Bits (podcast) and pieces

My new Bits podcast is now four weeks old. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do! I’m feeling more in touch with the daily tech news world just by making it. I hope listeners feel the same.

Eight headlines every morning of the week in under 5 minutes.

When I look at the script at the end of each day I wonder if I should also be putting it out as a daily newsletter. Let me know if you think that could be valuable if you’re not a podcast person (or if you think both would be a handy way to get it).

After my recent chat with Ruslan Kogan for the Jetpacks podcast, I asked him separately what he thinks of the media industry today. I kind of wanted to know if he thinks there’s any viability for making a go of things. His answer was that, like any startup, the trick is to keep testing and keep pivoting until you find what the audience really wants.

That’s where Byteside is right now. From starting as just a newsletter to adding podcasts to adding a team on the website, testing what works and where the opportunities lie has been a big part of it all. And the testing will continue in earnest over the next few months.

The biggest trick is getting noticed to grow. If you do like what we’re doing here, or with the Bits podcast, or on the website, please retweet stories or share the podcasts to others you think would find them valuable. Discovery is hard. Word of mouth rules the roost.

And in the light, there’s a fantastic Australian expert running courses for parents to teach them about managing tech with kids and teens. Jocelyn Brewer is a child psychologist and a teacher, and I’ve picked her brain many times on panel discussions (she was on Q&A recently too).

Check out her course. It’s 4 x 90 minute live webinars, shame-free, evidence-based and will leave you more connected with the journey of your teens in the digital world today.

She’s offering 10% off for Byteside folks too with the code BYTE10. I’m not getting any kickback for that, I think it’s really worth the time for many parents out there. That’s just a bonus if you saw it here.

I’m always happy to boost the signal on great work I see out there. Hopefully some of what I do is worthy of a signal boost too.

Must Read

I Called Off My Wedding. The Internet Will Never Forget

Dealing with the algorithms is one thing. Dealing with the way they shove old photo memories into our faces on what can be painful anniversaries can be an even deeper cut to handle.

www.wired.com  •  Share

NFTs Were Supposed to Protect Artists. They Don't.

When we invented non-fungible tokens, we were trying to protect artists. But tech-world opportunism has struck again… Also worth noting the prices are sliding from the peak in February. The idea isn’t crazy, but bubbles are a messy way to start a new idea with any sense of sustainability.

www.theatlantic.com  •  Share

Living the Dream SMP

Our kids love this team of Minecraft YouTubers who are playing out an elaborate storyline of high stakes gaming in front of a global fandom. Think of it like Minecraft’s WWE, with over the top storyline action. This story is a great deep dive on it all.

www.theverge.com  •  Share

@Byteside

Space was meant to be humanity's dream, but billionaires have stolen it

If we get to space by leaving most of us behind, would we even truly be a interplanetary species or just a few rich arseholes in space.

www.byteside.com  •  Share

Live music in Roblox and Fortnite: virtual concerts are here to stay

Royal Blood and Lil Nas X in Roblox, Travis Scott in Fortnite - how music artists are taking over the biggest games with virtual concerts.

www.byteside.com  •  Share

D-Link COVR AX1800 review: Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking is easy now

Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking is now easy to get working nicely, and the COVR’s extra Ethernet ports on every unit are a boost over competitors.

www.byteside.com  •  Share

Sonos Roam review: the most Sonos experience yet

The Sonos Roam feels like the Sonos equivalent of an overnight sensation (thanks to 16 years of hard work). Buy one. You won’t regret it.

www.byteside.com  •  Share

Interesting

Empathy, a digital assistant aimed at bereaved families

I like the idea of AI that can assist with making funeral arrangements and other aspects of dealing with the loss of a loved one. But literally calling it ‘Empathy’ feels like it’s straight out of an episode of Black Mirror.

techcrunch.com  •  Share

Drill an AR hole through the Earth with this Google experiment, Floom

What a clever and fun augmented reality experience this is. You can do it through a Chrome browser, picking an angle to drill through the Earth from where you are standing to see an AR view on the other side. More fun toys like this please!

experiments.withgoogle.com  •  Share

Muons: 'Strong' evidence found for a new force of nature

Physicists may have just made a major breakthrough in our understanding of the Universe.

www.bbc.com  •  Share