Categories
On Something Technology

On Tech: Mac OS 11

For the first time in years (at least that’s what it feels like), I watched the entirety of an Apple press event, while it streamed live. I used to live and breathe for these — and that’s when they were being streamed at ridiculous late-night (or early-morning) hours in Tokyo — but have felt myself slowly caring less and less for them over the years, with the majority of what is presented feeling more like “updates” than new exciting products. But I’m currently on vacation, and so yesterday I decided to see what they were going to show at their WWDC event, and I gotta say, I enjoyed it.

First off, I think pre-recording these is the way to go now. Sure, we all know why they did it that way, but it came off better than the usual live stage show we’re now accustomed to, and gives voice to more people in the company. But what got me most excited was the peek at the aesthetic changes to the Mac OS UI (under the next upgrade, Big Sur), and it’s only today that I understand why: this is in fact a departure from Mac OS X, which has been the end-all be-all of Mac OSes for 20 years.

My first Mac, the white MacBook, which I imagine I would have gotten in 2000 (I remember it came with the beta for Mac OS X, which came out in September of that year).

Interestingly, this also made me realize that I’ve been a Mac user for 20 years now. The very first Mac I bought (a MacBook) came with the beta for Mac OS X, and so I was straddling the convergence between OS 9 and this new gooey future OS. I was always a big fan of Mac computers — I still remember drooling over the multi-page pamphlet for the original Mac back in 1984 — but alas my parents never wanted us to have one, preferring to stick with the tried and true PCs of the time (our first computer was a Commodore VIC-20, but all the PCs that followed during the 80s were Commodore PCs, from the PC-10 to the PC-40).

But yeah, a more significant OS update feels fun and fresh, a lot of the features they shared for their other OSes looked great (especially the changes to how you organize your “screens” in iOS), and I imagine my next Mac will be one that runs on Apple’s new ARM architecture.

It’s the first time in years that I’m excited about using Apple products.

Categories
Games Technology

The C64 Mini Computer

I know it’s a bit of a silly thing, but I’m lusting for this mini-version of the Commodore 64. No info yet on the price or when it’s coming out (other than “coming soon”).

Categories
Art Books Design Games Technology

Osamu Sato

I find The Art Of Computer Designing: A Black and White Approach by Osamu Sato to be pretty fascinating. Released in 1993, it’s an intriguing look at ways to produce art on computers, by someone who has created pretty trippy games (Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou, LSD: Dream Emulator). Read more about Sato and the book here, and you can download the whole thing here, courtesy of Archive.org. Via Simon Carless.

Categories
Technology Web

Innovation Japan

Innovation Japan” is an initiative launched by the Japanese government to promote innovations happening in Japan on the tech front, in the form of a slick website featuring short videos that touch on a variety of topics (cybernetics, RFID, smart maintenance, etc.)

Categories
Art Technology Web

Etsuko Ichihara

The latest episode of Toco Toco TV takes a look at media artist Etsuko Ichihara — whose work includes the mix of robotics and tradition pictured in this post. And it looks like the next episode is already heading back to the gamespace, covering game creator Kazutoshi Iida.

Categories
Art Technology

More Tokyo Interiors

The other day I mentioned Luis’s “Tokyo Interiors” prints on display in Shinjuku, and now the Electric Objects pieces are all available — looks like the device to run them is sold out at the moment though.

Categories
Art Design Technology

Inori – Prayer

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of AyaBambi, and so not only am I happy to see them in this video, but this is just an amazing example of projection mapping, to a degree I’ve never seen before. It was done using a new kind of projector called the DynaFlash *1, developed at Tokyo University’s Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory. The video itself was produced by TOKYO and WOW.

Categories
Technology

Craig Mod’s Offline Directive

I’m of course exaggerating, but this latest essay by Craig is a nice look at how he went about getting his attention back by going offline. No, it’s not rocket science, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded of stuff like this.

Categories
Games Technology TV Web

Japan’s Game Preservation Society

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There’s a fascinating short documentary streaming on NHK World right now covering the work of Japan’s Game Preservation Society. Called “Game Preservation – The Quest,” it goes through all aspects of their work, from collecting, restoring, and also sharing — and it also has great animated pixelated sequences between sections, produced by Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya (Cave Story, Kero Blaster). Part of NHK World’s Inside Lens series, it will only be available online until December 11, so watch it while you can (the web stream didn’t work for me, but I watched it through the NHK World app on Apple TV). Found via Gamasutra.

Categories
Design Events Technology

It’s a Sony

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I love my buddy Sam‘s monthly “Tokyo Thrift” column over at The Verge — in which he uncovers classic Japanese electronics — and he ends 2016 in style with a massive look at the current “It’s a Sony” exhibition at the soon-to-be-gone Sony building in Ginza (it will be replaced by a park). Take a stroll down memory lane with tons of tech that reminded me how much I used to love Sony electronics (before I turned into an Apple fanboy).