Trademarking Micro.blog, how to appeal trademark rejections, and whether to get a lawyer. Manton and Daniel talk about whether it’s important to invest in protecting your trademark from the get-go. They discuss Automattic’s control of the .blog domain, whether it poses a risk to Manton, and Manton considering rebranding to de-emphasize the “micro” aspect of his platform. Plus a quick mention of Automattic and WP Engine, which also revolves around trademarks.
Episode 616: A Right Way to Do Things
Oct 11, 2024
Daniel talks about his recent updates to Black Ink, for both Mac and iOS. He and Manton compare notes about updating icons for iOS 18 to support Dark and Tinted home screen modes. They talk about application versioning, again!, and the virtue of choosing to do things one way sometimes just because it’s right. They react to recent speculation about the identity of the inventor of Bitcoin, and whether it’s responsible for anybody to make such allegations. Finally, they talk a bit more about AI, what it means for the future of programming, and it’s impact on the world’s approach to manufacturing energy.
Manton talks to Daniel about his Daniel’s latest experience trying to use his Apple Vision Pro. They react to Meta’s Orion glasses demo, and wonder how much of a threat, if any they’ll be to Apple. They consider the possibility that accessories like glasses should be tethered to a phone, as a high-performance, expensive piece of hardware the customer has already bought. Finally, whatever happened to Google’s interest in AR Glasses?
Daniel and Manton talk about the community drama and impending fiasco of WordPress and Matt Mullenweg vs. WP Engine. They weigh the arguments of either side. Then they consider the larger issue of dependencies we have on the platforms we develop for, and how we strive for independence from platforms that can make or break our business.
Daniel and Manton talk about the latest releases of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, and the confusion of macOS versioning with the switch from 10.15 to 11. They explore new iOS features like home screen customization. Then Daniel describes the change in macOS Sequoia to limit keyboard shortcuts that use only the option key.
Episode 612: Let’s Just Say I’m Skeptical
Sep 16, 2024
Daniel talks to Manton about the new iPhones, whether they’re buying one or not, and the pros and cons of pickup vs. delivery. They discuss the merit of AppleCare+ particular for iPhones. They consider the new Camera Control button and whether it’s likely to be a “dud” or not. Daniel and Manton going for the new phones, whether to buy AppleCare+ or not. Finally, they consider the possibility that the new AirPods hardware is feature-locked by software, and whether it’s ethical to charge customers more for features built-in to a hardware device.
Manton and Daniel talk about the upcoming Apple special event where new iPhones are expected to be announced. They talk about their respective likelihoods of buying one, and remark on the diminishing importance of smallness in a phone’s physical design. They discuss the nascent Apple Intelligence features in macOS and iOS betas, the general competitive state of AI services, and the virtue of being able to easily switch from one hosted AI services provider to another.
Daniel and Manton talk about the Overcast redesign and customers getting upset about changes to workflows they are used to. Manton gives an update on his new text editor and early bugs. And finally, the current state of SwiftUI and how to decide when to start from scratch with a new framework.
Manton and Daniel discuss closed platforms vs. more open platforms, Apple’s new EU rules around linking for external purchases, and Patreon’s option to pass Apple’s fee on to creators or patrons. Then, a coding update on Manton’s work on a new text editor for Micro.blog, comparing and contrasting with MarsEdit’s text editor.
Episode 608: They’re Not the Underdogs
Aug 09, 2024
Daniel and Manton talk about the U.S. Government’s anti-trust verdict against Google, and consider the impact it may have on browser vendors such as Apple and Mozilla. They discuss the slow rollout of Apple’s beta Apple Intelligence features, and bemoan the lack of extensibility and integration points for developers. Finally, they talk about how increasingly locked down computing platforms are diminishing the ability for the diverse population of developers to push the limits of said platforms.
Daniel and Manton talk about the CrowdStrike fiasco, Daniel’s narrow escape from traveling chaos, and the resilience of people during an emergency. They wonder how a company whose overt value is to protect you from outages can survive a catastrophic failure? They also chat about OpenAI’s recently announced SearchGPT, and the potential it may have to disrupt Google. Will all future search engines use AI? Finally, they consider the potential for a future where search engines are freemium and ad free.
Daniel and Manton check in about the Apple Vision Pro. Is it on the precipice of failure? Is there a killer app for it? How would the Apple Vision Pro have done if a smaller company came out with it? They talk about playing the long game vs. the short game, and how much harder it is to play the long game as a struggling indie. Focusing on finessing little things in a product or adding new features, and working on the features of an app or service that a customer expects the app or service to do.
