2023 Tedium Highlight by Ernie Smith: A new fan replacement for laptops shouldn’t just go to new machines. 

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Ernie Smith’s 2023 Highlights

January 2023

Not Least

The final issue of MidRange, an experiment in brevity that turned into a two-year project. I will miss my morning keyboard rants.

The Best of MidRange

A few of the many issues that MidRange has featured over the past two years. Not every issue was perfection, but these 10 were pretty good.

Does Rhythm Have Limits?

As MidRange winds down this week, I take a look back at an early thesis of mine—that building a strong rhythm is is the secret to creative work.

Fanning the Future

A new type of cooling device for laptops and small computers could help make noisy fans obsolete—but one hopes it does so in old machines too, not just the latest and greatest.

Build in Public

I’m not really the kind of person who wants to hide what he’s creating, so let’s just show it off. I’m laying out my cards for my future plans for for MidRange’s replacement in this post.

Post-Virality

My next project is going to focus on what I call a “post-viral” form of social media. As I build, I’d like to explain what that is real quick. It matters.

Out of Touch

Apple apparently is thinking about throwing out a stance so sacred it arguably led them in the wrong direction with their laptops for about half a decade. The Macs may finally get touch.

Old Metrics in the New Society

Measuring fediverse-style social networks like Mastodon based on traditional metrics like daily active users doesn’t make sense because maximizing user counts is not the goal. Building a sustainable network is.

No Mo Noma

The Danish fine-dining institution is closing its doors at the end of next year in favor of a less aggressive business model. The model has some serious labor problems that have emerged in recent years.

MagSafe Standard

Apple wins unexpected goodwill after handing its MagSafe technology for mobile devices to the operators of the Qi wireless charging standard. It’s an excellent template for Apple to innovate while avoiding regulatory scrutiny.

Lifetime Half-Life

A popular video application gains a whiff of scandal after ending a “free lifetime updates” policy midstream—and it’s not the only example of a lifetime license falling by the wayside over time.

Senioritis

MidRange is ending. I’m graduating from this newsletter. But not for another month. I think announcing its death early might just be the kick in the pants it needs as a creative project.

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