The recent annoucement of the iPhone 6 (4.7") and the iPhone 6 Plus (5.5") has existing and prospective Apple customers face the same reality that many Android smartphone users have been living with for few years already: "HOT DIGGITY this phone is HUGE!"

The Joy of Tech, one of my favourite webcomics, summarised the situation like this:

My current iPhone is a 4S that I bought shortly after it was released three years ago. I skipped the 5 and 5s because I'm no fan of their design. While I'm still hesitant about the aluminium unibody construction of the 6 and 6 Plus—the steel chassis of the 4/4S is amazingly durable—it's time for an upgrade.

Like so many other people I used one of the printable templates and some thick cardboard to make a decision between the 6 and the 6 Plus:

To the far left there's my Nexus 7 (2013 edition), a 7" tablet.

Although I would've loved to have the greater battery life the iPhone 6 Plus offers and the 1920×1080 pixel resolution, I went for the iPhone 6 because in the end portability and pocketability matter more to me than the aforementioned advantages.

(The optical image stabilisation feature the 6 Plus has is great, but I carry an actual camera with me most of the time anyway, making it less relevant for me.)

Tim Cook was interviewed by Charlie Rose a few days ago. I stumbled across the first part of the interview on The Loop earlier today and was surprised that I was able to watch it on Hulu in Germany.

A lot of what Tim Cook said was meant to promote Apple's products—which should surprise no one—but he was also very honest about Apple's goals and the things that make Apple the company that it is. Everything from Apple's product development philosophy, to their organisational structure, to the companies they regard as competition is in line with what everyone with a certain amount of knowledge about business and product development processes can observe.

I was left with three thoughts after this interview:

1. Without any apparent hesitation Cook revealed much about the company's inner workings, it's hard to imagine getting this kind of candid information from any other C-level executive in the world. Frankly, I find it scary and impressive at the same time, because it demonstrates how sure Apple is that its corporate culture and its way of doing things is a unique competitive advantage.
2. Very few things that were said during the interview are news to people observing the company and the markets it engages in. Then why, with all this information out in the open, do so-called (or self-titled) analysts get so much wrong about Apple all the time? Why do players in the same markets constantly underestimate Apple and run their collective mouthes off? It really boggles the mind.
3. If I had to give an explanation as to why the company is as successful as it is and has been for a long time, it would be that in Apple's corporate culture the standard management buzzwords of 'vision' and 'mission' are substituted with an actual sense of purpose to make great products.

If you're at all interested in understanding the company a bit better and getting a glimpse at what we as customers can expect in the years to come, you should follow the link to The Loop and watch the interview.

But it sure is entertaining.

Found on: The Frogman

Even though I usually only walk around during phone calls. (I should probably get a step counter.)

Source: XKCD

This video illustrates the difference rather nicely:

Found on: The Loop

GoPro recently introduced the 'Fetch' mount for dogs. Some people got very excited about it, which apparently surprised the good folks at PetaPixel a bit.

However, after watching the video below any remaining scepticism should turn into broad smiles very quickly.

Found on: PetaPixel

We have our own problems with the increasing armament of the police forces in Germany. We, too, seem to be allowing police officers to break the law and get away with it, but from the outside looking in, the level of lawlessness and apparent racism among U.S. police forces is a worrisome problem.

Found on: House of Grindlebone
Possible source: Reddit

I wonder if the squirrel realised at some point that the vaseline wears off after a while.

Found on: Tastefully Offensive

It's hard to overstate how important it is to bring this disease into the public eye and promote better understanding of the causes, symptoms, and treatments.