Welcome to Installer No. 115
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 115, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, go Seahawks I guess, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This Week’s Highlights
This week, I’ve been diving into various topics and experiences that bridge technology and culture. I explored articles about The Washington Post, the Murdochs, and Polymarket, alongside discovering what a “Soho House for creators” might look like. In terms of entertainment, I finally watched Independence Day for the first time and revisited Jurassic Park for about the 50th time. As the Olympics loom, I’m bailing on everything else to indulge completely, and I’ve fallen for the timeline-task-manager aesthetic of Paso. Additionally, I’ve been learning much more about Furby, gearing up for the upcoming season of Version History, and I even attempted to teach Claude how to clean up my email inbox.
Essential Updates and Recommendations
Alongside my musings, I’ve got some insights to share! For viewers keen on sports, I’ll discuss the best ways to catch the Olympic events, an exciting update for a bookmarking app, and a delightful handful of nostalgia-fueled discoveries. Plus, don’t forget to share your favorite non-Big Tech apps with me! I’ve received fantastic feedback about email clients, productivity tools, office suites, and messaging platforms, and I’m eager for more suggestions. Much more is coming on that front next week, but let’s dive into this week’s recommendations.
The Best Ways to Watch Sports and More
- Peacock’s Gold Zone: For live sports during the Olympics, there’s simply no better way to catch the action than through Peacock’s Gold Zone, which highlights the most compelling events occurring at any given moment. In the US at least, Peacock has emerged as one of the go-to platforms for Olympic viewing.
- Raindrop.io Stella: An AI-powered enhancement to my favorite bookmarking app. Users can expect improvements in searching and interacting with their saved links. It’s a timely development as my interest in Raindrop has recently been rekindled.
- Super Nintendo: Keza MacDonald’s book on Nintendo is not just about games; it doubles as a fascinating business narrative that I’ve just begun to explore. Stay tuned for an excerpt on our site on Monday.
- Codex for Mac: OpenAI has released a desktop app for users familiar with Claude Code, and the Automations feature, which can assist in cleaning up folders, is particularly intriguing.
- The Muppet Show: This new special brings a modern twist while retaining the timeless charm of classic Muppet storytelling. I’m excited to share this piece of nostalgia with my kids, hoping it becomes a family favorite.
- “You are being misled about renewable energy technology”: A thought-provoking video from Technology Connections that is gaining traction for its well-researched insights into renewable energy.
- Dragon Quest VII Reimagined: A remastered version of this classic that promises to engage fans anew, even if the visuals have a cartoony appeal that might not resonate with all players.
- The RetroVa Vintage Imaging Kit: Presenting a new Kickstarter venture, this kit could enhance your smartphone photography capabilities, despite its proprietary app requirements.
- Queen of Chess: This Netflix documentary reveals the incredible journey of Judit Polgár, the youngest chess grandmaster. The film depicts chess in a relatable and engaging manner reminiscent of Queen’s Gambit.
Thoughts and Essays That Resonate
A couple of weeks back, I encountered a compelling essay titled “Phantom Obligation” by Terry Godier, which poses an intriguing question: why do RSS readers resemble email clients? The essay delves into how we structure and consume information, highlighting the need to rethink decades-old design concepts and our relationship with digital inboxes.
Terry’s thoughts have gained popularity, particularly as he develops an app called Current, aiming to revolutionize our engagement with information. This week, he shared additional insights, including his personal favorites and home screen setup.
Screenshot
Terry’s Insights and Favorites
The phone: iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The wallpaper: On the lockscreen, an imaginative outer space image of the moon glimpsed from a fictional mountain range; on the homescreen, a simple solid black, symbolizing a myriad of possibilities.
The apps: His homescreen holds essential apps such as Find My, Fastmail, Fantastical, ChatGPT, Claude, Carrot Weather, and more. This collection aids in daily activities, from locating family members to managing personal calendars and utilizing automation tools for household tasks.
Community Recommendations
This week, I also want to highlight some engaging contributions from the Installer community. I’m eager to hear your thoughts on the content you’re currently enjoying, so feel free to reach out!
- “I took an old mini desktop PC and threw Batocera on it to play emulated games with a nice front end!” — Chris
- “Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy is regarded as the best series of Star Wars books. I particularly loved the Audible audiobooks!” — Noah
- “I’m using the app called Fitera to track workouts, solving what used to be a tedious manual process.” — Athan
- “Watching the new series of Um, Actually on Dropout!” — Andrew
- “Switching to Linux Mint has drastically improved my laptop’s performance.” — Sleepy
- “The podcast BS Phototime offers refreshing conversations focusing on the art of photography.” — Mark
Conclusion
In addition to exploring new media and app recommendations, I encourage everyone to revisit older tech and media, as they provide nostalgic insights into our tech evolution. This perspective can help us appreciate the transformative power of technology and remind us of the potential impacts of new innovations.
For further insights and recommendations, check out the full article here.
Image Credit: www.theverge.com
