Mastodawn

This week, I nerd out a bit about Star Trek.

Star Trek's Future Now • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/04/star-treks-future-now/

Star Trek's Future Now • in|retrospect

The original Star Trek (TOS) TV series of the '60s was a bit before my time; I grew up with Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) reruns on Canadian broadcast

in|retrospect

Allen Mar 30

I spent way too much time trying to recover Microsoft/Minecraft accounts last weekend—

Imparting Online Security onto the Next Generation • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/03/imparting-online-security-onto-the-next-generation/

Imparting Online Security onto the Next Generation • in|retrospect

We got here because we layered subaccounts on top of accounts, and new security best practices on top of old ones. Altogether, though, it's a mess of

in|retrospect

Allen Mar 23

Sometimes what you're paying for really is just being different.

The Differentiation Premium • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/03/the-differentiation-premium/

The Differentiation Premium • in|retrospect

My takeaway is that premium products attract customers with differentiation, not perfection—and there's risk in being different.

in|retrospect

Allen Mar 16

I have some thoughts about a video game about climbing.

Cairn: Flow Within Constraint • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/03/cairn-flow-within-constraint/

Cairn: Flow Within Constraint • in|retrospect

Cairn is a game about climbing. It was released merely days after Skyscraper Live, a Netflix special also about climbing. I'm not a climber; the closest I've

in|retrospect

Allen Mar 9

The Vision Pro, an Unintentional Trojan Horse for AR • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/03/the-vision-pro-an-unintentional-trojan-horse-for-ar/

The Vision Pro, an Unintentional Trojan Horse for AR • in|retrospect

We just passed the second anniversary of the Apple Vision Pro. At launch, it was—and is—an amazing piece of technology. I initially reacted with excitement to

in|retrospect

Allen Mar 3

It took me a couple of days to gather my thoughts, but my reflection on the layoffs at Square/Block last week:

Eccentric Founders • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/03/eccentric-founders/

Allen Feb 23

There's something fascinating about looking at AIs interact with each other, on the outside looking in.

https://allenc.com/2026/02/gawking-at-the-ai-zoo/

Gawking at the AI Zoo • in|retrospect

Recently, Moltbook made the rounds in tech circles for experimenting with agentic AI societies. It's a social network populated by AI agents, built as an

in|retrospect

Allen Feb 9

Everything to 5 decimal places…

Decision Precision • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/02/decision-precision/

Decision Precision • in|retrospect

Even my kids' grades arrive with precision. The letter grade may be a B+, but the numerical score boils down to an 88.93.

in|retrospect

Allen Feb 2

My thoughts on the end of Tesla's Model S & X:

The Demise of Tesla's Flagships • in|retrospect https://allenc.com/2026/02/the-demise-of-teslas-flagships/

The Demise of Tesla's Flagships • in|retrospect

Tesla announced they will end production of their Model S and Model X vehicles. The factory lines in Fremont specializing in these cars are to be repurposed

in|retrospect

Allen Jan 28

Manton Reece Jan 28

Beautiful essay by Terry Godier about RSS reader UI and software creating obligations:

"An interface that shows you an unread count is making an argument: that reading is something to be counted, that progress is something to be measured, that your relationship to this content is one of obligation."

Phantom Obligation

Why RSS readers look like email clients, and what that's doing to us.

Terry Godier

Blog	https://allenc.com
Location	Silicon Valley
Twitter	https://twitter.com/allenmhc