In this rollicking 18th episode of What A Lot Of Things, Ian and Ash dive into the choppy waters of Apple's tussle with the EU over the Digital Markets Act, pondering the implications for developers and users alike. They then take a wistful trip down memory lane, discussing the persistent challenge of legacy systems and out-of-support software, with a particular focus on SQL Server. Along the way, they manage to squeeze in a cheeky debate on teleportation ethics, ponder the correct pronunciation of 'SQL', and reminisce about childhood telly frights. It's a right old mixed bag, this one - tune in for a jolly good natter about tech, nostalgia, and everything in between.

Links

• EU: Digital Markets Act
• Apple Developer: App Review Guidelines
• Daring Fireball: The EU is reaping what it sows with the DMA: Uncertainty
• FT: Apple set to be first Big Tech group to face charges under EU digital law
• Daring Fireball: Apple’s Plans for the DMA in the European Union
• Apple PR: The App Store, Spotify, and Europe’s thriving digital music market
• Spotify: Apple’s Proposed Changes Reject the Goals of the DMA
• Disney Plus on Apple Vision Pro
• The Register: Apple says if you want to ship your own iOS browser engine in EU, you need to be there (in the EU)
• CGP Grey: The Trouble with Transporters
• The Register: Nearly 20% of running Microsoft SQL Servers have passed end of support
• Hyrum's Law - An observation on Software Engineering
• Wikipedia: History of Microsoft SQL Server
• Wikipedia: Object Relational Mapping (ORM)
• Prisma Next-Generation Node.js & Typescript ORM
• Wikipedia: Year 2037 Problem (aka the Epochalypse)
• Wikipedia: Doctor Who covers the afterlife in Dark Water
• By the Power of Grayskull

In this episode of "What A Lot Of Things", Ian and Ash consider the nature of time, before diving into two main topics: AI's evolving role in our lives and the nature of creativity.

They discuss "large action models", the new Rabbit R1 device, and Apple's recent AI announcements, debating whether AI is best viewed as a feature or a standalone product before going on to challenge the common belief that some people "aren't creative," examining how past experiences shape our perceptions of our own creativity. Ian and Ash explore the importance of practicing creative skills, maintaining a growth mindset, and the challenges of creating art while still developing skills.

Links

• Thinking Digital conference
• Jennie Maizel’s Sketchbook Club
• TED: Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
• Every Child Is an Artist. The Problem Is How to Remain an Artist Once He or She Grows Up – Pablo Picasso (apologies for the obnoxious ads on this link)
• TED: Carol Dweck: The power of believing that you can improve
• Ira Glass on the gap that creators must bridge
• Quote from Douglas Adams on deadlines
• Psychology Today: The Science of Creativity
• Psychology Today: The Unromantic Truth Behind Creativity Myths
• Cory Doctorow: What Kind of Bubble is AI?
• Deepmind’s AlphaFold and their protein structure predictions for nearly all catalogued proteins known to science
• Connections game from the New York Times
• Using AutoGPT to save money
• Rabbit R1 pocket companion
• Humane AI Pin
• React (Reason & Act) AI agent paper from Google
• Glue and pizza (BBC)
• Leeds Testing Atelier

In this episode of "What A Lot Of Things", Ian and Ash celebrate their podcast's return to a regular cadence, with episodes now coming out every two weeks.

The duo cover two main topics - local democracy and the backlash against social media algorithms. On local democracy, Ian discusses his experience running for town council, the arcane rules and challenges involved, and his belief that more ordinary citizens should get involved to make local councils less political and more pragmatic.

The conversation then shifts to the pros and cons of social media algorithms. Ash and Ian examine how platforms like TikTok and YouTube quickly learn user preferences, sometimes recommending questionable content, and debate whether such algorithms ultimately benefit users or simply enable more effective advertising and "shitification". They also discuss some emerging alternatives that aim to provide more transparent, human-curated social media experiences.

Ian and Ash conclude by sharing the best way for listeners to get in touch with their thoughts and feedback. Another thought-provoking installment of "What A Lot Of Things"!

Links

• Leeds Testing Atelier
• Manifesting Agency and Days, Ian’s other podcasts.
• The famous meeting of Handsforth Parish Council at which it turns out that Jackie Weaver did in fact have the authority.
• Flatpack Democracy
• Ian’s website made for Ilkley Community Alliance
• Play Rock Paper Scissors with CGP Grey
• Wired: The Latest Online Culture War is Humans vs Algorithms
• pi.fyi, Spread Social and the Prosocial Ranking Challenge.
• Ian's Ilkley Community Alliance website (and, through the magic of Vercel, here is the version from the time of the election)
• WSJ: How TikTok's Algorithm Figures You Out (Youtube)