Archive
May 16, 2013
#61 – Spiraling Web Of Insanity
This week the crew (joined by Nate for the first time in a while!) discuss Facebook Home’s success/failure and iOS 7 speculation.
May 8, 2013
#60 – Magic Healing Brush
Michael is joined by new regulars (site update incoming) Alex Knight and Abdel Ibrahim to discuss the latest announcements from Adobe.
May 1, 2013
#59 – Selfie In The Shower
The crew (with Alex and Abdel returning as guests) discuss Google Glass, follow up on journalism and talk WWDC 2013.
April 23, 2013
#58 – First? First? First?
This week Michael and Nate delve into the Boston tragedy – and specifically the media response (or fail, as we call it). Then we try to get into the upcoming Apple Q2 results, but get sidetracked talking about WWDC and to-be-created-devices.
April 15, 2013
#57 – Everyone’s A Shark
This week Michael and Alex talk Facebook Home, the latest update to the Pebble smartwatch and Twitter Music, with plenty of amazing tangents along the way.
March 25, 2013
#56 – When Squarespace Attacks
This week we discuss Squarespace 6 and both Harry and guest Alex Knight’s departure from the service. Is it really so bad? Why is it so different from Squarespace 5? Listen as we discuss these questions, and more.
March 20, 2013
#55 – Real Housewives Of Samsung
This week we [try to] talk about the unforced error that was Samsung’s UNPACKED event, then we get into the Galaxy S4 and Android’s future in general –with some iOS sprinkled in. We stay on the topic of Google and chat about the end of Reader’s reign and what can take its place.
March 4, 2013
#54 – Ooh, A Pony!
This week, we cover Google Glass and its potential creep factor, Mailbox’s queue system and App.net’s free tier, along with a somewhat creepy shout out to @stevestreza that is also a Family Guy reference.
February 18, 2013
#53 – Accidental Xanatos Gambit
It’s the iBand-not-a-watch-thingy show! Michael and Steve want to see a wrist-based device from Apple. Nate sort of doesn’t. FIGHT! Then we get into some nebulous stuff on iOS 7, 10.9, iCloud, Maps, the iWork inspector and chat about Bungie’s new upcoming game, Destiny.
February 4, 2013
#52 – Blackberry Blackberry
This week Michael and Nate tackle RI… BlackBerry and their new offerings as well as Netflix and Sony’s recent announcements.
January 28, 2013
#51 – Storytime With Uncie Mike
Join us for another episode as we discuss Apple’s impending doom, the secret of the Apple TV, Vine and Blackberry 10; plus some fun rambling on the future of the Mac Pro.
January 21, 2013
#50 – I Forgot Where I Was Going With That
This week we pay tribute to Aaron Swartz, talk about Kimdotcom’s new venture and finish up with some conjecture on skeuomorphism – along with random iOS game talk.
January 14, 2013
#49 – A Tablet Or A Sack Of Rice
Abdel Ibrahim joins Michael for a look back at the ridiculousness, terror and potential promise of CES 2013.
January 7, 2013
#48 – It’s Like I’m Really Reading The Verge
We’re back! This week we talk about the new craze of switching from an iPhone to a Nexus 4. We also talk a little shop about iOS in general, and what needs to change in iOS 7. We also bid farewell to Adam, and say hello to Harry and Steve!
December 17, 2012
#47 – Everyday Go-To iPad
This week: Maps, subsidies and iPads are on the table, as well as the run time of The Hobbit (~2:45 if you’re curious).
December 10, 2012
#46 – You Need Mansfieldian Hands To Operate This
Join us and special guest Harry C. Marks as we cover Instacast and Twitter (briefly) as well as the pros and cons of forecasting defeat for tech companies. There are no second acts in American business, except when there are!
December 4, 2012
#45 – Weird Canadian Also-Christmas
It’s a return to snark this week on The Impromptu, as we discuss The Magazine (again), the disruptive status of Retina displays and Nintendo’s current position.
