Author: Warner Crocker

I stumble through life as a theatre director and playwright as well as a gadget geek...commenting along the way. Every day I learn something new is a good day, so I share what I find exciting, new, stupid and often worthwhile.

Twitter’s Burning Down the 3rd Party App House

Watching the silliness and seriousness of Twitter’s continuing continuance is both entertaining and distressing. The plot seems to unfold anew, but it’s actually old stories mashed up enough to make them feel new, or a least new adjacent. Pick your myth and if you’re screaming “spoiler alert” you need a little more mileage on you before you protest too much. Icarus irony abounds.

The latest chapter featuring the shutdown of API’s essentially killing off a number (but not all) of third party Twitter clients was certainly predictable. But the handling of it just feels cheap and cowardly.

Unknown

For those not in the know, Twitter decided to pull the plug on some 3rd party apps that allowed far better Twitter experiences than Twitter ever pretended to offer in the past or promises in its new future. Ok, fine. Musk owns the company, he can do what he wants with it, and he needs cash to continue pouring into the burn pit he’s created and these apps (via Twitter’s own doing) don’t bring in the ad revenue Musk needs. Make a change.

But this change was made unannounced in the middle of the night, without notice to the developers of those apps or users. And as of the writing of this blog post Twitter has still not issued any comment regarding the situation. (Apparently they are working on “comms” about it according to one report from The Information (sorry, paywalled.)

What’s saddest about this situation is embedded in the history of Twitter. In fact, many might rightly claim they define the history of Twitter if not the service itself, given that the previous ownership never did anything resembling a good job at that little essential duty. The makers of Twitterific, the iconfactory, are credited with coining the label “tweet” for every post. This history of 3rd party apps defining the Twitter experience is rich, but also fraught with turmoil. (You can read a quick but thorough summary here.) I’d also recommend iconfactory founder Craig Hockenberry’s farewell post about this.

Bottom line, everyone knew this was coming. Hoped against hope it wouldn’t. Sort of like watching what everyone knows is a bad marriage distegrate before our eyes and then it goes bust. We’re already moving into the “it will be the best thing for everybody” phase. But in an interesting way.

Given that some 3rd-party Twitter app developers are also beta-testing apps for Mastodon and newer players are also doing the same thing I personally find this wacky moment to be encouraging and possibly hopeful. Speaking selfishly, in testing some of these new apps I’m seeing the best of the familar blended with fresh new ideas in ways I haven’t seen in any category of mobile app development in quite some time. It’s actually exciting in the same way that the early days of Twitter and Twitter apps was. Out of the ashes…?

And don’t overlook the new foundation those developments are building on. Mastodon and the larger Fediverse show interesting promise as social networking backbones. Yes, there’s the potential for peril there as well. But at this point in the story the tensions seem borne out of a desire not to repeat the same mistakes.

Addendum: The Verge has a nice summary of this Musk/Twitter debacle so far. 

Update: Just prior to noon CST Twitter finally released a statement of sorts.

CleanShot 2023 01 17 at 12 19 10

Whew. Must have taken some best minds to work that up over the last 5-6 days.

Ink Diaries: The Muddle

I’m in The Muddle.

No, I’m not talking about mixing ingredients into a cocktail. I’m talking about preparing for rehearsal. Muddling typically implies confusing or mixing things up into a bit of disorder. And that’s exactly where I am in process as we’re about 5 weeks out from starting rehearsals for James Graham’s Ink at Playhouse on the Square. So, it’s time to pick up my pace on preparation. That means reading the play more times than any play should be read, making notes and typically reviewing research. It’s a bit different for this production. Because timing.

We actually began work on this production in 2020 and it has been on again/off again due to the pandemic. So a lot of the research gathering took place back in 2020. So instead of hunting and gathering I’m actually in more of a reviewing mode. Although I still keep finding new things and adding them to the muddle.

