-
If trueā¦ (#apple #timcook #theclown)
-
That one was hard (#blogging #writing #article)
I just published one of my most difficult to write article in a long time. It is about transforming your Twitter experience to make it more focused, enjoyable, tailored to your personal interests. Iāve been working on it for the last few months. Along the way of writing this long piece, my Twitter experience was profoundly changed. Iām pretty happy with the end results. If youāre on Twitter, consider giving a look to this guide. Hope youāll like it.
āThe Ultimate Twitter Tips and Tricks for Mastering Your Twitter Experienceā
-
@numericcitizen on Clubhouse (#clubhouse)
Iām always curious to try new things, especially in the numeric world. In the case of Clubhouse, I don’t know if itās a good idea. Iām curious to try it out, anyway. I wonder how it will compare to Twitterās Spaces, currently in limited beta. Now, waiting for an invite.
-
Dear bloggers, letās not forget about the link posts (#blogging #writing)
In āA Love Letter to the Link Postā, CJ Chilvers lament the lost of link posts from the blogosphere. Link posts marked the debut of so many websites raison dāĆŖtre back in the nineties:
āAt that time, they werenāt even called blogs. Youād simply update the front page of your website every day with a few interesting links you discovered since the day before.ā
I love link posts. I follow many bloggers just to have a peek at their discoveries and comments about them. A big portion of my monthly Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter is built around sharing a curated content of links that I find interesting. They generally fit within the boundaries of my deep interests. Link posts within newsletters = š„°
In summary := Link posts > comments on a social network.
-
My daytime job reality (#IT #computerscience #tech)
First, do me a favour, watch this YouTube video (less than 8 minutes of your time), then come back. You probably know that Iām working in IT as my official day jobs. Iāve been working on a project in the last 18 months to assist and direct one of our customer to implement a disaster recovery plan. This is not a trivial thing, generally speaking. In that particular case, it was an exercise of extreme frustration all along. If you did watch this YouTube video, this is me, the expert. So spot on. No wonder IT projects canāt be finished on time with so many bozos around the table.
-
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (#apple #airpodsmax)
iFixit completed their usual teardown of one of Appleās latest product. This time, the AirPods Max were taken apart. This thing is so complicated! No wonder why we pay $550 for. It is fascinating to see how such a device from the outside is so complicated in the inside. This makes me think of the Apple Pencil exterior beauty but interior complexity. I still love mine, even if Iām not an audiophile. š¤
-
Another Massive Update to @CraftDocsApp (#craft #writer #writing #blogging #tools)
What a pleasant surprise today: a big update to Craft was released. Version 1.2.2 brings a lot of improvements on the table. This release should have been numbered version 1.3, not 1.2.2! All platforms (iPad and macOS) received attention and improvements. One of the most important thing for me being the addition of direct export to Ulysses, DayOne, OmniFocus among others. We could already export in TextBundle or PDF and Word but these exports options, I feel my data can freely move out of the platform. My blogger workflow is simplified.
Iām still working on my review of Craft by the way. It takes longer than I would have liked. Stay tuned.
-
Apple is Undoing the MacBook Pro (#apple #macbookpro #rumours)
Bye bye dear TouchBar. Hello MagSafe power connector. Hereās some more ports. Rumours are pointing toward the same thing. Apple will revert many of its controversial decision of the last five years. Many will be pleased. Function is winning over form. I think Apple is following the trend they started with the 2019 Mac Pro which essentially erasing five years of non sense with the 2013 Mac Pro. Apple is fully back to the Mac. And down on earth, with all of us.
Clearly, actual creatives and professionals disagree with Appleās soul-searching because if all of these rumors come to fruition, Apple will be returning to what was already considered the MacBook Proās zenith. Coupled with Apple Silicon and Apple could experience Mac growth that it ceded to PC laptops during these past years of stumbling. ā Raymond Wong for Input magazine
Something we wonāt get, though: a touch screen. We canāt have it all, right?
