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Bob Carlson

With the ethersquirrels.

Why Gen Z Keeps Reaching for the Analog Stuff

Why Gen Z Keeps Reaching for the Analog Stuff

I keep coming back to a conversation I had last month with my niece, who's squarely in the Gen Z camp. She was showing me her new setup – a turntable spinning actual vinyl next to her laptop, a drawer full of film rolls for her old Pentax, even

Nuwa's Quiet Robot Is Trying to Make Livestock Farming Less of a Guessing Game

Nuwa's Quiet Robot Is Trying to Make Livestock Farming Less of a Guessing Game

I was scrolling through some early-morning tech alerts the other day when a press release caught my eye. Not because of flashy robot arms or self-driving tractors, but because it quietly admitted something obvious: one of the dirtiest, most labor-heavy corners of farming still runs on tired backs and guesswork.

Why Gen Z Is Bringing Back the iPod

Why Gen Z Is Bringing Back the iPod

I remember picking up my first iPod back in the early 2000s, that Classic with the click wheel that felt like it could survive anything. It was just for music, no distractions, no glowing notifications pulling you away from the track you were on. Lately I've been noticing

That X-76 Designation Caught My Eye the Other Morning

That X-76 Designation Caught My Eye the Other Morning

I was scrolling through some fresh DARPA announcements the other morning when the X-76 designation popped up, and it immediately pulled me back to those old conversations about what vertical lift could become if it ever broke free from the speed trap. The agency, together with U.S. Special Operations

What a $599 MacBook Might Change

What a $599 MacBook Might Change

I was scrolling through my usual feeds the other morning, coffee in hand, when the news about Apple's latest laptop stopped me mid-sip. A MacBook starting at $599? That price feels more at home with Windows machines or the bright plastic Chromebooks schools give out, not an Apple

Why Some in Gen Z Are Trading Their Smartphones for Simpler Gadgets

Why Some in Gen Z Are Trading Their Smartphones for Simpler Gadgets

I was scrolling through some TikTok clips the other day when I noticed how many of them featured a chunky little Nokia flip phone snapping open with that satisfying clack. It got me thinking about a conversation I had last month with a college student who had swapped her iPhone

Apple’s Quiet Cut in China

Apple’s Quiet Cut in China

I caught the news while scanning my usual feeds last week and it made me pause. Apple quietly dropped its App Store commission in mainland China from 30 percent to 25 percent. No big courtroom drama, no multi-year regulatory siege like we’ve seen in Europe. Just an announcement on