November 26, 2012
#44 – We’ve Seen This Movie Before
White, privileged — and English, men take center stage this week on The Impromptu, as the gang discusses the racially charged BritRuby cancellation, as well as trying to work through their mixed feelings about Skyfall.
November 19, 2012
#43 – Like Joining The Priesthood
This week we discuss Steven Sinofsky’s ouster from Microsoft, the ending of two 5by5 podcasts and enjoy a rare moment of agreement with Dalton Caldwell on Twitter.
November 12, 2012
#42 – Political Malpractice on a Colossal Scale
Time to dig deep into the 2012 Presidential Election. Fair warning: if you don’t like politics, or you’re easily annoyed by them you should skip this episode. We talk about Romney’s fatal flaws, Obama’s political chops, fiscal cliffs, and terrible pundits.
November 5, 2012
#41 – Tim Cook Hates Corinthian Leather
We’re joined by Harry Marks of Curious Rat to talk about the iPad Mini, Apple’s Poliburo reshuffling and whether or not it’s ok to complain about how long it takes for your phone to talk to space.
October 29, 2012
#40 – Surface And Friends
We chat about Loren Brichter’s new game, Letterpress, and the larger implications for Game Center, followed by Microsoft Surface RT and productivity and finish with Apple’s iPad mini and Q4 financial results.
October 22, 2012
#39 – The Cleavage Doesn’t Match
Theories abound this week on The Impromptu. Is Tweetbot for Mac’s pricing a move towards nudging Twitter users to App.net? Is the push towards mobile computing eating Google’s lunch? And who exactly is responsible for all the confusion with Windows 8-RT?
October 15, 2012
#38 – The Podcast
The Magazine— the first magazine to let people use ‘Newsstand’ in a positive sentence, is heart of this weeks show. Will Marco Arment’s latest endeavour save long form publishing in the iOS age? Does it even show the way forward?
October 8, 2012
#37 – Biff Gets A Casino
This week we talk about Prometheus. About 30 minutes in, we go off the rails. This is our first explicit podcast as we use coarse language, talk about science fiction porn parodies and mention Adam Sandler. Forewarned is forearmed.
October 2, 2012
#36 – You Just Had To Turn On The Gravity Drive
This week on The Impromptu, Michael and Adam discuss Maps. Again! Also, App.net paying developers and whether that idea has merit, plus Adam discusses podcast analytics for our show.
September 24, 2012
#35 – Ad Hoc Toddler Stress Test
This week we wrap up talk about the iPhone 5 (for now), and get into the drama surrounding Apple’s Maps. Then we discuss HTML 5 vs native apps, and which are appropriate to use and when.
September 22, 2012
#S8 – Not Too Many People Died
John Siracusa and Adam discuss patent radicalism, Wikipedia’s absent radicals and the direction of incremental change at Apple and Amazon.
September 17, 2012
#34 – The iPhone Will Elect Obama
Join us and special guest Abdel Ibrahim as we discuss Apple’s iPhone5 event. We cover how the iPod Nano fits in with Apple’s engineering philosophy, the font of blogger disenchantment with excellence and how the iPhone6 may look a lot like Robert Patrick.
September 11, 2012
#S7 – Confirmed Exclusively
Special guest Myke Hurley joins us for our 7th special episode filled with exclusive confirmations about the HP Spectre, Valve’s dominion of the living room and why the podcast is mightier than the pen, especially if it’s about a pen.
September 10, 2012
#33 – Diminishing Returns To Kabuki
This week we discuss the Nokia/Microsoft event and the unveiling of the Lumia 920. Then we take a deep dive into Amazon’s new Kindle lineup and sprinkle in some Apple and Google, while trying to look at the larger implications of where these companies are headed.
September 3, 2012
#32 – Something About The Gold Standard And… Cats
This week we wrap up the Apple vs. Samsung case thanks to Chris Martucci, our resident lawyer-in-training. Then we push the boundaries of “not getting political” while discussing President Obama’s recent AMA on Reddit.
August 27, 2012
#31 – Do They Wear Wigs in Canada?
