Walt’s Flywheel

I recently saw a link to The Walt Disney Productions 1957 Strategy Diagram (via Kotke). I’ve seen this several times, and every time, it impresses me. Specifically, the Disney Company treats their movies as the source material for everything else they make, whether it be music, books, or theme park rides. When it all works properly, they had a virtuous circle where the movie characters generated interest in the theme parks, and the theme park visitors’ experiences generated interest back in the movies. If something doesn’t tie into the overall flywheel, then it probably shouldn’t be there.

I try to do the same thing with my tiny MacSparky empire, and this 67-year-old chart still makes a lot of sense to me.

Mac Power Users 765: Inventing the Internet, with Glenn Fleishman

Glenn Fleishman, freelance journalist, book author, editor, and comics and type historian, joins Stephen and me on this episode of Mac Power Users to share what he’s up to and some of his favorite workflows.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.
  • Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac. Get one month free.
  • KRCS: Apple Premium Reseller. Get free next-working-day delivery.

Dark Noise Update

the official app icon for sound-generator app dark noise from developer charlie chapman.

Dark Noise is one of my favorite applications. I first used it years ago as my go-to white noise generator. (I particularly like the thunderstorm sound.) Over the years, I’ve become friends with the developer, Charlie Chapman, who does all the right things with his application.

So it’s no surprise to me that he recently released a version that now gives you Dark Noise controls in Control Center. If you haven’t played with Control Center on iOS 18 yet, you really should. It gives us all of the stuff we’ve been asking for for years now. It’s fully customizable with multiple screens, and while I haven’t nailed down my Control Center strategy just yet, I’m having a great time figuring it out.

The More Repairable iPhone 16

The iFixit teardown of the iPhone 16 is interesting. Apple is continuing to creep towards better repairability each year.

A constant problem for folks who like to crack their phones open is glue. Specifically, there’s a lot of adhesive inside these devices, and getting rid of it to do any repair is time-consuming and messy. Apple solved that with the battery in the new iPhone by using electrically activated adhesive. You apply a low-voltage current to it, and the battery pops out. It’s an interesting technology that I didn’t even know existed.

If you’d like to learn more about what’s inside your phone, check out the full iFixit video below.