Daniel and Manton discuss the latest news with Apple and the European Union, including that Apple is withholding features such as Apple Intelligence. Will they go so far as to stop selling iPhones in the EU rather than face a large fine? Apple has become accustomed to their power in the mobile market, but have they met their match with the EU? Then, Meta’s Threads API and the difficulty of getting an app approved for Micro.blog.
Episode 604: Unethical Stealing Theft Criminal Liars
Jun 21, 2024
Daniel and Manton talk a bit more about AI, peoples’ skepticism about its value, and their opinion that it obviously has some utility. They discuss the Perplexity AI controversy around HTTP user agents, and whether it’s an ethical requirement that all services should always reveal their identity. Daniel talks about his recent adventures with Swift Concurrency, and they weigh the challenge of tackling a major architectural change, versus the payoff from Swift’s compile-time data safety.
Manton and Daniel compare notes after WWDC, reflecting on the thrill of catching up with old friends, albeit on turbo mode. Daniel takes a bow for guessing the Apple Intelligence name, and the two discuss the advantages to Apple of adopting it. They examine the “long runway” Apple has to perfect their AI offerings thanks to the cohesive structure of Apple Intelligence and their inclusion of outside services in the whole package. They compare the relative advantages that on-device, specialized models may have, versus the advantages of “world data” services like ChatGPT. Finally, they question how the AI naysayers will cope with a technology world where AI in some form is increasingly ubiquitous.
It’s time for WWDC! Manton’s on the road as a heat wave hits the southwest and California. Will Apple’s AI announcements meet expectations? Will we finally get code completion? What other novel uses of AI could Apple surprise us with? Daniel and Manton talk all about WWDC, AI, the OpenAI partnership, and even what might happen with visionOS.
Daniel and Manton talk about Micro.blog’s audio features and the uniqueness of “audio narration” for blog posts. They discuss the value of human narration as a counterforce to AI, and how we can use overt feature differences to attract attention. Then, Daniel shares what’s new in the MarsEdit 5.2 update. Daniel describes his workflow for informing customers about updates they requested, a way to make both them and yourself feel good. Finally, Manton is about to start a road trip to WWDC, and they speculate about whether Apple will add a live component to WWDC when Apple’s competitors now have a live audience again — the competitive advantage of being human in a robotic era.
Episode 600: Two Robots Talking to Each Other
May 25, 2024
Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s recent blog posts about allegations that OpenAI stole Scarlett Johansson’s voice. They talk about the difficulty of arguing on facts when emotions run high, and how people on the internet might jump into any debate if it puts an “enemy” in a less horrible light. They talk specifically about whether Scarlett Johansson has a legal case against OpenAI, and about the importance of using facts when debating issues you care about and not resorting to exaggerations or falsehoods. Finally, they ask how we as technologists can lean into AI while maintaining human emotion and engagement.
Micro Camp 2024 is today! Daniel and Manton talk about Micro.blog’s online event, Jean MacDonald leaving the company, and expensive top-level domain names. Then they review the announcements this week from OpenAI and Google, and what all the AI news may mean for Apple, Siri, and WWDC 2024.
Episode 598: Maybe They Just Hate Pianos
May 09, 2024
Daniel and Manton talk about Apple’s latest event and the release of new iPads, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard. They wonder whether iPad will ever be able to run Mac apps? They react to Apple’s new “Crush!” ad, and wonder whether they will pull it and/or apologize (spoiler: they did!). Finally, they talk about Mastodon’s new US non-profit, and Jack Dorsey leaving the board of Bluesky.
Daniel and Manton react to Apple’s further tweaks to the Core Technology Fee for the App Store in the EU. They discuss Micro.blog’s new photo features that use generative AI, giving users the option to disable AI features, and more extremist anti-AI beliefs.
Episode 596: The Potential for Propaganda
Apr 26, 2024
Manton discusses Micro.blog downtime and issues with his database servers. How attentive to phone calls should you be in the middle of the night if you run a server? Daniel and Manton talk about learning from mistakes and instituting changes to prevent repeats of the same problem. Then, they debate whether it’s warranted for the United States to require ByteDance to sell TikTok. Finally, can you systematically prevent corruption of social or regular media?
Manton and Daniel check in again about their WWDC plans, and appreciate the value of meeting up with people in person. They talk about the newly announced “One More Thing” conferenced slated to take place near Apple during WWDC week. Finally they talk about the debut of the AltStore as a turning point for the openness of the App Store, and revisit the potential risks of adopting Apple’s “updated business model.”
