Connected 566: Glenn Fleishman on Tech, Books, and the Singing Italian Rabbit

Guest Expert: Glenn Fleishman

• 💡 Glenn Fleishman joins Connected to discuss his new column "Help Me Glenn" at Six Colors and his work as Executive Editor at Take Control Books.
• 📚 He shares insights into updating technical books, noting that Apple's constant software changes make this a "fractally unfolding" process.
• ✍️ Fleishman also discusses his research into 19th-century printing technology, finding a niche audience for his Kickstarter projects.

Technical Troubleshooting and Predictions

• 🎧 A discussion on the challenges of using older technology, like original iPods, as operating systems drop support for older hardware and drivers.
• 💾 The hosts debate the practicality and performance of creating massive RAID arrays from numerous USB flash drives.
• 🏠 James shares his lengthy process of replacing a failing drive in his SoftRAID array, which took over two weeks.
• 🔌 James details his recent upgrade of his home Ethernet to 2.5 Gigabit, encountering issues with older Cat 5 cables.

Apple OS Updates and Design

• 📱 James provides an update on the iOS 18 and iPadOS 17 betas, noting that while "liquid glass" UI elements can be challenging, most core functionality works.
• 🎨 He highlights a significant change in icon formats, requiring a redesign of hundreds of icons, and discusses the challenges of new window controls on iPadOS.
• 💻 The hosts discuss macOS Tahoe, noting its mild visual changes compared to iOS and the potential for inconsistencies across apps.
• 🚀 New features like scheduled shortcuts, folder actions in Shortcuts, and Spotlight improvements are praised, while the music app's UI changes and persistent bugs are criticized.

The Origin of the Singing Italian Rabbit

• 🎶 John explains the origin of the singing Italian rabbit toy, which was inspired by a singing UK elephant gifted to his co-host Rob Knight's daughter.
• 🇮🇹 He mistakenly ordered the Italian-speaking rabbit for Mike's daughter, leading to a humorous anecdote about unexpected language features in children's toys.

Pickies: Autumnal Predictions

• 🍎 The hosts engage in their annual "Pickies" segment, making predictions for the upcoming autumn season, including potential M5 Pro/Max chip releases, AirPods Pro 3, and new iPhone features.
• 🎮 Discussions touch on the possibility of Apple TV hardware updates for gaming and the ongoing debate about Apple's commitment to the gaming market.
• 🏆 Predictions also include Emmy award wins for Apple TV Plus shows and potential acquisitions related to AI.
• 🔮 James makes a bold prediction about Apple acquiring or significantly investing in Anthropic, mirroring Microsoft's investment in OpenAI.

Listener Q&A and Tech Musings

• ❓ Listeners ask about the ideal computer shape (icosahedron, snowflake, sphere) and the "most lemon" piece of tech they've used (Netgear Orbi, Ubiquiti Edge Router X).
• ⏳ The oldest regularly used tech is debated, with mentions of a 25-year-old USB sound stick and an 80s floor lamp with a smart bulb.
• ✨ The hosts express continued awe at technologies like wireless communication, the internet, and AI-powered features like face tracking and Center Stage.
• 💼 Skills developed in previous jobs, such as boolean search from legal research and deli meat cutting, are humorously discussed as transferable to their current careers.
• 🎧 The concept of being an audiophile is explored, with most hosts agreeing they are not, despite appreciating good audio quality for listeners.