There is at least one thing better in Android development than iOS: Google Play Console is much more usable than iTunes Connect.
American Airlines Boeing 737 Deicing
The Subor D99 Console Controller
The Subor D99 console controller in less saturated color.
∞ Apple No Longer Takes a 30% Cut For P2P Tipping
The company has meanwhile softened its tipping policy, allowing person-to-person financial gifts that bypass the App Store's in-app purchase system. Apple normally claims a 30 percent cut from in-app transactions, and indeed the new rules say that app creators can't claim any money from gifts either. The changes are presumably a reaction to the popularity of tipping in Chinese apps, which resulted in a brief crackdown earlier this year, followed by a half-step measure in which tips were possible as in-app purchases.
Note that developers can't take any cut either. This feels like a negotiation result between Apple and Tencent.
∞ Pick a Fight (on Twitter)
Really enjoyed this episode of Rework. @DHH is inspiring me to sharing more on Twitter. Combined with iA Writer's advice on how to get started with writing, I think the perfect first step is to write more with 140 characters on Twitter.
I have tried to treat here as a micro blog-ish site and been telling myself don't bother the length, quantity, and quality of the content. But even that scares me away. Twitter doesn't. It's a perfect platform to shout out your thoughts at the moment.
∞ Writing is Our Best Tool to Ease the Pain of Thinking
iA Writer on how to get started with writing:
In the meantime, thinking is the best bet to understand what is happening inside us. Writing is our best tool to ease the pain of thinking. Writing still hurts, but it hurts less than thinking. It’s math with words. If you write for five minutes every day, you think for five minutes. This is how you get started. If you write for people you care about, think about them, for them, with them, tell them how you feel—you’ll see that 30 minutes pass in the blink of an eye. And, who knows, maybe, if you write for people you care about, truly, one day, maybe, suddenly, people you don’t know will listen.
This is the best piece I have ever read to explain why we need to write more.
One Nice Thing About Saved Places in Google Maps
One nice thing about saved places in Google Maps: I can see where my footprints are on the Hawai'i islands!
∞ Apple Accepts WeChat Pay In App Store
Apple Inc. has accepted Wechat Pay for payments made in its App Store and music platform, after it accepted Alibaba’s Alipay as a mobile payment option for purchases conducted within its ecosystem. The action will likely drive up Apple’s revenue in China from in-store and music spending, as the U.S. tech giant continues to adjust its strategies for a fast-moving Chinese market.
"We are glad to offer users in mainland China the option of WeChat Pay for their favorite mobile app or Apple Music products. We continue to be dedicated to provide multiple simple and convenient payment methods for customers within the Apple ecosystem," Apple said in an official statement today.
Alaska Airlines Chasing Solar Eclipses
This is becoming Alaska Airlines' great tradition! See their 2016 video too.
AirDrop in the Air, Literally
Update: I don't think this is real, he must have AirDropped to a phone nearby.
AirDrop actually works for a longer distance than I thought:
747-8 Captain shared pics with Singapore Airlines 777 pilots midair... ✈️ pic.twitter.com/6YeRVjS0HT
— Airplane Pictures ✈ (@iLove_Aviation) August 4, 2017