ReadKit 2.5

Jason Tate Feb 8, 2017

ReadKit 2.5 is a major update that introduces a new design and contains various improvements and fixes. Beside the new UI, this version also adds support for the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro. Delicious API has been too unstable lately; therefore, this service is no longer supported by ReadKit.

My favorite Mac RSS reader got a nice update.

NightStand for Apple Watch

Jason Tate Feb 7, 2017

ElevationLab’s Apple Watch dock, NightStand, is currently on sale:

Just set your watch on, from out of the corner of your eye, no careful alignment required. Locks to your bedside table so you never have to hunt for the cord. Undocking is one-handed. Solid, soft, seamless construction. Low-profile, minimal design.

I looked at a few different charging/docking methods and this is by far my favorite.

Call Blockers for iOS

Jason Tate Feb 4, 2017

Marco:

When I learned about Nomorobo from readers and saw how creepy it wasn’t, I deleted Truecaller immediately and subscribed to Nomorobo, and it works great.
A few days ago, after a 100% success rate for a couple of weeks — every spam call (and zero non-spam calls) identified before I answer — I enabled the option to send spam calls directly to voicemail.
Now, from my point of view, I just don’t get spam calls anymore.
To me, that’s $2/month very well spent.

I must have been put on some list somewhere because I’ve been getting one or two robocalls a day for the past month.1 I finally signed up for Nomorobo after hearing Marco talk about it on the latest episode of ATP and it’s been money well spent.

I love the fake “oh I was just putting my headset on” call the most.↩

Cool App: Downie

Jason Tate Feb 3, 2017

Downie:

Ever wished you could save a video from the Internet? Search no more, Downie is what you’re looking for. Easily download videos from thousands of different sites.

I’ve been playing around with this app the past couple of days to see how well it works and have come away impressed. I’ve tried a few of these in the past and they never quite work right for me — but this one has been solid so far.

After the Party (Encore Episode 142)

Jason Tate Feb 3, 2017

On this week’s episode of Encore I am joined once again by special guest Thomas Nassiff. Thomas returns for a deep dive on the new album, After the Party, by The Menzingers. We talk about the band in general, their catalog, and what they mean to us. Then we go through the album and talk about our favorite songs and how we think this album may just be something “special” for the music scene. We end with some chatter about the latest Japandroids’ release, and do a little bit of catching up as well.

Carousel Kings – “Dynamite” (Song Premiere)

Jason Tate Feb 2, 2017

Today we’ve got the premiere for the new song “Dynamite” from Carousel Kings. The track comes from the band’s upcoming album, Charm City, due out February 10th. Lead singer, David Alexander, had this to say about the song:

“Dynamite” is one of the heavy hitters from the album and definitely one of our favorites to jam live. Where most of the album has a positive outlook, this song was written as an expression of the band’s thoughts/distaste/unhappiness about the current state of affairs. The song is a call for all who hear it to look inward for the answers pertaining to how we can possibly change the world we live in.

Pre-orders packages are currently up.

Most Anticipated of 2017

Jason Tate Feb 1, 2017

2016 was a helluva year for music and 2017 is shaping up to be pretty damn good as well. The world may be falling apart around us, but at least we have a little something to look forward to. I talked about the albums I was most anticipating on a recent episode of Encore, but I wanted to reach out to some of our contributors and see what albums they were looking forward to most as well.

Read More “Most Anticipated of 2017”

Cool Safari Extension: Pied PíPer

Jason Tate Jan 31, 2017

Github:

Pied PíPer is a Safari 10 extension that will add a PiP button for Netflix, DailyMotion, Youtube, and the Plex web interface.

Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Evil

Jason Tate Jan 30, 2017

Rolling Stone:

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that stops all refugees from entering the United States for 120 days, and those fleeing the brutal war in Syria indefinitely. It also gives Christians fleeing persecution priority over Muslims, inserting a religious test into our refugee program. It bans all visas from seven countries whose populations are mostly Muslim.
This order is an act of evil.

@hannahleland and co. giving a little concert tonight. Wine and Russian music. (I’ve been making hacking jokes to anyone that will listen).

Jason Tate Jan 27, 2017 Photo Blog

It’s Gonna Be a Long Four Years Playlist

Jason Tate Jan 27, 2017

The first week in the reign of Trump has me in a bit of a mood. The guy’s a total clown and checking my Twitter feed is basically just an exercise in “what has this jackass done now?” — it’s gonna be a long four years. So, while I’ve been spending some time getting ready for the months ahead (organize, organize, organize), I’ve also been diving back into a bunch of punk albums to channel the swings of rage and anxiety. I tossed together a playlist of some of my favorites and put them up on Spotify and Apple Music to share with others.

If you’ve never been into some of the more political punk music, now’s a great time to check out what you’ve been missing. Also, feel free to hit me up with with any recommendations of other bands I should be listening to, I’m not expecting this hole to be filled anytime soon. And, lastly, please be kind to each other out there and look out for those in your community.

Obama’s Last Interview

Jason Tate Jan 26, 2017

Pod Save America sat down with Obama for his last interview as President.

‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’ Exceeds All Expectations

Jason Tate Jan 23, 2017

Polygon:

Voltron: Legendary Defender’s second season far surpasses any expectations I had for it. I was worried going in that the show would suffer from a sophomore slump, but Legendary Defender manages to capture the magic of the first season and expand the universe. In the three episodes Netflix provided to me ahead of the show’s release, there are more characters, more worlds and the backstories we got a glimpse of last season are explored more at length.

We just started the second season last night and I’m hooked again. I love this show.

Preserve, Protect, and Defend

Jason Tate Jan 23, 2017

David Remnick, writing for The New Yorker:

The reason so many people are having fever dreams and waking up with a knot in the gut is not that they are political crybabies, not that a Republican defeated a Democrat. It’s not that an undifferentiated mass of “coastal élites” is incapable of recognizing that globalization, automation, and deindustrialization have left millions of people in reduced and uncertain circumstances. It is not that they “don’t get it.” It’s that they do.
Since Election Day, Trump has managed to squander good faith and guarded hope with flagrant displays of self-indulgent tweeting, chaotic administration, willful ignorance, and ethical sludge. Setting the tone for his Presidency, he refused, or was unable, to transcend the willful ugliness of his campaign. He goes on continuing to conceal his taxes, the summary of his professional life; he refuses to isolate himself from his businesses in a way that satisfies any known ethical standard; he rants on social media about every seeming offense that catches his eye; he sets off gratuitous diplomatic brushfires everywhere from Beijing to Berlin. (Everywhere, that is, except Moscow.)