I'm likely going to have difficulty quickly explaining this, but the creator calls it the MacPad. After trying various solutions in an attempt to make a more functional single-computer setup to support his Vision Pro, Federico Viticci finally settled on an astonishingly thoughtful combination of a headless MacBook Air, a magnetically mounted iPad Pro, and his Vision Pro headset. In docked mode, it works much like a regular MacBook Air, but when the iPad Pro is detached Federico can use it as intended or set it aside and put on his Vision Pro with the headless MacBook Air resting lightly on his lap. Mr. Viticci has posted a comprehensive blog post on his thought process and how he went about solving his problem.
Sans the typical drone-shot riddled live event video, Apple has rolled out a refresh across the MacBook Air line. The previous entry-level M1-powered model has been dropped in favor of the M2-powered 13" base model taking the $999 slot. The new 13" and 15" models now move up to the M3 and have faster Wifi 6E. One notable new feature being dubbed "Clamshell mode" is the Air can drive two external displays when the display is closed. There are more details on AppleInsider.
"A dark mystery has settled over the city of Aldastron on the rogue planet of Exlaris. Researchers dedicated to studying the cosmos have disappeared, and the Hubble Space Telescope has vanished from Earth’s timeline. Only an ambitious crew of adventurers can uncover what was lost. Are you up to the challenge?"
So begins the description for NASA's (yes, that NASA) first TTRPG module designed to be adapted for play with popular RPG systems. This seems like a really neat form of lateral thinking to get people engaged in space science through popular forms of creative stimulation, and I applaud this effort. Everything you need for the adventure is available for free on their website. GURPS Space might be a good fit... If you know, you know :)
It's Monday, so it's time for TechLinked! It's like a video form of Daily Nothing, but different stories of interest in the world of technology.
It seems that Iconfactory knows, like the rest of us, that the Internet has gone downhill and would like to help rectify that. To that end their Project Tapestry is finally going to happen now that their Kickstarter campaign is fully funded. Tapestry is an iOS app that combines what you enjoy on the internet into a single timeline. Or, as they say:
Blogs, microblogs, social networks, weather alerts, webcomics, earthquake warnings, photos, RSS feeds - it’s all out there in a million different places, and you’ve gotta cycle through countless different apps and websites to keep up.
Or, if I might encapsulate; an RSS reader for everything. So far, they've surpassed their $150k stretch goal, but there are still around 12 hours to get a reward for as little as $5. The $25 is where it's at, however, as it will grant you full access to the app once it's available, as well as some exclusive perks for backers. For more details, check out their Kickstarter page.
Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron has unveiled a laptop with what they call "Dynamic Airflow" technology. The clever design extends the rear of the device when the screen is opened, revealing more ventilation for hot components like discrete video chips. There are no confirmed laptop makers who are going to offer this tech yet, but as the old saying goes, "if you build it, they will come." There are additional images at Liliputting.com.
POSTSCRIPT: Spring has sprung and the days are getting longer. With all the sun we're about to start getting, you might want to figure out how to stay indoors for longer. One way to do that is to play video games, and I don't know many better ways to turn you on to older games that deserve some attention than to direct you to Tech Dweeb.