Manton gets his first Apple Silicon Mac. They talk about the longevity of Apple devices and the particular performance attributes of Apple Silicon. They look forward to WWDC, anticipating the possibility of attending the in-person event. They are excited about the hinted big breakthrough in AI, and imagine how Apple might employ device-local AI for a variety of useful features.
Episode 593: California’s Pretty Nice
Mar 30, 2024
WWDC 2024 has been announced. Are we planning to go even if we don’t get a ticket, just like the old days? Daniel and Manton discuss our waning love for Apple, while still appreciating so much that Apple does. Manton speculates about whether we are at “peak Apple” or not. Is Apple ripe to be surprised by an upset competitor?
Apple is sued by the United States. Do companies like Apple get a heads-up from suing parties like the Department of Justice, and how would we react if we were the targets of lawsuits like these, or the changes from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act? Daniel and Manton discuss the lawsuit. Then in the second half of the show, rumors about Apple licensing AI from a company like Google. What are the benefits to Apple of treating large-scale AI as a commodity service that they don’t need to focus on? Considering the various scales of technologies at which companies like Apple, OpenAI, and others work.
Manton and Daniel talk a teensy bit more about the EU’s Digital Market’s Act, and Apple’s recent decision to offer web-based sideloading to certain developers. They talk about whether Manton would open an EU subsidiary if given the chance, and whether simply plunging in and doing something is the best way to find out what it’s worth.
Daniel and Manton talk about Apple reinstating Epic’s developer account for the EU, and then banning it again. They compare it with Apple’s recent public reaction to Spotify and the EU’s $2B fine against the company. They wonder if Apple has become fixated on this as a fight of passion, to their detriment. Finally, a wish for Apple to put somebody new in charge of the App Store to help to fulfill its mission.
Apple cancels their electric car project. Daniel and Manton discuss whether Apple should focus on what they do best: personal consumer electronics. Then they analyze Tim Cook’s claim that Apple will “break new ground” on generative AI this year, and how Apple’s emphasis on controlling the user experience and protecting their public image might affect what AI projects they work on.
Episode 588: It’s Better Than Last Year
Feb 23, 2024
Daniel and Manton talk about Micro.blog new notes feature the companion iOS app Strata. They talk about sweetening the deal of Micro.blog with new features. Then they wrap up with how Daniel’s Black Ink release for iOS is going, and his choice to charge $99 for a lifetime unlock.
Manton and Daniel talk about Daniel’s looming deadline for deciding whether or not to return his Apple Vision Pro. They speculate about whether a lot of people are returning them, and if so, is that worrying to Apple? What will the resale value of an Apple Vision Pro be in a year’s time? Finally, Daniel talks about showing the device to his kids, and shares his frustrations with the device’s lack of multi-user features.
Episode 586: A Little Bit of the Future
Feb 10, 2024
Daniel and Manton talk about their experiences so far with the Apple Vision Pro. They question whether it’s safe to wear “all day” and whether it might damage your eyes. They talk about the various means of justifying the purchase, while Daniel argues that “experiencing a taste of the future” is worth more than money. Finally, they contemplate the future of Apple Vision and whether Apple will release updates annually or less frequently.
Daniel and Manton follow up on Core Technology Fee and how it affects marketplaces and small developers. Then, they celebrate Black Ink for iOS finally shipping, weighing the benefits of 7-day vs. 30-day trials. Finally, they discuss their purchase plans for the Vision Pro and Rabbit R1 devices, and what they expect from the cutting edge hardware. Is it okay to hide technology purchases from your kids?
Daniel and Manton talk about Apple’s announced App Store changes to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. They discuss who can take advantage of the new rules, how they impact users and developers, and the limitations of new features both geographically and in terms of the financial status of a developer’s company.
Manton and Daniel talk about Apple’s latest workaround for lawsuits demanding they support “outside sales” on the iPhone. They talk about what Apple’s balance of priorities with money-making vs. world-changing should be, and whether they are on the right track. Finally, they ask whether Apple is destined to gradually lose its soul over time, and they issue a challenge to current Apple employees to turn things around.
Daniel and Manton talk about two hardware AI-focused products: Rabbit and Humane’s Ai Pin. They compare the features, the prices, and question whether the premise from each company is true: do people really hate their phones? Daniel argues that Apple Watch is the form factor that these devices should be pursuing, and they both reflect on how the phenomenal growth of AI in the tech industry is expanding out of software and into AI.
