Maybe you can print it out to take to your dying grandparent in hospital – those are about the only people who’d find it useful.

[…]

Just think of all the smart engineers who pissed away a good part of their time working on this instead of something useful.

I highly reccomend following Anthony on Twitter also: @decryption.

Excellent news for those missing Path Talk Places. Not only was Path Talk Places a great idea, it was a huge benefit to the deaf community also.

If you use Facebook Messenger (which no longer requires a FB account btw) I recommend this unofficial app which places a wrapper around the new messenger.com interface.

It’s one thing to have dissatisfied customers. It’s another to have dissatisfied customers with death squads. I don’t think the company is going to survive this.

In 1990 Dr Brooks co-founded iRobot, a listed company which produced an automated vacuum cleaner called Roomba as well as robots used by the US military to disarm explosives.

TIL the inventor of the Roomba is an Aussie. (No, not DJ Roomba)

I adore filling my morning with some of the best shows the podcast community has to offer, so I thought I’d share my findings to date. Why not discover something new?

1. 99% invisible: Barcodes – When’s the last time you considered the humble barcode? Based around the premise that 99% of design is invisible, this podcast celebrates the brilliant ideas around us that we take for granted every day.
2. Benjamen Walker’s theory of everything: 1984 (The year not the book) – Ben has a quirky diary monologue style show and this episode is my favourite, highly recommended introduction to what this is.
3. This is criminal: Dropping like flies – Love Crime shows? Miss Serial? (No I’m not talking about that podcast, I’m sure you already know all about that one) then this is the podcast for you. Did you know venus fly trap plants are a hot item on the black market?
4. Love + radio: Jack & Ellen – This is the most adults-only show I listen to. Always salacious, on the fringes of society and social acceptability. This episode is as dark as they come (there’s a reason they say listen with headphones on).
5. Radiolab: Colours – Science can be fascinating. Did you know some people can see a shade of yellow the rest of us cannot? And that the mantis shrimp can see colours no other animal can? Yeah.
6. The moth: Lost at sea – The Moth is a series of people telling stories from their life. You never really know what you’re going to get with this series. One day you’re laughing to yourself on the tram and the next you’re in the depths of the most tragic tale of the ages. This particular episode is an adventure like you’ve never experienced before.
7. No such thing as a fish: No such thing as a robotic Margaret Atwood – Well now, here’s something a little lighter. This is the podcast of the people behind the Stephen Fry show, QI (Note: no Stephen Fry cameos, unfortunately). I like to describe this podcast as “How to win at pub trivia”. Every episode is a collection of random facts and it proves a weekly lighthearted highlight of my week.
8. Planet money: The fastest growing, least popular airline in America – Planet Money is a weekly dissection of the economy and all things money related for complete noobs. You never knew you wanted to attend economics class, but soon you will find yourself enjoying this.
9. Slack variety pack: Episode 1 – Yes, that Slack, the app that makes you actually enjoy workplace communication, now has a podcast. It’s only just kicked off but it’s jam packed full of neat stuff and rather fun.
10. Song Exploder: Jeremy Zuckerman, The legend of Korra – Every episode a new song is exploded and the creator discusses it’s original creation. I knew hardly anything about this show before I listened to this episode, but through listening through his creative process I felt personally attached to the protagonist for who he’s scoring their story.
11. This American life: 20 acts in 60 minutes – This show is something of a cult favourite, and probably the show most people mention if they listen to podcasts at all. Here is a great introduction to the series. They don’t all move with this pace so it’s a bit of a crash course as to what they’re all about.
12. The truth: Silvia’s Blood – “Movies for your ears”, this show is like the radio plays of old. This episode is based on a short story written by cult science fiction author Philip K Dick. I want to describe it but as with most things by this author, you must experience it for yourself. It’s definitely like no story you’ve listened to before.

By the way, if you’re looking for an excellent podcast app I highly recommend Castro. I’m a huge an of it’s no-fuss UI and simple linear list of all episodes as they become available.

Ad Blockers aren’t just for nerds anymore

Via the always quality independent Australian tech news site, Reckoner.