Basic AF: a (mostly) tech podcast

We sit down with writer and user researcher Leah Reich to explore the complex relationship between technology and the humans who use it. Leah shares insights from her newsletter and writing career before diving into the evolving landscape of user research in tech companies, including her time at Slack, Spotify, and Meta/Instagram.

We discuss the delicate balance between serving user needs and business goals, and examine the concerning industry shift away from comprehensive user research. Leah offers her personal perspective on the Apple Watch experience and we explore the broader implications of gamification in our digital lives—questioning whether turning everything into a game truly serves our wellbeing.

Links from the show:

• Friction is Necessary Resistance
• We Don’t Need No Innovation
• Ungamify Your Brain
• Leah Reich | Meets Most

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

In this episode:

• Apple announces WWDC will be June 9-13
• Jeff is experimenting with Gentler Streak and having a bit of nostalgia with Notebook Artillery
• A subtle AirPods Pro experience
• The boys continue to argue over AI
• Ethan Mollick highlights study that finds legit benefits of AI at work

Links from the show:

• Mac - Lumon Terminal Pro
• ‘Severance’ editor was all-in on Apple hardware, but not Final Cut Pro
• ‎Workout Tracker Gentler Streak
• ‎Notebook Artillery
• ChatGPT Starts Blocking Studio Ghibli-Style Images After Trend Goes Viral
• The Cybernetic Teammate
• Artificial Intelligence Systems and Copyright
• The Tech Fantasy That Powers A.I. Is Running on Fumes

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

Apple has updated the iPad Air, iPad, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio. The new Apple Immersive Metallica experience is phenomenal; is it a turning point for Apple's immersive content? And what in the world is going on at Apple with Siri? 

Links from the show:

iPad Air

iPad

MacBook Air

Mac Studio

Apple Immersive Metallica

Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino

Apple’s (AAPL) Siri Chief Calls AI Delays Ugly and Embarrassing, Promises Fixes

AI search engines cite incorrect sources at an alarming 60% rate, study says

AI’s Real Hallucination Problem

An AI Coding Assistant Refused to Write Code—and Suggested the User Learn to Do It Himself

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

There’s a new iPhone 16 family member, new betas, a new Apple News+ feature, and Jeff has a new thing going in Apple Notes using the Forever*Notes framework. 

Links from the show:

iPhone 16e

Apple News+ Food

Brace yourself for Deep Water Solo. The next episode of Adventure.

Highland Pro

Forever*Notes

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

Jeff and Tom are joined by Bill McLean for a great discussion on third-party calendar app subscriptions, extending the capabilities of Apple Notes with Forever Notes, and a round-up of AI tools that Bill uses.

Where to find more from Bill McLean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillMcLean

Web: https://www.williambmclean.com

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@williambmclean

Links from the show:

About migrating Apple Account purchases between accounts - Apple Support

Fantastical

Morgen - Daily planning in your calendars

Structured app

Forever Notes - A free framework for Apple Notes

Apple’s Long-Promised AI Overhaul for Siri Runs Into Bugs, Possible Delays

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

There's not a lot of tech in this one, but there's a ton of nerdy goodness as Jeff and Tom are joined by the fabulous cast of the Dungeons in the Attic podcast!

Where to find Dungeons in the Attic:

Website

Podcast

Instagram

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

The boys are joined by Benjamin Jancewicz and Joe Moyer for a fun discussion on Apple TV+.

Looking for something to watch? Benjamin, Joe, and Jeff have plenty of recommendations. In fact, so many they wouldn't fit here, so we've posted them on our website: https://www.basicafshow.com/apple-tv-with-benjamin-jancewicz-and-joe-moyer/

Where to find Benjamin:
BenJancewicz.com (icons on bottom list all socials)
Art: Art.Zerflin.com
Design: Zerflin.com
Patreon: Patreon.com/BenJancewicz

Where to find Joe:
Threads - https://www.threads.net/@thejournalingguide
The Journaling Guide - https://www.24letters.net/thejournalingguide
24Letters - https://www.24letters.net

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

In this episode of Basic AF, hosts Tom Anderson and Jeff Battersby welcome back guest Adam Jones to discuss the latest features of Apple Intelligence. 

Topics include:

• Privacy Concerns

• Integration of ChatGPT

• Evolving Role of Siri

• Genmojis

• Image Playground

• Summaries in Messages and Mail

• Audio Recording and Transcription in Notes

• Visual Intelligence Features of iPhone 16 Series

• Overall Impressions and Grades of Apple’s Intelligence Features

More from Adam Jones:
https://www.skyboundeducation.com/
Adam Jones Website
Adam Jones Guest Page

Links from the Show:
Is your iPhone sharing photos data with Apple by default?

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

In this special holiday episode of Basic AF, Jeff Battersby and Tom Anderson share their favorite picks from 2024, blending tech, books, music, and apps. The duo kicks off with lighthearted banter about recording struggles, holiday vibes, and their signature cranky humor before diving into their curated favorites.

Jeff highlights the Beetle X31 SSD, a sleek and reliable portable storage device, and shares his literary recommendations, including If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and James by Percival Everett, each rich with thematic connections to classic literature. Tom, on the other hand, spotlights Craft 3, an app redefining productivity with database-like collections, the excellent Capital Centre: A Retrospective, and the Anker USB-C Charger, offering versatile charging solutions for multiple devices.

The episode also explores cultural gems like The Mars Volta’s self-titled album, the whimsical Festivitas app, which decks out the Mac menu bar and dock with festive holiday lights, and more!

Links:
Beetle X31 SSD https://ssd.skhynix.com/beetle_x31/

If We Were Villains: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/If-We-Were-Villains-Novel/

Demon Copperhead https://amzn.to/4iuPP2P

James https://amzn.to/3VtSuA2

The Mars Volta https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-mars-volta/1636983430

Craft 3 https://www.craft.do/v3

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

In our 50th episode, Chris Freitag returns to explore the world of iPhone 16 Pro photography. We discuss the new Camera Control features and usability in real-world scenarios, and how Apple’s new Photographic Styles tools can elevate your mobile photography. The conversation also covers the latest December OS updates, Apple’s acquisition of Pixelmator and its impact on creative workflows, and a closer look at Chris’s favorite gear and techniques for capturing stunning shots.

Links from the show:

A new home for Pixelmator: https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2024/11/01/a-new-home-for-pixelmator.html

iPhone 17 'Air' Expected to Be ~2mm Thinner Than iPhone 16 Pro:  https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/06/iphone-17-air-2mm-thinner/

Chris Freitag - iPhone 16 Pro from a Fujifilm Perspective:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyCGkREK1BE

Chris's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisFreitag

Other Places to Find Chris:

Website: https://chrisfreitag.com

Glass: https://glass.photo/freitag

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@chrisfreitag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisfreitag/

Mastodon: https://photog.social/@freitag

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at [email protected]
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.