Linked List: January 21, 2015

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

The Web Back-End That Handled Kim Kardashian’s Back-End 

Remember that thing with the nude photos of Kim Kardashian in Paper magazine a few weeks ago? Ends up long-time friend of the Internet Greg Knauss is the guy who engineered their server setup to handle the influx of tens of millions of page views. Paul Ford:

Hosting that butt is an impressive feat. You can’t just put Kim Kardashian nudes on the Internet and walk away — that would be like putting up a tent in the middle of a hurricane. Your web server would melt. You need to plan.

The Return of the Remaindered Links (Sort Of) 

Jason Kottke:

Sites like Reddit, Digg, and Hacker News and services like Facebook and Twitter are so much faster than this one man band… trying to keep pace is like racing an F1 car on roller skates.

Michael Tsai’s Roundup of Commentary on Apple’s Software Quality 

This month’s debate, collected in one place. I thought I’d read it all, but there were a few interesting pieces Tsai links to here that I hadn’t seen.

Rewatching How Microsoft Sold Us on the Kinect 

Ben Kuchera, writing for Polygon:

We’re not saying the HoloLens is just smoke and mirrors, it’s just worth taking a step back and realizing that what they’re showing right now is a huge leap from any technology that has existed before. How the hardware will eventually work in our homes, and at what price, are still open questions. Also, heck, it could be smoke and mirrors.

The Difference Between Microsoft and Apple 

Dan Frommer:

There, executives showed off what seems like Microsoft’s big bet — or at least one of its many bets — on the future of computing: HoloLens, a virtual reality headset that responds to hand gestures and voice controls. It looks technically impressive, and Microsoft’s demo went about as smoothly as something like this could have. This could become a big deal someday.

But it’s hard to get over how strange someone looks using it. And it’s hard to imagine Apple doing something like this any time soon, whether or not it’s the future of computing.

Microsoft hasn’t given up on phones and tablets, not by a long shot — a big chunk of today’s event was about all the new Windows 10 features for phones and tablets. But HoloLens (and Surface Hub — a huge 84-inch 4K touchscreen) are the right idea: trying to find the next big thing.

From the DF Archive: The Type of Companies That Publish Future Concept Videos 

HoloLens is a big step in the right direction for Microsoft: an attempt to wow us with an actual product, not a concept design. I suspect it’s Microsoft’s cultural affinity for pie-in-the-sky concept videos that led them to oversell HoloLens’s graphical fidelity in their product intro video.

Microsoft HoloLens 

Impressive announcement from Microsoft today — a set of goggles that projects 3D rendered images into your field of vision. No pricing or shipping date announced, but CEO Satya Nadella claimed it would ship “in the Windows 10 timeframe”, whatever that means.

A few thoughts:

  • HoloLens is like the anti-Glass. Google proposed Glass as something you’d wear everywhere, making you look weird and creepy. HoloLens is clearly something you’ll only wear in private, while working or playing. And, by virtue of being so much bigger and more obtrusive, HoloLens is far more powerful and capable.

  • Microsoft’s two-minute product intro video is a cheat. Compare the fidelity and precision of the projected elements in the product video with the video of the actual on stage demo. Let me be clear: the actual demo is very cool, and I would love to try this out. But it’s nowhere near as cool as the downright Minority Report-quality effects they show in the product video. Under-promise and over-deliver is the way to introduce new technology.

Today’s Announcements From Microsoft: HoloLens, Surface Hub, a Smarter Cortana, Universal Apps 

Lori Grunin, writing for CNet:

Microsoft is now viewing Windows as a service, one that it wants “people to love on a daily basis,” and frames its goal as not building apps but creating “harmonizing experiences.” Touting its new open development strategy, the company’s representatives spent some time thanking the 1.7 million members of its Windows Insiders program for their feedback.

We were expecting — nay, hoping! — good news about price. And Windows 10 will be free, for some. During the first year after Windows 10 ships, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 users get a free upgrade, as will Windows Phone 8.1 users. Microsoft also claims that it won’t cut off Windows 10 support — support will last for the life of the device.

There was all sorts of pie-in-sky banana pants stuff at the end of the event, but making Windows 10 free of charge is a big deal. Post-Ballmer Microsoft is indeed a new Microsoft.

The End of Trickle-Down Technology 

Ben Thompson on how the phone market has upended conventional wisdom about how technology expands in the market:

If indeed Apple has broken through with conservatives, this has powerful implications for all kinds of companies: smartphones are the tip of the spear when it comes to the spread of technology into every part of society, and what Apple may be demonstrating is that there is real money to be made amongst late adopters if the user experience is demonstrably superior. To be sure, Apple’s powerful brand and reputation is hard to replicate, but the iPhone’s continued success offers hope that customers will pay for true differentiation, not trickle-down technology.

The Onion: ‘Unsold Google Glass Units to Be Donated to Assholes in Africa’ 

The Onion:

“We are committed to positively impacting the lives of poverty-stricken smug pricks by distributing the surplus inventory of Google Glass to self-important fucks throughout sub-Saharan Africa,” a statement released by the company read in part, adding that the program will provide the optical head-mounted technology, as well as professional training sessions, to destitute communities of conceited dicks from Sierra Leone, to Somalia, to Botswana.