Weekender #109: 5150 and Suzume

• Birb watch: still no signs of baby mynah birbs. Maybe this week?

• It took me a while, but I was finally able to finish my blog post on converting a 5K iMac into an external display. I had fun writing it up, but man did it take a lot out of me. Writing those types of posts are time consuming.

• Anyone got $2 million to spare? If so, you might have a chance to purchase Eddie Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” guitar via an upcoming Sotheby’s auction. The guitar was built by Paul Unkert of _Kramer Guitars for Eddie. It was seen on stage and in the Hot for Teacher video.

This week’s Link List

Machine Learning

• Simon Willison says that we need to tell people that ChatGPT will lie to them, but tries to strike a balance in his blog post. He sums it up:

  These are incredibly powerful tools. They are far harder to use effectively than they first appear. Invest the effort, but approach with caution: we accidentally invented computers that can lie to us and we can’t figure out how to make them stop.

Design

• The Fictional Brands Archive is a searchable repository for fictional brands that have appeared in movies, TV shows and video games.

• I stumbled upon a deck of cards built in HTML5. I continue to be impressed by what developers are able to do with HTML5.

Blogging & Fediverse

• I appreciated reading these two blog posts that encourage folks to own their work and blog for various reasons. Both fit my ethos.

Software and hardware

• The Iconfactory released a simple app called Blank for Apple TV that turns your TV screen black and keeps it that way until you press any button on a remote. Perfect for the times where you want audio but don’t need the screen to be on. (via @chockenberry)

Miscellaneous

• I remember trying to build a fuzz pedal as a teenager and not knowing anything about using a soldering iron. Back then, I learned everything the hard way: by melting stuff by accident, burning skin, overheating components, etc. Popular Mechanics has a quick-start guide on getting started with soldering for beginners that can hopefully help you avoid all the mistakes I made.

• Andy Baio’s interesting discovery quickly morphed into disinformation. It’s funny that this seems to happen whenever shitcoin is mentioned.

• JetPens always has great reviews for all sorts of stationery stuff. Their “Best Pens for 2023” goes deep into their current picks for gel, ballpoint, rollerball, and fountain pens.

  • My current favorite pen is the Studio Neat Mark One with an Ohto Flash Dry Gel refill. I also recently picked up a Uniball Uni One P, which I carry in my pocket. I like that it’s very compact, but has some girth to it so I won’t lose it or forget that it’s in my pocket.

• If you’re traveling to Japan in the near future and are thinking about getting a Japan Rail pass, be aware that prices will be going up on October 1st.

• Pour one out for the last two remaining computer magazines in the US that just ended their print runs. It’s a shame, but I haven’t bought a magazine in many years, and the closure of bookstores hasn’t helped.

Media consumption

• Audra and I went to see the US premiere of Suzume, the latest animated film from writer and director Makoto Shinkai. This was actually our second viewing of the film, because we saw it during its initial run in Japan back in November 2022. This time around, I was able to see it with subtitles instead of watching it only in Japanese. Although I can’t speak or read any Japanese, the story was so good that I understood it even without subtitles. Highly recommended.

• I know I just wrote about them last week, but my favorite Japanese group, ATARASHII GAKKO! is back with their new EP, Ichijikikoku. The songs bring AG! back to their Japanese roots with all of the songs being written and produced in Japan, in contrast to their previous EP, 2021’s “SNACKTIME”, that was written and produced in the US. The track Otome No Bigaku could have easily been on their first two albums. Listen on Apple Music.