The You Are Not So Smart podcast is one of the best things I listen to each week. It literally makes me a better person. I don’t think my enjoyment of episode 58 is purely based on confirmation bias but it was really a terrific episode. There’s in-depth discussion of what it takes for there to be social backlash against a new technology and how we can predict where the next upheaval will come from.

Firewatch looks so good to me and I’ve marked February 9th on my calendar. I’ve followed the development mainly because it has a great team behind it. Now I’m excited because it looks like something new. It’s not a shooter or platformer. Call me excited.

A new YouTube show from First We Feast brings Dogfish Head’s own Sam Calgione to the computer screen. Many of the DFH beers seem more like research projects. They are fun to try but not anything I want on a regular basis. And that’s o.k. I’ve seen Sam lecture on a variety of topics and I think this new show looks terrific. I’m thrilled to get more insight into what goes on in Sam’s head.

Molly McHugh at Wired: Nachman says Intel has sent some end users detailed instructions on setting up ACAT as well as how to use it, and the team is also working with some patients on testing it out. Soon, they’ll be partnering with universities on experimenting with the system. It’s clear that ACAT is for developers and the academic community, at least for now. Probably one of the most advanced speech systems ever created is now available for the world to access and improve.

Every major Synology OS update is a major advancement of the product line. The last DSM version focused on mobile applications and support for Docker. Now version 6 is on the way and it seems that Email and performance are receiving significant attention. The new indexing options are going to be huge and the Spotlight integration makes me happy in totally inappropriate ways.

From the EFF: As we explained before, the All Writs Act is not a backdoor to bypass other laws. The government cannot impose an unreasonable burden on Apple, and it cannot violate the Constitution. If the government truly wanted Apple to decrypt a phone running iOS 8 or later, it would blow past these boundaries. First, unless Apple is lying about how its system is engineered, it simply can’t grant access to the data on a locked phone—not by reflashing the operating system, and not by pushing a backdoored software update—because it’s locked.

This is what it looks like when a massive industry is disrupted by those with less money and power. There’s a huge amount of money in selling beer and it’s one of the oldest industries in the US. While craft beer only makes up a very small percentage of total production the trend is clear. The incumbents are showing their teeth. Distributors are buying politicians and ever more restrictive laws to control the exploding craft beer market.

Home looks like a really nice HomeKit based app for controlling hardware. This review by Ari Jay Comet provides a compelling argument for the app.

One of my favorite Mac apps, iThoughtsX is only a buck right now on the Mac App Store. My understanding is that this a temporary sale to help direct-purchase customers get access to the new Handoff and other iCloud features. Even if you already own the direct-purchase version, like me, this is a must buy. If you don’t already own it, then you’d be crazy to miss a 88% off sale like this.

As more developers rollout 3D Touch, I’m getting excited about the future of iOS. Today iThoughts received a big iOS 9 update and I love the new “Quick Thought” 3D Touch option. This is a shortcut to a specific map and node. Trigger it and the app opens right to that spot with a new entry ready to go. It’s so fast! Here’s the bit that caught me up. Craig Scott, developer of iThoughts, helped me with this in about an hour of my initial email.