NBA Bans Clippers Owner Sterling for Life

ESPN reports on the punishment handed down by Commissioner Adam Silver:

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling also was fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments.

For the best take on this news, see this tweet retweeted by Christina Warren.

(via 512 Pixels)

On ASL Classes

Libby Nelson, writing for Vox:

The fastest-growing foreign language class in the past 20 years isn’t foreign at all. Nor is it spoken. It’s American Sign Language.

More college students are now studying American Sign Language than Chinese and Russian combined. In 2009, ASL was the fourth-most popular language for college students to study, falling behind only Spanish, French, and German.

True story: When I was in high school, my guidance counselor waived the foreign language graduation requirement because of my fluency in American Sign Language. It’s my first language, and deeply ingrained into who I am as a person.

‘Accessible’ 19: You’ll Get Funded

In this episode, me and Ben are joined by special guests Anthony Russo and Elias Aoude of For All to Play. We discuss Russo and Aoude’s Kickstarter project, Grail to the Thief: An Interactive Audio Adventure, an action-adventure game designed for both visually impaired and normally-sighted users.

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On FaceTime’s Origins

Shara Tibken, writing for CNET:

“I’m extremely proud of the work I did on FaceTime,” Garcia said.

He added that “one of the proudest moments” in his life was a launching a FaceTime call with his mother-in-law shortly after his daughter was born in 2011. She couldn’t be at the birth, Garcia said, but the call made her feel more connected.

“We heard her bawling in crystal clear audio in the moments afterward,” Garcia said. “She told me she felt like she was right there. That’s what we aimed for when we created FaceTime.”

Since FaceTime debuted with the iPhone 4 in 2010 — my second iPhone after my original bricked — I had used video calling only a handful of times. But since meeting my girlfriend in January, we’ve used it often, and it still feels magical and surreal. It’s really wonderful.

(via @applespotlight)

‘Google+ Is Walking Dead’

Alexia Tsotsis and Matthew Panzarino, reporting for TechCrunch:

What we’re hearing from multiple sources is that Google+ will no longer be considered a product, but a platform — essentially ending its competition with other social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

[...]

We’ve heard Google has not yet decided what to do with the teams not going to Android, and that Google+ is not “officially” dead, more like walking dead: “When you fire the top dog and take away all resources it is what it is.” It will take copious amounts of work for it to un-zombie, if that’s even a possibility.

I say this with no snark whatsoever, but Google+ is so far off my radar that I almost forget it exists.

On Mike Sandlock

Louie Lazar last year wrote a cool profile for the NYT of the oldest-living Brooklyn Dodger:

A switch-hitting catcher who was the Dodgers’ opening day shortstop in 1945, Sandlock is one of the few living athletes who played professional baseball before and during World War II. Only two living former major leaguers — Ace Parker, 100, a Philadelphia Athletics infielder in 1937 and 1938; and Connie Marrero, 101, a Cuban junk-ball pitcher for the Washington Senators from 1950 to 1954 — are older.

[...]

Sandlock played in an era before multimillion dollar salaries, when baseball players were “heroes but regular guys,” said John Thorn, Major League Baseball’s official historian. Many players used public transportation, held off-season jobs and fought in America’s wars. Teams traveled by train and journeyed no farther west than Chicago or St. Louis, where the major league map ended.

My favorite tidbit, though, is this line:

Sandlock said the modern game irks him. “Bunt, hit and run — they don’t do that anymore!” he said with a groan. “Everything is the long ball.”Sandlock added, “I mean, a guy on first and second, jeez, bunt that guy to third. Get that one run if you can!”

(via @TylerKepner)

On ‘The Talk Show’ 79

Great episode this week of John Gruber’s podcast. He’s joined by my pal Mark Gurman of 9to5 Mac to discuss Mark’s reporting background, OS X and iOS 8 rumors, Greg Christie’s retirement, and more.

Mark and I have been Internet pals for a while now, and I greatly admire his work. One of the best episodes of The Talk Show yet. Check it out!

Apple Launches OS X Beta Seed Program

Big, surprising news yesterday from Apple. Describing the new program:

The OS X Beta Seed Program gives users the opportunity to run pre-release software. Test-drive beta software and provide quality and usability feedback that will help make OS X even better.

I’ve been part of the Apple Seed program for a while now, in which customers get access to developer seeds of OS X. (In fact, I was running Mountain Lion betas before its release in 2012.) Previously, the Seed program was invite-only, but now it’s open to all. I wonder if Apple decided to just open Apple Seed to everyone; in any case, I, too, have a feeling that OS X will be getting some serious stage time at WWDC in June.

On Constellation.fm

Since it launched last October, my show has been part of the Fiat Lux network, owned and run by my pal and co-host, Ben Alexander. Accessible has seen much success since we recorded the first episode, and I owe much to Ben for bringing me aboard his ship.

Today, though, sees the launch of Constellation, the “podcasting arm” of Fiat Lux.

The new site is really great: it has responsive design, a easy-to-use audio player, and looks and works great on mobile and on the desktop. It’s been in the works for a while, and Ben and team worked their collective asses off to get the site ready to go.

The best part, to me, about the new site is how information is presented, particularly for show notes. There are detailed synopses of each segment of each episode, along with a description of each and every link that is in the show notes. Segments are marked with time stamps, so finding a particular place in an episode is easy, and everything is shareable as well. It’s this attention to detail and reimagining of the podcast network concept that we think —- Ben and team and the hosts —- sets Constellation apart from the rest, and pushes the medium forward.

As for my part, I’m still working hard on retrofitting the show notes for Accessible’s back catalog to meet the new standards, and have some ambitious plans for the show’s content too. It’s a slow process, but my goal is to have most (if not all) of the archived episodes readied in the new format as soon as possible. Overal, however, I’m extremely proud to be part of this small yet dedicated team, on the ground floor as we strive for Constellation’s full potential.

Be sure to check out the new site —- it’s well worth the look-see. In addition, Sid O’Neill wrote a great piece overviewing Constellation’s mission that’s a must read.

On Republicans and iPhones

Conor Finnegan, reporting for CNN:

In a call for free markets and open platforms, Alexander argued that government should be more like Apple, Inc. - working to give private citizens the means "to create a happier, safer, more prosperous life."

[...]

"Republicans want to enable and empower you. We want to be the iPhone party."

Methinks Senator Alexander knows not what he speaks.

(via @reckless)