Doug Jones
Doug Jones

  • An juvenile barred owl perched on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves.

    An adult barred owl perched on a tree branch with green leaves in the background.

    Spotted a juvenile and adult barred owl tonight! There was a third owl that I think was another juvenile, but wasn’t able to get a photo of that one.

  • Emulators and the App Store

    Emulators Will Change the App Store Forever - Wavelengths

    The introduction of emulators offers an alternative within this ecosystem, providing games with immersive stories and gameplay systems that are designed for extended play sessions. These games, though designed for other hardware, still offer complete experiences counter to the endless treadmills of most apps found in the Games tab today which funnel users into shops loaded with in-game currencies. As the concept of emulation becomes more prevalent and ubiquitous across all mobile devices, I feel as though it can introduce a much-needed shake-up to the MTX-laden landscape we live in today.

    Like many people, I’m excited to see Delta and other video game console emulators come to the App Store. It’s been fun to get Pokémon and other classics running on my phone. These games appeal to me while most mobile games do not. So much so that I ordered my first iPhone controller grip.

    However, what’s been a sad thought is that the library of retro games is fixed and finite. There never will be a new Game Boy Advance game to get excited about. True, it’d take time to play through this whole library, even the subset that I now have loaded on my phone. But I think I’d be much more excited by a new game in the style of these classics that I was able to play on my phone, rather than games I’ve played in my past.

    I hope the Wavelengths post is right that this does prove out the interest and audience for more immersive and gameplay focused mobile games, in the spirit of these retro classics that many love.

  • Schmidt’s Sausage House, Columbus, OH.

    An old brick German restaurant facade that reads "Schmidt's Sausage House."

  • Currently reading: Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod 📚

  • The Best Photos and Videos of the 2024 Solar Eclipse - kottke.org

    Great collection of photos posted around the web. I especially love this tiny planet time lapse:

  • Just added my blogroll using the new-ish Micro.blog feature:

    Blogroll

  • Totality timelapse 🌘🌑🌒

  • A natural landscape showcasing a variety of wildflowers in bloom on rocky ground, with a pond in the background surrounded by forest under a clear blue sky.

    Beautiful wildflowers from a hike near Arabia Mountain.

  • Finished reading: Batshit Seven by Sheung-King 📚

    This one lives up to the title. I enjoyed it though.

  • Currently reading: Dune by Frank Herbert 📚

    Saw Dune 2, which I really enjoyed. Now, while caught up in the Dune universe, I want to re-read the book!

  • NASA has an interactive Eclipse Explorer page that’s worth checking out. I’m planning to travel to Delaware, Ohio to experience totality.

    Via 512 Pixels:

    I have two pieces of advice:

    1. Don’t try to photograph it unless you’re an expert. Soak it in, and then download some sick wallpapers from NASA the next day.
    2. Buy and use eclipse-ready glasses, and make sure your kids do, too.

    I’m happy to hear point 1. I was debating on if I should try to photograph it and this cements it as a no.

  • Neatnik Notes · A Fediverse, if you can keep it

    The very thing that makes the Fediverse special—the ability to seamlessly cross a platform boundary and talk with one another—relies on striving to keep things as open as possible. An open network fulfills the promise of an open internet. Open is good.

    Via Maique

  • The Apple Jonathan: A Very 1980s Concept Computer That Never Shipped (512 Pixels):

    In the middle of the 1980s, Apple found itself with several options regarding the future of its computing platforms. […] Those four machines are well known, but there was a fifth possibility in the mix, named the Jonathan.

    Images of the Jonathan prototype computer

  • A night sky with a bright moon surrounded by a halo of light, with silhouetted bare tree branches in the foreground.

  • Walked to the edge of my neighborhood today and feels like I discovered a hidden world.

    A black and white photo of a forest with leaf-covered ground, a wooden bench on the right, and trees casting shadows across a trail.

    A black and white photo of a narrow steel footbridge in a wooded area with a sign stating “NOTICE No Moto bikes Or Motorcycles.” Leaf-covered ground borders the path leading to the bridge.

    A black and white photo showing a telephone pole with many wires and a crow sitting on top.

  • Don’t Miss This Eclipse - The Atlantic

    Right now, a special cosmic arrangement is sliding into place. The moon has positioned itself on the same side of Earth as the sun. The moon has drawn closer to Earth, and its orbit is tilted just so. On April 8, our silvery satellite will pass between our star and our planet, and cast its shadow upon us.

    Via kottke.org

  • Currently reading: Batshit Seven by Sheung-King 📚

    A rare event for me these days: reading a physical book rather than the e-reader (a Kobo). Found this copy on the new release shelf and was intrigued.

  • Finished reading: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel 📚

    Enjoyable, quick, read. I liked the mix of sci-fi and mystery in this book.

  • A sunset view over a tropical beach with silhouetted palm trees against a sky with orange-tinged clouds and a calm sea in the foreground.

    A sunset view of Playa Negra, Vieques, Puerto Rico.

  • Currently reading: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel 📚