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The Let-Podcasting-Be Edition Sunday, May 8, 2016

Podcasts Surge, But Producers Fear Apple Isn’t Listening, by John Herrman, New York Times

Interviews with over two dozen podcasters and people inside Apple reveal a variety of complaints. The podcasters say that they are relegated to wooing a single Apple employee for the best promotion. That sharing on social media is cumbersome. And that for podcasters to make money, they need more information about their listeners, and Apple is in a unique position to provide it. The problems, they say, could even open up an opportunity for a competitor. [...] Late last month, Apple brought seven leading podcast professionals to the company’s campus in Cupertino, Calif., to air their case to a room full of employees, according to two people who were there. The people would speak only on the condition of anonymity because they had signed nondisclosure agreements. The company made no promises, the people said, but several pressing issues for podcasters were discussed in frank terms.

[...] The question for podcasters — and for Apple — is about what comes next. Apple has at least two obvious choices: to rush to accommodate an industry that is quickly outgrowing its origins, or to let podcasting be, at the risk of losing its claim over a medium that owes its very name to the company. Even podcasters are conflicted; a hands-off Apple retains some appeal. “Some would argue that it could have advanced in certain ways,” said Andy Bowers, chief content officer of Slate’s Panoply podcast network. But since 2005, he said, “they’ve provided a remarkably level playing field.”

Apple’s Actual Role In Podcasting: Be Careful What You Wish For, by Marco Arment

Big publishers think this is barbaric. I think it’s beautiful.

Big publishers think this is holding back the medium. I think it protects the medium.

Technology Immersion

More Work For Mom: Technology, Social Media Present New Challenges, by Elizabeth Behrman, Tribune-Review

This Mother's Day celebrates a generation of moms who are raising children in a world awash in technology and social media. Child development experts say they don't know the long-term impact of technology immersion, only that it's up to parents to control how and when children get a smartphone or sign on to Facebook.

Stuff

Red Stamp App Lets You Send Awesome Last-minute Mother’s Day Cards: Our Cool Free App Of The Week, by Cool Mom Tech

We’ve been talking about the easy-to-use, tasteful, and free Red Stamp app for a few years, though today it’s worth a reminder, so that you can be sure to send your mom, grandma, or favorite mom-like person a beautiful and heartfelt message for Mother’s Day.

What Do Consumers Want? Look At Their Selfies, by Courtney Rubin, New York Times

Allison Shragal, 28, of Chicago, isn’t a model, or Internet famous — she’s an administrative assistant for a general contracting company. But almost every day companies pay her to snap photos of herself engaging in routine activities — brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, cleaning the bathroom.

If Ms. Shragal takes enough selfies with her smartphone and uploads them to a special app, she has “an extra $20 to go get my nails done,” she said.

Develop

It's The Attack Of The One-letter Programming Languages, by Peter Wayner, Computerworld

They may not be for every job -- many are aimed at specialized tasks -- but that doesn’t mean these one-letter languages comprise a gallery of misfits. Each offers compelling ideas that could do the trick in solving a particular problem you need fixed. These languages all embody the crisp, simple nature of their names. K?

Notes

Just How Much Power Do Your Electronics Use When They Are ‘Off’?, by Tatiana Schlossberg, New York Times

In the name of scientific inquiry, I tested about 30 appliances from friends’ houses as well as my own by plugging the devices into a Kill-a-Watt power meter, which can track how much power (in watts) is being drawn at any given moment.

Huawei Just Copied The iPhone—Down To The Last Screw, by Kyle Wiens, Wired

Look, I realize artists steal. But the best artists steal only the best ideas. Huawei copied a really stupid idea, and did so for a really stupid reason: Because it looked right.

Bottom of the Page

Netscape plug-ins. Java applets. Javascript. VBScript. Active Desktop. IFrame. QuickTime. Flash. XHTML, HTML4. Ajax. HTML5.

And yet, except for tabs, the browser's user-interface remained more-or-less unchanged on the desktop.

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Thanks for reading.