For our first show of 2024, we talk about new year ambitions and achievements. Manton’s Indie Microblogging book is almost done. Daniel reads the book Atomic Habits and thinks about the scaffolding for changing a lifestyle.
For the last episode of the year, Daniel and Manton discuss the latest tech news including Apple stopping sales of new Apple Watch over a potential patent violation, and Adobe and Figma calling off the acquisition. Then Daniel and Manton look toward 2024 and what they might be working on.
Manton and Daniel react to AI announcements from Google and Apple, and speculate that AI could be the technological weakness empowering other companies to challenge Apple’s dominance. They talk about a new service from Beeper that allows Android users to connect directly to the iMessage network, and how likely they are to be stopped by Apple. Finally, they discuss the ethical implications of a company like Beeper “hitching a ride” on another company’s infrastructure without their permission.
Daniel and Manton talk about the MarsEdit 5.1 release and some things that affected it, such as the range of Mastodon instances and forks with different behaviors. They talk about the increasing sentiment towards locking down access to data on the web, in Mastodon specifically and more generally the public’s reaction to AI bots. How will AI empower data collectors to “imitate” styles of other expressions, and how does using copyrighted visual art to train AI differ from using copyrighted binary code to train code? Daniel answers why MarsEdit 5.1 isn’t called 6.0, plus some closing thoughts about the waning viability of one-time purchases for desktop software.
All about the last week of OpenAI news: Sam Altman’s firing, board upheaval, Microsoft’s influence on the future of the company, and Sam Altman returning as CEO. Daniel and Manton then talk about the merits of OpenAI fulfilling their original nonprofit goals vs. pursuing commercial goals, and where all the activity around AI leaves Apple.
Daniel talks to Manton about his road trip, how he got Covid, and had to rush home. They react to the leak of an internal Tumblr memo, and Matt Mullenweg’s subsequent public statements about it, evaluate Tumblr’s current status and prognosis for the future, and why the heck Tumblr posts don’t have dates.
Manton and Daniel react to Apple’s M3 Mac announcement. They have different feelings about the quality of the presentation, but agree on the substance of what was presented. They talk about resisting the urge to upgrade when Macs are increasingly holding their utility for many years. Manton observes that Apple actually talked about “AI” by name, and they both talk about Apple’s relative obliviousness when it comes to AI. Finally, they hint at Manton’s forthcoming road trip, combining work and pleasure.
Episode 574: Curating All The Answers
Oct 27, 2023
Daniel and Manton talk about The Verge article on POSSE, which mentions Micro.blog and includes quotes from Manton. They discuss the value of speaking to press to get your message out, and the increasing appeal of cross-posting to multiple social networks. Then they wrap up with testing SupportAgent.ai and the trend of personal automation tools — using computer assistance to create products that are more humane than they might have been otherwise.
Manton and Daniel talk more about the on-by-default Video Reactions feature, now that it’s been deployed to the masses. They acknowledge the risks of injecting emotional language and imagery into arbitrary digital contexts, and think about how Apple might have introduced the feature differently. Finally, they consider Twitter/X’s new $1/year subscription approach, which might not be the craziest idea they’ve ever heard.
Daniel and Manton talk about WordPress.com introducing ActivityPub integration, how it effects Micro.blog, and the ability of Automattic to leverage work of plugin developers on WordPress.com, but not for Tumblr. Then they wrap up with an AI discussion of Humane’s Ai Pin and how it might be related to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s investment in the company.
Episode 571: An Old Dog With Old Tricks
Oct 06, 2023
Daniel and Manton discuss Apple’s latest round of in-person and online “Apple Experts” events, the Apple Vision Pro sessions and whether the NDAs allude to anything exciting, and Daniel’s shoulder injury and worrying about getting older and being stuck in our ways as the technological world changes.
Daniel and Manton Follow-up on whether they ordered any new phones or watches. They talk about resisting the temptation to buy things because they are “shiny and new”. Entropy and the incentive companies do or don’t have to make financial arrangements “simple”. Finally they talk about the risks and rewards of upgrading to macOS Sonoma and Xcode 15.
Episode 569: We Have Enough White Cables
Sep 14, 2023
Manton and Daniel respond to Apple’s latest special event. They celebrate Tim Cook’s relatively good acting, and perhaps being … funny for the first time? The march of USB-C progress, and how iPhone 15 brings us one step closer to the elimination of Lightning ports. Finally they reflect on the forthcoming release of macOS 14 “Sonoma” and the funny way a new feature injected itself into Daniel’s life.