e482 — New Hardware Day

Games At Work dot Biz

Photo by Dan Cristian Pădureț on Unsplash

Published 23 September 2024

Co-hosts Michael and Michael start things off with several Apple software updates, beginning with visionOS 2. The referenced article in the show notes below gives you the visual experience enhancements that the Apple software developers have incorporated into the update. Michael R shares his experiences with visionOS 2, and his assessment of all of the usability and functionality improvements.

Michael and Michael then turn their attention to the software updates for the AirPods Pro, which will allow these devices to act as hearing aids given the H2 chip and microphones. The co-hosts have a spirited discussion about the social norm implications of people wearing their AirPods more, and how people will interact with one another if the assumption is that the wearer is listening to their AirPods.

After several articles dealing with the challenges posed by the Starlink and other satellites in Earth orbit, Michael and Michael touch on the new version of Flappy Bird. Check out the show notes below for a hardware instantiation of Flappy Bird from e468.

Rounding out the episode with, you guessed it, a Doom game contained in a keyboard keycap and a walking coffee table, reminiscent of the strandbeest kinetic sculptures from Theo Jansen.

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These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Selected Links

Not an Apple Podcast

MacStories.net article: visionOS 2: The MacStories Review

ZDnet article: Apple says the iPhone 16 is a lot easier to repair than its predecessor. Here’s how

9 to 5 Mac article: AirPods Pro hearing aid upgrade hits stocks of major brands

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Satellites and Software

Astron.NL article: Second-Generation Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations

futurism.com article: Researchers Say They Can Detect Stealth Aircraft Using Starlink Satellites

BBC article: Musk’s satellites ‘blocking’ view of the universe

Engadget article: Flappy Bird’s creator wants you to know he’s got nothing to do with the new version

Games at Work e468: Andy’s Fun Time

Flappy Bird Arcade Game photo by Andy Piper June 2024

Doom Keycap & Walking Coffee Table

hackster.io article: Keyboard Warriors

Hackaday article: Mobile Coffee Table Uses Legs to Get Around

Michael Martine