Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s recent blog posts about allegations that OpenAI stole Scarlett Johansson’s voice. They talk about the difficulty of arguing on facts when emotions run high, and how people on the internet might jump into any debate if it puts an “enemy” in a less horrible light. They talk specifically about whether Scarlett Johansson has a legal case against OpenAI, and about the importance of using facts when debating issues you care about and not resorting to exaggerations or falsehoods. Finally, they ask how we as technologists can lean into AI while maintaining human emotion and engagement.
Micro Camp 2024 is today! Daniel and Manton talk about Micro.blog’s online event, Jean MacDonald leaving the company, and expensive top-level domain names. Then they review the announcements this week from OpenAI and Google, and what all the AI news may mean for Apple, Siri, and WWDC 2024.
Daniel and Manton talk about Apple’s latest event and the release of new iPads, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard. They wonder whether iPad will ever be able to run Mac apps? They react to Apple’s new “Crush!” ad, and wonder whether they will pull it and/or apologize (spoiler: they did!). Finally, they talk about Mastodon’s new US non-profit, and Jack Dorsey leaving the board of Bluesky.
Daniel and Manton react to Apple’s further tweaks to the Core Technology Fee for the App Store in the EU. They discuss Micro.blog’s new photo features that use generative AI, giving users the option to disable AI features, and more extremist anti-AI beliefs.
Manton discusses Micro.blog downtime and issues with his database servers. How attentive to phone calls should you be in the middle of the night if you run a server? Daniel and Manton talk about learning from mistakes and instituting changes to prevent repeats of the same problem. Then, they debate whether it’s warranted for the United States to require ByteDance to sell TikTok. Finally, can you systematically prevent corruption of social or regular media?
Manton and Daniel check in again about their WWDC plans, and appreciate the value of meeting up with people in person. They talk about the newly announced “One More Thing” conferenced slated to take place near Apple during WWDC week. Finally they talk about the debut of the AltStore as a turning point for the openness of the App Store, and revisit the potential risks of adopting Apple’s “updated business model.”
Manton gets his first Apple Silicon Mac. They talk about the longevity of Apple devices and the particular performance attributes of Apple Silicon. They look forward to WWDC, anticipating the possibility of attending the in-person event. They are excited about the hinted big breakthrough in AI, and imagine how Apple might employ device-local AI for a variety of useful features.
WWDC 2024 has been announced. Are we planning to go even if we don’t get a ticket, just like the old days? Daniel and Manton discuss our waning love for Apple, while still appreciating so much that Apple does. Manton speculates about whether we are at “peak Apple” or not. Is Apple ripe to be surprised by an upset competitor?
Apple is sued by the United States. Do companies like Apple get a heads-up from suing parties like the Department of Justice, and how would we react if we were the targets of lawsuits like these, or the changes from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act? Daniel and Manton discuss the lawsuit. Then in the second half of the show, rumors about Apple licensing AI from a company like Google. What are the benefits to Apple of treating large-scale AI as a commodity service that they don’t need to focus on? Considering the various scales of technologies at which companies like Apple, OpenAI, and others work.
Manton and Daniel talk a teensy bit more about the EU’s Digital Market’s Act, and Apple’s recent decision to offer web-based sideloading to certain developers. They talk about whether Manton would open an EU subsidiary if given the chance, and whether simply plunging in and doing something is the best way to find out what it’s worth.
