If this is against anti-Asian racism, it sure doesn’t feel like it

It started, as many discussions do, with a social media post.

In the days after six Asian women (and two non-Asian victims) were murdered in the Atlanta area by a white shooter, America and the media’s attention focused, for perhaps the first time in my life, on anti-Asian racism in the United States and the 150% spike in anti-Asian hate crimes caused by Donald Trump. So I posted this on Facebook and Twitter:

Misunderstood until the end

With Apple’s recent announcement that the original HomePod was being discontinued, and that the $99 HomePod mini will now be the focus of Apple’s smart speaker strategy, the saga of one of Apple’s most maligned and misunderstood products seems to have come to an end. If Apple is ever going to make a large HomePod again — especially one priced at $349 — it almost certainly won’t be for a long time. …

I think when you look at what Apple got for their $3 billion — a streaming music business, the most popular and profitable headphone company, and a handful of beloved and respected music industry icons — I think Apple got exactly what it wanted. I’m not sure what else you think they were expecting. Apple Music is the 2nd most popular music streaming service that is already profitable, has better relationships with artists, and has few of the headaches Spotify is contending with. I agree that Beats headphones don’t have industry-leading flat/neutral sound quality, but that is because of their…

So your argument is that to REALLY reduce e-waste, the iPhone shouldn't come with cord OR charger? While true, that simply wouldn't be acceptable for the majority of people. Besides, to REALLY reduce e-waste, you'd encourage people not to buy phones at all, which also isn't a viable option. While not totally eliminating all possible e-waste, I'm glad Apple at least took this step to remove the charger and other Android vendors are following. I think Apple knows that the vast majority of people buying iPhones are upgrading from older iPhones, so they probably already have several workable cords and…

Keep an eye on the aspect ratio

Something that I continually find striking about Disney/Marvel’s WandaVision on Disney+ is what a deeply weird, dark, and wonderful show it is. What makes this even more impressive is when you consider what Disney+ had riding on WandaVision as Marvel Studios’ first true effort to bring the characters and storylines of the multibillion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to the small screen. …

What would you trade/spend for a redundant interface?

If you follow the tech press, you’d think that Mac computers with touchscreens are inevitable — some might even say overdue — and will be an absolute good when they finally arrive. The reasoning for this usually goes something like, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could scroll pages, open links, and zoom in and out on your Mac using your fingers instead of a mouse/trackpad?” And if you believe the tech press, the evidence that Macs will soon get touchscreens is all around us, most notably in the ways iOS and…

For a long time, Apple was considered a “luxury” brand, with both the positive and negative connotations that entails. But with an apparent shift in philosophy expressed through the introduction of some new midrange products, as well as the gains from Apple switching Macs away from Intel to their own Apple Silicon chips, I think it’s time for that “luxury” designation to end.

When thinking of the more complimentary aspects of the word “luxury”, Apple products have long fit the bill. Luxury items often are made with premium materials like leather, silk, and gold — in Apple’s case, think metal…

We can’t grasp how good it will feel when he’s finally gone

Even with Joe Biden defeating Donald Trump in the 2020 election, I know a lot of democrats are upset and scared. The Blue Wave failed to materialize. Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, Joni Erst, and Susan Collins were reelected. President-elect Biden will have a major uphill battle against a conservative Supreme Court and obstructionist GOP congressmen who can’t even admit that he won the election. And most importantly, it’s incredibly upsetting and depressing that tens of millions of American voters are so divorced from reality that they somehow believe…