Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 147, your guide to the best and most interesting technology and media.
The techlash has gone Hollywood
Plus, in this week’s roundup: Amazon’s new tablet, a new book on the AI industry, Star Wars racing, and more.
Testing a new and very purple Kindle, reinventing note-taking systems as Google Docs handles Markdown files, and checking out new media releases.
Highlights include a tech-related procedural, new gadgets, gaming titles, and books about the AI industry.
Reader ideas and tips remain a core part of the weekly feature, highlighting what people are watching, reading, and playing.
Noteworthy Releases
The Social Reckoning. Aaron Sorkin and Jeremy Strong join the annals of Big Tech movies with a film examining social media culture.
Noteworthy Releases
The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro. Amazon has built a high-end model featuring a luxury screen, aiming to provide a cheaper alternative to traditional premium tablets.
Noteworthy Releases
The AGI Chronicles. Kevin Roose’s book explores the AI industry, detailing how a few executives and their relationships came to determine future technology trajectories.
Noteworthy Releases
Star Wars: Galactic Racer. A high-fidelity Star Wars racing game where players pilot podracers, available via Amazon’s Luna service for Prime subscribers.
Noteworthy Releases
Cupertino. A technology-focused procedural show that explores complicated real-life legal scenarios involving tech and artificial intelligence.
The Surface Laptop Ultra. Microsoft revealed details of its premium laptop, priced at $2,600, emphasizing advanced AI capabilities and serving as a high-end Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro.
Gears of War: E-Day. An origin-story title delivering raw combat alongside deeper story and exploration elements.
Blockers. Michael Lewis tells the story of Elon Musk and government employees who attempted to navigate federal bureaucracy changes.
Mobile device usage often increases during downtime, leading many users to reorganize homescreens and test new applications.
A current mobile homescreen configuration highlights specific hardware and software preferences.
The phone in use is an iPhone 17, while newer folding models generate considerable interest.
A black wallpaper helps reduce visual clutter and screen glare when viewing devices in the dark.
Core applications include unread readers, mapping tools, note-taking apps, podcast clients, and communication software.
Specific software updates and widget configurations offer additional utility.
Weather and calendar widgets provide quick glances at schedules and hourly forecasts, though calendar app preferences frequently vary.
New additions to testing setups include Flora, a journaling app that pulls in workout and photo data, and Prism, a rapid-entry note-taking tool.
Note-taking workflows continue to evolve with customizable platforms like Capacities.
Reading setups adapt to hardware changes, such as integrating Instapaper with dedicated e-reader devices.
Personal productivity hubs can be built using custom link pages to manage daily web games and tools.
Additional media recommendations include films and television shows exploring technology futures and crime dramas.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die explores themes related to technology, artificial intelligence, and future trajectories.
Tuner presents a story about a piano tuner entangled in safecracking.
Furious delivers an intense crime drama narrative.
Footnotes provides a uniquely designed mobile journaling app focused on attaching multimedia directly to notes.
Podcast Shuffle automates playback by randomly selecting episodes from chosen shows to simplify listening.
Crowdsourced
Community recommendations highlight various tech uses, retro gaming, and single-purpose hardware.
Users discuss retro gaming longevity and upcoming platform software changes affecting older titles.
Dedicated dashboard-mounted GPS units remain popular for road trips due to their single-purpose design without ads or subscriptions.
Podcasts examining everyday appliance interfaces offer engaging deep dives into product design.
Action-adventure titles on current-generation consoles receive praise for strong storytelling and graphics.
Campy horror films provide entertaining cinema experiences.
DIY building projects incorporate modern tools, online documentation, and AI-assisted reference checks.
Retro gaming hardware like the Nintendo 3DS XL offers vast game catalogs and reparable native performance.
Interviews with former industry executives provide insight into technology developments.
Signing off
Online creator channels from international makers highlight innovative hardware projects and custom desk builds.
See you next week!