I call this phase of my preparation The Muddle because as I’m moving towards making decisions that will set us on course I still have the liberty of changing that course. I frequently do as I bounce ideas off of ideas to see what sticks. It’s a bit of muddling about because at this point almost anything is fair game and rhyme doesn’t necessarily have to follow reason. Out of disorder eventually comes order.

But it’s not all a blank slate. We’re in the design process and we’re mostly cast (still two roles to go) so some decisions are being made or have been made. But that’s actually when The Muddle gets the most intriguing. Decisions are choices and choices eliminate other choices and open up others. And when I find myself backed into a corner there’s either an undiscovered way out, or it’s time to revisit that choice.

Reading the play with certain choices in mind opens it up as it closes it down. And if you think that statement is contradictory or doesn’t make sense, welcome to The Muddle.

Bloomberg: Apple Working on Touchscreen Macs for 2025

Oh my.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has published a rumor that Apple is working on touchscreen Macs aiming at 2025. Already the socials are filling up with excitement, consternation and predictions. This rumor/news will launch a half-zillion blog posts and fill up hours of podcast time between now and whenever, if ever, Apple does this.

Apple, Inc is working on adding touch screens to its Mac computers, a move that would defy long-held company orthodoxy and embrace an approach that co-founder Steve Jobs once called “ergonomically terrible.”

Apple engineers are actively engaged in the project, indicating that the company is seriously considering producing touch-screen Macs for the first time, according to people familiar with the efforts. Still, a launch hasn’t been finalized and the plans could change.

Already those who don’t like iPads are are jumping on the doom wagon for that class of devices. There’s room for plenty of speculation on that, but if and when this comes to be I doubt very seriously we’ll see the iPad disappear. And while Gurman talks about this defying company orthodoxy I find it a little tough to swallow that Apple hasn’t had a touchscreen Mac or two floating around its design studios until now.

But I’m not going to play the prediction game on any of this. It’s time to sit back and enjoy the show regardless of what device you’re enjoying it on.

Don’t Trust This Post

I wish American liars and propagandists were more original. But perhaps when it comes to lies, propaganda and “fake news” there’s no real improving on what Goebbels said about the big lie:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

And then there’s Steve Bannon’s infamous and more contemporary marching order to “flood the zone with shit.” 

But when it comes to being able to trust, Shakespeare’s Nurse in Romeo and Juliet nailed it:”There’s no trust, No faith, no honesty in men; all perjured, All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers.”

Sddefault

Yes, this post could be just about politics, but when it comes to trust, there are not too many avenues in public life remaining when you can trust the road markings. Not when we’ve reached a point when trust apparently matters less than the ability to lie with no shame and the most shameless dissemblers seem to be the most rewarded. 

Every entity we know floods the zone: governments, the media, sports teams, financial institutions, public utilities, corporations, religious instiutions, and the list could go on and on. And the crazy thing about it: Everyone knows it. Which is terribily funny to me because it’s not like they give out awards for being good at barking bullshit to willing audiences who know that’s what you’re up to. 

I’ve often maintained that we need to stop the farce of teaching our children not to lie. That’s just another lie they find out their elders visit on them once they get out into the world. If we were honest about it (ahem) we could probably reduce some of the need for therapy bills and legal fees by teaching youngsters to be more proficient liars an early age.

I mean there’s no Blue Fairy coming to the rescue. 

 

 

 

 

Nothing New Under the Sun

Breathless. I tell ya folks are breathless and shrieking their lungs out about all the things the Republicans are doing now that they’ve organized the House of Representatives. I’m not sure why. They’ve been telling us their plans for quite some time. And lo and behold they are carrying them out. Shocker!  Evil people are doing evil things!

EdX2v7yWsAYP6kF

We’re living in an age where we can’t find a good measuring stick to gauge against, because nothing is the same as it was pre-COVID and pre-decaying orange turd. So we need to adjust our shock guages or find new ones.

