Harry McCracken

Here’s a feed of stuff from Fast Company and people who write for it, which I created using Flipboard’s Surf app. bsky.app/profile/did:...

Has any tech company actually embraced the term “SI” in any way but its CEO doing so performatively on Twitter?

No one hates regular Americans more than Trump and Vance

It was such fun using and writing about Slack in the early days. I think I still have the socks Stewart Butterfield gave me on one visit. https://buildingslack.com/salesforce-part-two/

Obviously a literal expression of the duality of body and spirit.

Since I moved to LA, it seemed like every career milestone I had, Bauza was there to cheer and celebrate alongside me. My first union job, my first professional record session where we shared the booth together, all the premieres and wrap parties and gatherings, he was like the MC of our lives...

Full moon via iPhone 18 Pro

Unbelievable loss. An amazing talent, and just a really, really good person. www.instagram.com/p/De8RFy4pyov/

If you miss that classic RSS reader feel and experience, I've been working on a new project for you. It even features native sharing to Bluesky. Introducing Webnerd.ai: Classic RSS for Today's Web blog.louisgray.com/2026/10/meet...

I’m not inherently anti-AI but I am anti what AI companies appear to think I want from AI.

I like the Cheesecake Factory, but don’t think the White House should look like it. And vice versa.

Or for those who can’t see it enough.

Incredible.

This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Windows XP launch, held 6 weeks after 9/11 in New York. More than XP, I recall Bill Gates sharing the stage with Regis Philbin and Rudy Giuliani, the choir, and the shock of dealing with high security at a press event, including needing 2 forms of ID.

I’ve been having fun providing a little research assistance for this excellent podcast. (Not that much, but enough to be thanked in the show notes.)

I didn’t expect to be using and writing about Swarm (née Foursquare) in 2026, but here we are. https://www.fastcompany.com/91628350/foursquare-swarm-infillion

Sorry to hear this. I got to visit the Garage back in 2019. www.fastcompany.com/90305091/thi...

This story is sad but great.

The iPad may be the only subject on earth where I’m always right.

Hey, it’s not like accidentally destroying a globe is a potent metaphor or anything.

I’m not getting an iPhone Duo, but I sure hope its multitasking UI replaces the iPadOS 26/27 one, which I still find to be Apple’s biggest mistake of recent years. (I realize this is a minority opinion.) https://daringfireball.net/2026/10/the_iphone_duo

Happy 85th birthday this week to Wonder Woman.

Incredibly, this ad appears to be real. The tech industry still has no idea how to market AI in a way that doesn’t feel skeevy.

Gift link to WSJ story on the massive PHP vulnerability threatening most websites.

If you’re ever at 155 Sansome in SF, as I just was, get someone to take you to the 10th floor so you can see the incredible Diego Rivera mural about California.

First ride in one of these new Waymos.

Radio Shack gave a free battery to EVERY American EVERY month, and nobody was ever sufficiently grateful. https://apnews.com/article/musk-spacex-anthropic-donation-ai-b3312da37a0e340be275295073055e00?utm_source=app&utm_medium=android_share&utm_campaign=copy_link

Once a startup I’ve written about folds (there have been many), I hardly ever write about it again. But the story of how Doppler was born, died, and presaged the AirPods age felt worth revisiting in the fullness of time. https://www.fastcompany.com/91625332/doppler-labs-here-one-airpods

I have a question: Should I go to CES?

What fresh hell is this?

It’s almost 24 hours later and a high percentage of the conversation in this household is still about You Can See Everything.

Awright, You Can See Everything is the best and most fascinating movie I’ve seen in a long time. Are documentaries eligible for best picture?

Excellent idea.

Good seats for You Can See Everything at our local theater today are scarce. I wonder if that’s just a Bay Area phenomenon?

In 1991, I interviewed the legendary animation designer Maurice Noble for my fanzine. Here’s our conversation, along with art, photos, and memories of what it was like to know him. https://harrymccracken.com/blog/2026/10/17/my-1991-interview-with-maurice-noble/

I still find it odd that people don’t remember that Scaramucci, though appointed to an administration job, pulled out of consideration before actually taking it. He served zero Scaramuccis.

Always such a hassle to pack up your personal items and clear your office of the detritus that piles up over the years. Or in this case, days.

The Mooch is no longer the canonical example of being Mooched.

For this week’s Plugged In, I talked with Google Research’s James Manyika about how its work fits into Google and Alphabet’s larger aims, and why most people haven’t noticed how AI is already speeding scientific progress. https://www.fastcompany.com/91624458/james-manyika-google-research

My friend Don Brockway passed away 15 years ago, and domains he registered are still active (and hosted, through they’ve grown brittle). His family, which doesn’t have access to the accounts, is not sure how they’ve survived.