Beeper Mini works again! They don't say what they did to outwit Apple this time except that this update "fixes an issue that caused messages not to be sent or received". It's still end-to-end encrypted and doesn't need a relay server, but it's now free because "things have been a bit chaotic and we're not comfortable subjecting paying users to this". The only change in functionality appears to be that you have to use an Apple ID for iMessage instead of a phone number - but they are working on a fix for that. God speed to everyone involved, may they be a victorious David in this fight against the Goliath that is Apple.
Gaming conference/expo E3 has been on life support for years but today, was formally announced dead. As Wired explains, "thanks to streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, companies now have the power to deliver news to consumers in-person and online simultaneously, without the need for public relation firms or journalists". I never went to E3 and doesn't hold a special place in my heart or anything, but it is sad to see a wider trend of these big expos falling by the wayside - take Apple's WWDC for example, it's a boring as hell pre-recorded cringefest I can't tolerate watching these days. We've lost a little of that human touch post-COVID.
This collection of internet artifacts is a delightful stroll down memory lane. It starts off with the 1977 map of ARPANET, Yahoo!, the first MP3, the first Amazon order, various initial websites of big brands, Homestar Runner, some classic memes/viral videos, YouTube's first upload all the way to Steve Jobs announcing the iPhone at that infamous MacWorld keynote. Honestly there probably should be a museum of the internet. Some kind of institution that collects and preserves the unique culture of the internet and catalogs it. So much of it is ephemeral and we don't know what we've lost until it's gone. I know ACMI here in Melbourne do a lot of that and I suppose that's the Internet Archive's job too, but there's very little context around the stuff in their collections to make it relevant to people that weren't around at time.
Telecom Australia Wanderer 600 (Luke David O'Rourke / Flickr)
📻 Lucky Denver Mint - Jimmy Eat World
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