Linked List: February 18, 2015

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Norm Macdonald on SNL’s 40th Anniversary Special ★

Great behind-the-scenes look at writing for SNL:

It was always difficult to fit in that final celebrity. We never wanted a celebrity to be dumb, although many, even within the show, thought that was the idea. The idea was for Connery to be abusive and Burt to be dismissive. Sometimes people ask me who the funnier character is, Connery or Burt.

The funniest character in Celebrity Jeopardy, by far, is Alex Trebek as played by Will. Without Will’s perfect take on Trebek, maddened by the outright hostility of Connery, the faraway uninterest of Burt, the sketch is nothing. Nothing but Rich Little nonsense. It was always the third podium that was hard to find a man to stand behind. It would inevitably only be an impression, nothing but an empty showcase. The best to do it was Hanks, playing dumb Hanks. Hanks always got it. And Alec too.

Coughing Up a Hairball ★

Tim Higgins, writing for Bloomberg:

Dan Akerson, retired chief executive officer of General Motors Co., said Apple Inc. should steer clear of the business of making cars, though a push into automobile electronics would be a better move for the iPhone maker. […]

“I think somebody is kind of trying to cough up a hairball here,” Akerson said in a telephone interview. “If I were an Apple shareholder, I wouldn’t be very happy. I would be highly suspect of the long-term prospect of getting into a low-margin, heavy-manufacturing” business.

The car industry, with regulatory and safety requirements, is harder than people realize, Akerson said.

We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent car. Phone guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.

Chris Breen Leaves Macworld to Join Apple ★

Leaving Macworld? Not surprising.

Joining Apple? Surprising. Maybe it shouldn’t be, though.

‘Designed by Comcast in Philadelphia’ ★

I wouldn’t roll my eyes so hard if the remote didn’t look so much like all of Comcast’s other crappy remotes.

What’s Up With Apple Watch Edition’s Digital Crown? ★

Dan Moren raises a question I’ve wondered about ever since Apple Watch was unveiled: Apple’s photos of the Edition models’s digital crowns shows them color-coordinated with their straps — red strap, red center on the digital crown; white strap, white band; etc. But then how does that jibe with the idea of easily-swappable straps?

The Price of Gold: $1,200 Per Ounce ★

Every time I write about the gold Edition models of Apple Watch being priced at $5,000 to $10,000, I get flooded with emails telling me I’m off my rocker. Here’s the thing. Gold has cost well over $1,000 per ounce for the last several years. Right after the 2008 recession it shot up close to $2,000 per ounce. Apple has stated that the Edition models of Apple Watch are not gold-plated — they’re solid 18K gold. The cost of the gold alone will be several thousand dollars.

I don’t know what it’s going to cost. But if you think it’s going to cost $1,000 or less, you’re the one who’s off your rocker.