Posts tagged with "First Last Everything"

Podcast Rewind: Steam Controllers on a Boat, Life with the MacBook Neo, North Carolina BBQ, and an Interview with Nate Parrott

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, we draw from Federico’s experience creating the Apple Frames 4 shortcut and CLI to discuss the multiplier effect that AI agents can have in the hands of someone with deep domain expertise.

On AppStories+, we share our AI agent mishaps and horror stories along with additional details on a John’s ongoing HomeKit makeover project.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, TrimUI’s slow drip of details on the Brick Pro continues, shipping manifests suggest the Steam Controller may beat the Steam Machine to market, and OnePlus makes a strong bid for weirdest handheld announcement of 2026.

Then on NPC XL, Federico reports on his trip to Romics and the trading card takeover of Italian comic-cons, plus how not to sell a “pristine” Nintendo DS.

First, Last, Everything

Jonathan is joined by Nate Parrott, a designer and coder known for his work as a founding designer at The Browser Company, working on Arc. He also creates playful software and apps that blend utility with whimsy.

Comfort Zone

Chris and Matt are on their own this week and do a deeper dive into the MacBook Neo after a month using it. Do they still love it? Hate it? Probably somewhere in the middle, huh?

On Cozy Zone, the gang tier lists macOS default wallpapers, and you just know someone’s going to have some very wrong opinions.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John schools Federico on the differences between Eastern and Western North Carolina BBQ before they both share several TV show and album picks for the weekend.

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Podcast Rewind: Everything Apps, the RG Rotate, Pet Tech, TV Heists, and an Interview with Simon Pittman

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, we return to a topic that’s an old favorite: the Everything App in honor of OpenAI’s announcement that they are building a Super App.

On AppStories+, Federico consolidates the tools and services he uses.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, the SN Operator is delayed, an Ayn Odin non-drama, a new contender for weirdest handheld of 2026, even more on the RG Rotate, and how we find retro game shops.

On NPC XL, John and Brendon revisit the Ayn Thor six months later to check on how it’s going.

First, Last, Everything

Jonathan is joined by Simon Pittman, the tech and productivity creator behind ‘Better Creating’, known for teaching practical systems, thoughtful workflows, and how best to use tools like Notion and AI.

Comfort Zone

Matt has a new writing app, Niléane is becoming a true audiophile, and everyone tries to find Chris the best pet tech for his soon-to-be new puppy.

On Cozy Zone, the gang tier lists macOS default wallpapers, and you just know someone’s going to have some very wrong opinions.

MacStories Unwind

This week, pets, pints, Hue smart plugs, and a heist TV show.

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Podcast Rewind: Text Editors, the Pocket Taco, Photo Backups, an Apple Frames Preview, and an Interview with Evan Ratliff

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, John and Federico revisit the state of text editors on Apple platforms and how they use them.

On AppStories+, John and Federico dig deeper into their writing workflows and the apps they’re using to write.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon reports back on the hardware he saw at PAX East, John gives the Pocket Taco a try, and with Federico, they cover the latest handheld news.

On NPC XL, Federico shows off the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3, and Brendon shares the SuperStation One.

First, Last, Everything

Jonathan is joined by Evan Ratliff, an award-winning investigative journalist, bestselling author, and podcast host, known for his reporting on technology, crime, and online identity.

Comfort Zone

Chris has some new headphones, Matt wants to talk about why development is still complex in the AI age, and everyone tries to find the most clever way to back up their photos.

On Cozy Zone, the game roasts each other’s ten-year-old Home Screens.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico has a sneak peak at a big update to his Apple Frames shortcut, and both he and John share a couple of their favorite Apple TV shows.

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Podcast Rewind: Apple’s AI Future, the Legion Go’s Return, Niléane’s App, and an Interview with MacSparky

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John draw from their experiences using AI agents to imagine the sort of agent Apple could build with tight hardware and software integration if it had a LLM to orchestrate the pieces already in place.

On AppStories+, John asks where artificial intelligence falls on the spectrum of historical technology milestones.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, a PlayStation Portable update, Honda and Sony call off car-based gaming, Epilogue shows of the SN Operator and makes an app, the fate of Windows handhelds, Federico’s Legion Go makes a comeback, and more.

On NPC XL, Federico finally received his OhSnap MCON controller, John has the Genki Convert Dock 3, and a conversation about how to make handheld gaming accessible to a broader audience.

First, Last, Everything

Jonathan is joined by David Sparks, productivity writer, podcaster, and creator behind MacSparky, best known for the Mac Power Users podcast and his Field Guides, on getting the most from Apple devices and apps.

Comfort Zone

Niléane built an awesome Mac app, Chris bought a new monitor (but it’s not what you thiiiiink), and Matt grills the group on what they’d install if they could only install three new apps on their Macs.

On Cozy Zone, the gang has to guess what Matt subscribes to on YouTube by just the thumbnails.

MacStories Unwind

This week, space exploration, workflow shakeups, a buddy movie, and more.

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Podcast Rewind: AI Fragmentation, Joy-Con Alternatives, Pitching Vivaldi, and an Interview with Riley Testut

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John look at the confusing array of tools and naming conventions used by Anthropic and OpenAI.