Join us and special guests Nate Boateng and Jamelle Bouie as we reprise the issue of app.net (last time, we promise!) as enclave with a bonus detour into Apple v. Samsung.
August 20, 2012
#30 – Off The PC Treadmill
This week on The Impromptu, Michael and Adam discuss game streaming, OnLive and Apple Retail after being left alone in the wake of Twitter and App.net news.
August 13, 2012
#29 – Ever Deeper Hipster Waters
This week on The Impromptu, special guest Nate Boateng joins us for a dive into the uncharted waters of App.net and along the way we discuss the legal particulars of Apple v. Samsung as well as the Mat Honan hacking debacle.
August 7, 2012
#28 – There Isn’t A Car Fairy?
We get reader mail! We answer reader mail! This week Shadoe, Adam and Michael ponder the possibility of a first party iOS Vimeo app, what MMOs have to teach us about the app economy, something about Dalton Caldwell, and how revealing Apple V. Samsung is.
July 30, 2012
#27 – Vultures Circling the Corpse
It’s a mix of the old (AKA FU) and the new this week on the Impromptu. Adam and Shadoe return to the attitudes surrounding Sparrow and how they may colour our opinions of the new Mac Ads. A brief landing on Mountain Lion leads into a talk on Facebook’s Q2 earnings and the viability of profitable social networks. Finally, Adam gets his “I told ya so!” moment about the next iPhone’s design.
July 25, 2012
#S6 – My Dog Ate My Bane Impression
Join us (spoilers!) as returning guest star Jamelle Bouie and new guest star Nate Boateng discuss the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy with Shadoe and Adam. Bane and Batman impressions kept to a minimum, we promise.
July 23, 2012
#26 – Debbie Downer
Who’s worse? Developers or Users? Why aren’t $2 coffee and $2 apps born equally? Which heart does the Sparrow acquisition arrow pierce? Has Michael really left his iPad in favor of the Nexus 7? Find out on this week’s episode of the Impromptu.
July 18, 2012
#S5 – 10 Steps to Becoming an Internet Blogger
Blogging is on the hot seat for this 5th (not 4th) special episode of the Impromptu. Chris and Shadoe share their reactions to the growing popularity of memberships, the blogger’s appeal to morality, and status seeking as a (false) means to success.
July 16, 2012
#25 – Retina Euphoria
It’s the slaying of ‘gates this week on the Impromptu. Special guest Adam King joins us to discuss Twitter’s latest warning shot to pro users, Apple’s coup over EPEAT, and the new challenges web designers are facing as Retina displays come of age.
July 9, 2012
#24 – A Prelude To Beatification
It’s fancy web week with Adam and Shadoe! Do Android tablets suck because tech site love them? Content recyclers bad, linked lists good? Will 7-inch $200 tablets get the tablet market going in earnest? All this and more, only on The Impromptu.
July 2, 2012
#S4 – A King Has His Reign, Then He Dies
On this special episode of The Impromptu, Michael and Steve dance on RIM’s grave – dissecting why exactly a once-great company is within millimetres of a lethal fall. Rambly shenanigans ensue.
June 29, 2012
#S3 – I’d Like To Think There’s A Unicorn In My Backyard
In our third special episode we cover Google I/O 2012 including the Nexus 7, Android 4.1 and the competing visions of Apple, Microsoft and Google regarding the web as a service. Plus Adam jumps out of a zeppelin.
June 25, 2012
#23 – Mr. Ed Brand Dog Food
This week on the show: What’s in a name? After some followup on Maps in iOS 6, we tackle the Microsoft Surface: What’s it for, and who’s it trying to convince? We also discuss the new Retina MacBook Pro, repairabilty, and dealing and dying skill sets.
June 23, 2012
#S2 – Superman III Money
Readability is the muse behind this feature length special edition of the Impromptu. Adam and Shadoe discuss the platform’s inherent communication issues, morality in technology, and how – or if, web publishers can ever defeat the internet scale monster.
