Questions

The first: Is there anything I can do to format this blog so it works better on a smartphone (without making it worse on a computer)? I don't have a smartphone, so I'm not sophisticated about what people who read my blog on a cellphone would prefer. I try to make minor changes as seem warranted. For example, over the years, as broadband became more popular relative to dial-up, I increased the number of postings on the main page. But, lately, I've cut the number down to 14 for the benefit of people on slower mobile devices. But, I'm pretty clueless about what else to do. (Plus, I'm lazy, so I probably won't make the changes you suggest, but at least you can take comfort in knowing I'll feel mildly guilty about it.)

The second is more general: I'm constantly seeing websites, such as the Washington Post, excitedly announce that they have custom-programmed a new "app" that you can download from the Apple App Store for reading the Washington Post. But isn't the whole point of the World Wide Web and web browsers that you don't need a custom-designed program to read the Washington Post? How is this a step forward?

Around 1995, I did some consulting for Peapod, the company that delivers groceries you order online. Back then, Peapod had their own custom software program to load on your computer and their own bank of modems with their own phone number for your modem to dial, none of which worked terribly well at great expense. I told them they should get on this new fangled thing called the Web. For a long time, that seemed like pretty good advice. But now it's fashionable to have your own app.

What would an iSteve app do, anyway? 

My old articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer