Links
The Art of Interacting Incorrectly (via Gina Trapani)
Writing code with LLM agents
OpenCode
OpenHands
Claude Code
VibeTunnel
Jeff Triplett’s List of Default Apps 2025
Games on Bazzite Linux
Bazzite
Proton DB
Nvidia Shield Pro
Sunshine
Moonlight
Fueran HDMI headless adapter / dummy plug
WJESOG DisplayPort to USB-C cable (works with Apple Studio Display)
You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space.
Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.
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45:50
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45:50
Into the Disintegration Chambers
Whispering is an open-source dictation/transcription desktop app, Neo puts the “human” in humanoid robots, and OpenAI stuffs ChatGPT into a web browser.
🔗 Links
Dictation / transcription desktop apps
Whispering
Epicenter
MacWhisper
Atlas LLM-powered web browser
ChatGPT’S Atlas: The Browser That’s Anti-Web
AI Browsers: Living on the Frontier of Security
You can find Justin Mayer on the web at justinmayer.com and on the Fediverse at justin.ramble.space.
Dan Jacobson’s homestead on the web is at danj.ca.
Abstractions is a podcast about technology, software, hardware, and the Internet, and the way the ever-increasing layers of these technologies permeate every aspect of our everyday lives.
Ireland