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The best of Public Access Vol.13: This is Halloween
It pleases me to no end that this, our thirteenth Best of Public Access post, is going up mere days before the spooky, candy-filled spectacular that is Halloween. While I spend my time reading terrifying ghost stories on the internet (here, here, and here) and mapping out which post-Halloween sales I should hit before everything turns red and green, the editors on the Engadget home page have been busy writing about the excitement over Back to the Future day, adorably tiny robots for your cup holder, and where you can watch Bob Ross paint happy little trees all day long.In other news, we're looking for a mobile app developer to join the team, so if you're experienced in iOS and Android coding and are interested in joining the team check out more details here.
The best of Public Access Vol.12: Party on
by09.25.2015
Welcome to the new, monthly Best of Public Access post where we update you on all the happenings from our community page. While Best of posts now appear monthly instead of weekly, Public Access members will still find new assignments every Friday in their accounts. In the past few weeks there's been plenty happening over on the Engadget home page, including the TwitchCon keynote, all kinds of Apple news, a Millennium Falcon drone for sale, and an illustrated tree of life.
The best of Public Access Vol.11: Welcome home
This week, there's plenty going on from hints on the upcoming Apple event to Instagram allowing users to upload both landscape and portrait-oriented photos, but the big news in Public Access is our shiny new home page! If you've been regularly reading these 'Best of' update posts, then you already knew that we've been busy working behind the scenes on sprucing up Public Access, but now it's finally here.
The best of Public Access Vol.10: Who's there?
by08.20.2015This week, we live-blogged IDF and its scary robots, reviewed the OnePlus 2, and debated the merits of Apple Music. Also: Giant robots! Space! And Knock Knock! (That's not a joke.)
Best of Public Access Vol.9: So What'cha, What'cha Want?
by08.13.2015Google is Alphabet now, in one of the more confusing rebrandings since Netflix thought that Qwikster would be a good idea. This week, in addition to trying to think of clever headlines about the Alphabet announcement, we heard back from the Def Con hacker conference, and electropop band Yacht ensured no one would ever see their album artwork when they released it via fax machine only... because there is nothing artists hate more than you actually looking at their work.
The best of Public Access Vol.7: online security and Android frustrations
Microsoft set the world on fire this week with the release of Windows 10 as a free download for existing Windows users. And in our review of the OS, we found that Edge, Windows 10's new web browser, is a sleek and speedy onramp to the information superhighway. Simply upgrading to the latest and greatest software doesn't make you impervious to harm on the internet, however, so last week we asked you to share how you stay secure online. Caroline Leopold doles out some handy tips for password management and stresses the importance of HTTPS. Meanwhile, Jess James has a bone to pick with Google's all-encompassing power over Android, and Bob Summerwill thinks we could all be more efficient at our jobs if we eliminated synchronous operations from the workplace and embraced asynchronous communication instead.
The best of Public Access Vol. 4: Mac Powerbooks, Microsoft Bob and more
The past week on Public Access has seen y'all looking both forward and back in tech history. Englishman and US resident Jess James explained how he would change the course of history (and the outcome of the US revolutionary war) with a big screen TV and some Monty Python. Meanwhile, Miné Salkin wrote of being smitten with the Macintosh PowerBook 100 as a child, and Joe Duncan explained the difficulties of selling the Tandy Video Information System in the early '90s. Lachlan Harris bridged the old and new, making the case that Microsoft's Bob software (from 1995) never actually left us and the DNA of that helping friendly program remains a part of Windows 10. And, Oded Lilos told us why speech recognition and voice assistants -- despite the sizable part they'll play in our computing future -- won't be replacing keyboards anytime soon. P.S. The homepage is coming soon! in the meantime you can check out the latest from Public Access right here. Not a member? Apply, and keep the weird alive.
The best of Public Access Vol. 3: the Atari ST, virtues of HD Audio and more
You can learn a lot from someone's personal gadget arsenal, whether at home or on the road. This past week on Public Access gave us a glimpse of your technological inclinations and taught us quite a bit. Miné Salkin's at-home gear is all about enabling multimedia storytelling and journalism, and constitutes a pretty impressive setup for creating and editing 4K video. Alexander Hohenthaner shared the gear he packs in his bag to get through his daily grind. It's not all about now, however. Nostalgia's a powerful thing, and Jess James gave us a heavy dose with fond memories of his first PC, the Atari ST. Meanwhile, Chris Carroll waxed poetic on how filming family get togethers has brought about some peculiar behavior from his relatives. P.S. The homepage is coming soon! in the meantime you can check out the latest from Public Access right here. Not a member? Apply, and keep the weird alive.
The best of Public Access Vol. 2: Robot friends, flaming Macs and more
Last week, you took us to the dark side of customer support with your worst IT nightmares, and at least a couple of your stories felt like the opening scenes of a Sci-Fi thriller. Carl Zetie took us back to the days of minicomputer, into a medical lab where he was surrounded by radioactive material, and Ed Zitron recounted his mysterious experience with a combustible MacBook. In a more emotional, if not less dramatic retelling, Brandon Côté shared his robotic aspirations as a child suffering from anxiety. P.S. The homepage is coming soon! in the meantime you can check out the latest from Public Access right here. Not a member? Apply, and keep the weird alive.
The best of Public Access Vol. 1
When we introduced Public Access just over two weeks ago, we dubbed it "community storytelling at its weirdest." It appears y'all took the "weird" to heart. You told us your stories about "Growing up geek," showed off your haiku skills with poetic takedowns of your ISPs and shed some light on everyday app addictions. I, for one, feel like I know you better than I ever wanted expected. ("Gun Waving Toddlers" anyone?) This week, we waxed nostalgic about a Commodore Amiga 2000 that runs hot and cold -- literally, it controls the heating and AC -- for Grand Rapids Public School district. Why not write a love letter to your first computer? Whether it was a love-hate relationship or a torrid affair, we've all loved and lost. We know it's hard to unpack the baggage. But we believe in you. Or you could just take a look back at best of Public Access after the break.
