Joseph Akbrud
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byteforbyte.bsky.social
Joseph Akbrud
@byteforbyte.bsky.social
Street Photographer based in NYC 📸, Product Guy, Tech Enthusiast.
Lunar New Year
February 17, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Lady Liberty
February 13, 2026 at 9:28 PM
“The Visitor” isn’t just one of the best episodes of DS9 or even one of the best episodes of Star Trek, it’s one of the finest episodes of television ever. Masterfully written, directed, and acted. Every scene is a masterpiece.
February 11, 2026 at 8:01 PM
The halftime show features the best color grading and cinematography I’ve seen at one of these events. Musically it isn’t my cup of tea, but kudos to the producers and editors for putting on a visually impressive show.
February 9, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Episode 5 of Starfleet Academy is a must watch for anyone who loves DS9. It’s a love letter to the series. Even if you aren’t a fan of nu Trek, give it a watch.
February 5, 2026 at 6:13 PM
The industry came so close to eliminating or at the very least reducing piracy significantly. Instead, they opted to try to squeeze as much money out of consumers as possible, while increasingly making their services more difficu... https://josephakbrud.com/2026/02/05/the-industry-came-so-close.html
Joseph Akbrud
josephakbrud.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Light Lens Lab is by far the most interesting lens manufacturer right now. In the era of picture perfect, clinically sharp lenses, it’s refreshing to see someone like Mr. Zhou who is obsessed with resurrecting lenses that have character without compromising quality.
Light Lens Lab Exclusive: Mr. Zhou on Resurrecting the $50,000 Leica Lens
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 3:01 AM
Shrinking is the best show on television right now. Great writing and acting. It’s nice to have a show that can be serious but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Watch Shrinking - Apple TV
Jimmy is struggling to grieve the loss of his wife while being a dad, friend, and therapist. He decides to try a new approach with everyone in his pat…
tv.apple.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Trying to get used to 50mm again.
February 4, 2026 at 3:58 AM
I will admit that this POSSE (Post on Your Own Site Syndicate Anywhere) has its advantages.
February 4, 2026 at 3:19 AM
You know Apple’s marketing is strong when so many people refer to the 8x crop as a “lens.”
September 22, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | First Look Teaser | Paramount+
YouTube video by Paramount Plus
youtube.com
July 26, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Apple News+ while useful continues to be a mixed bag. Offering a subscription service that requires other subscriptions to view content is not a good user experience.
July 26, 2025 at 1:31 PM
“…it is also introducing a new feature that would allow police to request live-stream access to people’s home security devices.”

I don’t care how wonky it can be, it’s not worth giving up HomeKit Secure Video for privacy abusing alternatives

www.techdirt.com/2025/07/22/a...
#privacy #surveillance
Amazon Ring Cashes In On Techno-Authoritarianism And Mass Surveillance
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most…
www.techdirt.com
July 23, 2025 at 12:10 PM
This is good news and I’m glad that the administration applied the necessary pressure to make this happen.

www.macrumors.com/2025/07/20/u...
UK May Backtrack on Controversial Demand for Backdoor to Encrypted Apple User Data
The British government may be forced to drop its plans to force Apple to build a backdoor to access encrypted user data, the Financial Times reports....
www.macrumors.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:04 AM
An absolute must watch for me at this time of year. It’s important to remember a time when Silicon Valley was a lot more optimistic. That’s not to say that tech isn’t interesting anymore, but it does feel like the motivation has often changed. Jobs was truly unique.

youtube.com/watch?v=jiHZ...
Steve Jobs - 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (Enhanced to HD/1080p)
YouTube video by Steve Jobs Archive
youtube.com
June 13, 2025 at 3:15 PM
This is so gross. tvOS is the only platform that at least somewhat respects its users and doesn't try to shove as many ads as possible in my face www.thurrott.com/smart-home/3...
Roku Devices Start Showing Ads When Users Hit Pause
Roku has recently launched a new type of ads that show up when users pause a movie or show.
www.thurrott.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Get ready to hear this a whole lot when you go shopping
April 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Halal Guys
March 2, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Chinatown
February 23, 2025 at 12:12 AM
A reminder that what little we know about what is happening right now is due to efforts to archive data and provide everyone with free, strong end-to-end encryption. If you can, donate to @signal.org and @archive.org. Their work is arguably more important than ever.
February 3, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Plex is by far the best software license/subscription I’ve paid for in a long time, if not ever. They are constantly improving the experience (backend and front end) and i couldn’t be happier. Pair that with an OTA tuner and you’re really cooking with gas.

www.plex.tv/blog/new-yea...
New Year. Same Mission.
22 days into 2025. Miles to go before we sleep. It’s all hands on deck, and all eyes on our...
www.plex.tv
January 22, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Joseph Akbrud
The last few weeks have really highlighted just how fragile corporate social media is, and just how beholden to political power it is. To build any sort of ground-up power we must continue to invest in decentralized alternatives that are resistant to intervention

www.404media.co/decentralize...
Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy
The TikTok ban and Donald Trump's rise to power show how fragile our social media accounts are. We must normalize and invest in decentralized social media.
www.404media.co
January 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
January 19, 2025 at 11:59 PM