On AppStories+, John explains how he automated two unautomatable Mac apps.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, the confusing state of Switch 2 Joy-Con replacements, more on emulating PC games on Android, and we place our bets on the future of Valve’s Steam Machine.

This week on NPC XL, we follow up on last week’s discussion of the death of Xbox with its reincarnation as Project Helix.

First, Last, Everything

Jonathan is joined by Riley Testut, an iOS developer best known for building the Delta game emulator and AltStore, expanding how apps can be distributed and enjoyed outside of Apple’s App Store.

Comfort Zone

A budget laptop is the hot tech product of 2026, and the whole gang has thoughts. Then, everyone evangelizes Vivaldi with varying levels of success.

On Cozy Zone, Chris and Matt teach Niléane the real rules of the road right before her driver’s test. They’re pretty sure it was a lot of help.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John argues that it’s time to bring Xcode to the iPad and iPhone before he and Federico share a hardware and TV pick for the weekend. Plus, a quirky movie pick for your weekend unwind.

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Podcast Rewind: Federico’s MacBook Neo, the Sony PC Withdrawal, iPod Touch Nostalgia, Complimenting Password Managers, and More

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John discuss Apple’s latest hardware announcements.

Then on AppStories+, Federico explains Notion Agents and Workers and how he’s using them.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, more bad memory and storage news, followed by a conversation about Bloomberg’s report that Sony is withdrawing from the PC gaming market and a wild Lenovo handheld.

Then on NPC XL, John asks the question: did handhelds kill the Xbox?

First, Last, Everything

This time, Jonathan is joined by Becca Farsace. Becca is an Emmy and Webby award-winning tech creator. She was formerly the senior video producer at The Verge before going solo in 2024, primarily via her self-titled YouTube channel, where she aims to “take tech outside.”

Comfort Zone

Niléane is replacing Discord with Slack, Chris has the new iPad Air in hand, and everyone found something nice to say about password managers.

On Cozy Zone, we tier-list app icons, and opinions are stronger than anticipated. (Probably should have seen it coming.)

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico shares his hands-on impressions of the MacBook Neo, John whips up an iPhone app when Shortcuts fails, and they both have media picks and an Unwind deal to start the weekend off right.

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First, Last, Everything Season Two Launches Today

In September of last year, MacStories launched a brand new podcast, ‘First, Last, Everything,’ in which I interviewed guests about their relationship with technology through their first loves, latest obsessions, and the piece of tech that meant everything to them.

In its eight-episode first season, I had some great conversations with people like celebrated icon designer Michael Flarup, Pok Pok founder Esther Huybreghts, YouTube creator Tom Hitchins, and Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen, to name a few.

We covered a huge range of topics from Waymo cars to the Amiga 2000, electric guitars to the Macintosh Plus, and beyond. I also enjoyed taking listeners on a weekly journey with the ‘Something’ segment, during which I talked about a piece of tech that flopped, was ahead of its time, or has simply been forgotten.

I’m looking forward to doing it all again with a whole new bunch of guests. Kicking off the new season is Emmy and Webby award-winning YouTube creator Becca Farsace. You may recognize Becca from her time at The Verge, but since 2024, she’s been striking out on her own. Becca is such fun to talk to and a true inspiration. You can listen to that episode right now.

New episodes will continue to be released every Wednesday through April 29, featuring guests such as AltStore creator Riley Testut, Mac Power Users host David Sparks, our own Niléane, and more. And, for the first time, you’ll can listen to First, Last, Everything, access the show notes, and subscribe right from the show’s brand-new dedicated page on MacStories.

Let’s go.


Podcast Rewind: The M5 iPad Pro, AYN Thor First Impressions, and an Interview with Brendon Bigley

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John consider whether Apple made the case for running local LLMs and gaming on the M5 iPad Pro and discusss who should consider buying it.

On AppStories+, we explain how Claude Skills work and why they are one of Anthropic’s most exciting features in a while.


NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, a Retroid tease, the Miyoo Mini Flip goes on sale, and John is the first of the gang to get the Ayn Thor.

This week on NPC XL, the crew shares their experiences using GameHub.


First, Last, Everything

This episode’s guest, Brendon Bigley, is, in his words, extremely online. He helped build the podcasting platform Anchor, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019, and he worked for Marvel, overseeing its presence on YouTube and other platforms. But what most people know him for is his opinions and passion for gaming and tech in general. He co-hosts the gaming podcasts Into the Aether and NPC, and he blogs and publishes videos under the Wavelengths banner.

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Podcast Rewind: What’s Next for Apple Intelligence, Budget Android Handhelds, and an Interview with Joe Rosensteel

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John discuss what might be next for Apple Intelligence and how it fits into the broader AI market.

On AppStories+, Federico and John cover the fallout from the Sora app and why AI can’t replace human creativity.

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Claude: Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Steam Deck, Switch 2, and Vision Pro accessory follow-up, Thunderbolt 5 eGPUs, Android handhelds break into the budget category, and the ROG Xbox Ally X is a bust.

On NPC XL, Apple’s M5 chip promise gaming advances on the iPad, but can it deliver?


First, Last, Everything

On this episode, we’re joined by Joe Rosensteel. Joe is a VFX artist who’s worked on big-name Hollywood productions as well as smaller commercial projects. He’s a writer on his own blog and for the Six Colors website, and he also has a podcast with Dan Sturm called Defocused.

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