June 18, 2012
#22 – Glass Factory on Neptune
iOS 6: not just another pretty face! Adam explains why this version is the most significant change since the App Store. We also cover innovation and the Retina Macs as well as the fall of Readability. And we attempt to skip the Mac Pro to no avail.
June 12, 2012
#S1 – Steely Eyed White Guys
Join us for a special episode on HBO’s *Game of Thrones*, the only show approved by the FDA to supply your daily recommended intake of red wine. Adam, Michael and special guest Jamelle Bouie explore what makes *GoT* so compelling. Spoilers are coming.
June 11, 2012
#21 – Peeling Off The Bandaid
Take a break from your Mac Pro update troubles with the latest episode of The Impromptu. In a discussion blissfully free from Apple news we cover E3, HBO’s stance on web-only viewing and the fate of webOS.
June 4, 2012
#20 – Wipe Clean From The Slate Of History
Join Dan, Michael, Chris and Adam for our 20th episode as we follow up on Facebook’s IPO troubles, wonder if we all mean the same thing when we say “technology” and engage in some well meaning schadenfreude at the expense of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
May 28, 2012
#19 – You Can’t Leave iOS 6 On A Bar Stool
Let loose your hipster tears! On this week’s politically charged episode of the Impromptu, Adam and Shadoe revisit (and deconstruct) even more 4-inch iPhone speculation before diving into why the Facebook economy isn’t worse than any other “economy”, Microsoft’s blunders with Visual Studio pricing, and why it’s ok to care that The Talk Show broke up.
May 21, 2012
#18 – Oliver Wendell Holmes All Over Again
This week we wonder whether it is fair to whine about Diablo downtime and explore how J.R.R. Tolkien may be responsible for the death of responsible fiction. Also, Facebook is in the news again leaving us ample fodder for discussion on advertising, growth and analytics. We finish up with comments on the 4″ iPhone and while on the subject of dimensions, the 7.85″ iPad.
May 14, 2012
#17 – Adam Doesn’t Count
This week, it’s a topic laden recording of the Impromptu’s first live broadcast! Thanks to Game of Thrones’ popularity amongst buccaneers, we return to the clash between the internet and cable companies, somehow leading everyone to ponder the possibility of a subscription based iTunes Store. Also: Are we stuck in a never ending loop of MacBook and iPhone copycats? Can online publishing ever breakaway from ads? Finally, we try to find meaning in the ambivalence of gadget reviews, which leads a shocking movie revelation from Chris Martucci.
May 7, 2012
#16 – The Neckbeard Development Hour
Merlin Mann says that podcasting is a first draft for thoughts – tune in to hear our first draft on the clash between the unstoppable force of the internet and the immovable object(s) of cable companies. But first we have some followup on Nintendo’s nadir and Adam directs the Two Minutes Hate toward a particular 5by5 host. Finally, Paul Miller’s uber nerd hipsterism draws Shadoe’s ire.
April 30, 2012
#15 – Even More Too Late
Can you say “WWDC five times fast? Better pick up the pace or you’ll miss your chance next year! On this episode of The Impromptu we talk about Apple and AAPL as well as two companies which might be on the way out: RIM and Nintendo.
April 23, 2012
#14 – Pettifoggery is a Word
This week on The Impromptu, we look at Antitrust laws, Twitter patents, whether free is good or bad or less than $0.01 and where the heck wearable computing like Project Glass and Pebble might be going, and if it’s even a good idea.
April 16, 2012
#13 – I Like Appending ‘Gate’ To Things
Down three this week, the Impromptu cast forges ahead, deciphering the repercussions of the Instagram acquisition and the larger implications of having billion dollar companies with staffing you can count on one hand. Adam returns to the dynamics of the App Store, the Mac, and why developers are so afraid of volume pricing. Finally, we try to figure out what it means to no longer be giving Windows Phone “a pass”.
April 9, 2012
#12 – Episode Zero
In this episode we go back in time to before the show began as a result of extreme amounts of chocolate, candy and Easter dinner opening a rift in spacetime. Barring paradoxes, we’ll resume standard temporal flow next week with more intense discussions.