But actually we don’t. This is the way the world works, has always worked and (gasp!) will continue to work. There’s always going to be gambling in here! It may be in a new world that we haven’t begun to figure out yet, but the players are still the same. It’s just less of a game at the moment. If there’s anything remotely shocking it’s that the folks controlling the game in the House aren’t pretending to play nice anymore. They’re being bold, brazen and big-footed about what they’re up to. And though I don’t like so much of what they’re doing, I have to say it’s oddly comforting.

How so comforting? Well we know exactly what’s happening and we don’t really need to look too hard to discover their aims. Yes, that takes all the fun out of the game when you know what your opponent is going to do. But it is at least more honest. Better to be stabbed in the chest then shivved in the back while your assailant is smiling at you.

The Tennessee Lookout Issues a Call to Arms

The Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors. And they’ve come up with a pretty funny Call to Arms for those who might be tired of the crap that passes for politics these days.

Here’s an excerpt:

When in the Course of foolish human events, such as Speaker of the House of Representatives elections, it becomes necessary for we the people to dissolve the political charades which have connected those silly not yet sworn in Members of Congress and to assume the powers of the Laws of Nature, then a decent respect for humankind requires that we should declare the causes which impel us to separate from the Make America Great Again tribe and instead Make America Good Again Maybe.

Go read the whole thing. It’s spot on and pretty funny. Although I still think it’s a bit on the “too nice” side of things. I’d much prefer a little more openly calling “bullshit” on these bullshitters. Enough with the “maybe.”

Hanging with the Grandson

My wife and I are lucky to be spending the weekend hanging with the grandson. He’s 16 months and quite a joy. As we describe it, it’s endless entertainment and sorely needed.

IMG 0748

Watching this wizard of a kid move through his world certainly adds perspective and depth to the goings on around us in the larger world. On the one hand there’s nothing like the pure joy and innocence of it. On the other, it spurs on the ferocious fury I feel at those who’d like nothing more than to take that away in their selfish pursuits of power and greed.

Pity the Beanbags

The old saying that “politics ain’t beanbag” has long since lost its original significance. But last night/this morning’s shit-show shenanigans in the US House of Representatives proves once again that “beanbags” have suffered too much humiliation in that age-old comparison. 

Beanbag

If you ask me we’d might be somewhat better off if we ripped down the decorum curtains that Congress critters like to hide their bribery, backstbbing and debauchery behind. I mean, let’s get real. Many of the folks who elected these “representatives” probably loved the near brawl on the house floor last night. 

The veneer we seem to crave hides the venal far more than we want to admit. 

Get Your Gordian Knot Cutters Out. The Insurrection Continues. 

Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection and we all know what that was. Well, scratch that. We still seem to disagree on what that was. My point of view is clear. It was a violent attempt to dismantle the US government by force after all the previous shenanigans failed. As would the ones that would follow it. Until now.

In my view, the current chaos in the US House of Representatives over choosing its Speaker is just an Insurrection continuation. Regardless of which shill is elected to the office it appears to me that until at least the next election one half of a branch of government will effectively rule itself ineffective and to a large degree moot. And that’s the point.

If what we’re reading about the concessions already granted and under consideration to advance the election of a Speaker are close to real then the Insurrectionists will have succeeded using parliamentary procedure in ways they couldn’t by breaking windows and brutalizing cops. That’s certainly easier and less messy and looks more legitimate. But hey, whadda ya know, the folks holding Kevin McCarthy and everyone else hostage are the same bunch that wanted to torch the place. Once an Insurrectionist, always an Insurrectionist.

Don’t get me wrong. Congress, and in this case more specifically the House, is certainly in need of some change. Yeah, that’s an understatement. But this bunch of hostage takers has tied things into such a Gordian Knot that not even Alexander the Great could cut it. Bluntly, I say again, that’s the point. Create enough chaos, gum up the works enough and you don’t have to do anything but raise your voice in outrage to raise dollars. 

Frightening AND fitting that we’re here on the eve of Jan 6.