April 2, 2012
#11 – Fly My Nerd Flag
In our eleventh installment, Game of Thrones returns to the airwaves as we discuss the politics and thematic elements of Westeros. Then, we look at 3rd-party gestures and UI in iOS and ask whether the long-term survival of Apple’s platform depends on 3rd-party innovations being baked into the OS. Finally, after much delay and tension, we discuss the problem of data caps and the tyranny of the carriers.
March 27, 2012
#10 – Don’t Ask, Don’t Reply All
The Impromptu turns 10! On this latest and greatest edition, we touch a bit more on Mass Effect 3, then move onto the Retina conundrum in web design, Apple’s naming conventions (or lack thereof), the embarrassment known as Google+, and Apple’s super-duper stock buyback/dividend announcement.
March 19, 2012
#09 – Fundamentally We Go To Mars
This week, we discuss the attribution of content and the proposed Curator’s Code. Then, we enter the world of Mass Effect as we examine the controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3, its relevance to interactivity and the relationship between the authors of interactive content and the consumers who interact with it.
March 13, 2012
#08 – A Little Out of My Knowledge Base
This week, Adam has a new mic(!), Shadoe gives a rebuttal to some feedback we received concerning iOS vs. console gaming, and Steve leads a discussion about Twitter, it’s users, and its status as a social network. Dan finishes off our time together with a short dissertation on why he thinks 24-bit audio and the typical Apple customer might not be a great fit.
March 5, 2012
#07 – Think To The Turkey
On the 7th edition of The Impromptu, we get down to the nitty gritty on the limits and prospects for Apple’s iOS App Store. Are incentives and corporate culture allowing Apple to marginalize issues with poor quality apps, fraud and developer interest? Did Dropbox make a mistake not selling to Apple? And hey, we all agree that Gamestop and related sideshow acts suck, but why? Finally, Michael fawns (or not) over his new Lumia 710.
February 28, 2012
#06 – Five Notches
How much of what Chris said about Sonic last week was wrong? What is the ideal system for media consumption over the Internet? How much data collection is too much? These questions will be answered, and some other cool stuff too.
February 21, 2012
#05 – Hang Up Your Shingle
For our fifth episode we tackle Apple, Apple, and Sonic, mostly in that order. How much of the blame for Foxconn’s labor standards lies with Apple? Should we be scared about the impending iOS-ification™ of OS X? Find out the answers to these questions and more!
February 13, 2012
#04 – I Don’t Care If You Like Your Dock
Our fourth episode opens as we discover Steve’s experience with Star Wars, decide not to speculate about the next iPad (but speculate anyways), discuss the biggest issue with OS X’s file system for developers and go over Kickstarter’s recent triumphs.
February 6, 2012
#03 – System32 In The Trash
The six are at it again! This week, Chris wonders whether Facebook’s best days are behind it, leading the gang to debate whether they might in fact be the ones out of the loop. Adam challenges John Siracusa’s criticism of Wikipedia on Hypercritical. Speaking of which, why is it teachers loathe Wikipedia so much anyway? Meanwhile, Shadoe wonders whether he’s the only one having strange feelings towards Microsoft and Windows Phone 7.
January 30, 2012
#02 – Time Machine: 1997, Compuserve
Back for Round 2, we delve into the delicate matter of why Thunderbolt is irrelevant in the age of iCloud (and wind up in hostile agreement), the pseudo-science regarding decision fatigue, go back and forth about Google and what “the real internet” means, argue whether or not RIM makes “smartphones”, and, in between all this, touch on a mildly embarrassing subject concerning Steve and Star Wars.
January 24, 2012
#01 – Is it Soap or Soup?
In our inaugural episode we examine iBooks, SOPA, and what exactly is wrong with PayPal. Does Apple’s iBooks event foretell the future of learning or is it another in a string of promised tech solutions for education? Why don’t tech companies lobby?