-
Improving my Apple Watch Heartbeat Readings (#applewatch)
Since getting my Apple Series 6 last fall (see my review here), my heart readings arenāt working as expected. Iām not alone who is experiencing this problem (just google it!). During a workout, heartbeats readings are not available for the first 5 to 10 minutes into the workout. On a 30-minute workout, it can make a big difference.
I think I found a way to greatly improve the heartbeats readings. Simply by wearing my Apple Watch as shown on the picture above. I must say that it is not perfect. As shown below, I do get a few minutes of lost readings, though, but not as much as before. The problem could be related to the presence on some fur on my front arm. Also, always making sure the Apple Watch band is tied close enough to the wrist is a must.
Are you experiencing the same issue? Let me know if you permanently fixed it.
-
The Insurmountable Problem for Intel (#intel #apple #applesilicon)
Letās start with a quote from Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (as reported by The Oregonian)
“We have to deliver better products to the PC ecosystem than any possible thing that a lifestyle company in Cupertino. We have to be that good, in the future.”
The fundamental problem with Intel is that they will never make the whole widget (the products) like Apple does. That’s the key for insanely great products. Intel’s CPU are small enablers at best. The vertical integration of the whole stack (hardware, OS, apps, services) makes what Apple is all about. There is no way for Intel to emulate that by cooperating with hundreds of OEMs.
Sorry, Pat, nice try.
-
Telegram a Signal to iMessage, Please (#messaging #privacy #apple #parler #signal #telegram)
DHH on Twitter seems happy that the messaging app, Signal, finally has its moment. I donāt really know about Signal, but I do know about another one, Telegram. Now that Parler is out of this world, Iām wondering if people prefer Signal over Telegram. Is Signal more secure than Telegram? According to this website, Telegram, is apparently not as secure as its maker pretends it is.
Now, Iām wonder how these movements between messaging platforms would be affected if Apple decided to make iMessage cross-platform: on iOS, on macOS, on the web and on Android. Maybe this year the dynamic is different enough for Apple to make the move? Are they afraid that people will leave the iPhone if iMessage is available on Android? What is more sticky for the Apple ecosystem: the Music app or iMessage? In my opinion, iMessage is much more powerful than Music for keeping people inside Appleās walled garden.
Reminder, you can find me on Telegram here.
-
Persistent Rumours about Upcoming MacBook Pro Redesign (#apple #macbookpro #m1chip #applesilicon)
The latest report from MacRumors about Appleās upcoming MacBook Pro redesign is quite interesting and intriguing.
First, the removal of the TouchBar and the return of the MagSafe technology is utterly surprising. If this is the case, Apple would be undoing five years of design decisions. A side effect of the TouchBar removal would be a more competitive pricing of the MacBook Pro line.
Second, the rumour about Apple opting for an all-out flat edge design makes me think the new MacBook Pro would be similar to two iPad Pro linked together with a hinge. Obviously, the screen parts would be thinner than the lower body of the MacBook Pro. Intriguing.
Now, if these rumours materialize, to me, it would mean that the current 13ā MacBook Pro would be no longer necessary with a 14ā model in its place. If thatās the case, the 13ā MacBook Pro was only a transition and temporary move from Apple.
We are at the beginning of another exciting year for Apple.
-
Appleās Big Moments (#apple #m1chip #intel #transitions)
I like this quote from Ken Segall:
“In 2005, Apple moved to Intel to gain equality. In 2020, itās moved away from Intel to gain superiority.”
I remember so well when Apple announced their move in 2005. It is a privilege to have witnessed all these big Appleās moments. Many interesting thoughts about these transformative transitions in this article. Must read.
-
Mailbrew is getter better and better (#mailbrew #newsletters)
Mailbrew received a big update this week. The change log is pretty extensive. The most important change is that the home page and the whole user experience for that matter is now more about reading your digests than the brews edit view. I like this change a lot. Digests are presented in the order they were received. You can go from one issue to another easily for a specific brew. You can also select a specific brew to see associated digests. The reading experience is better overall compared to HEYās Feed view. The only missing thing is a āsave clipā option.
Beside links to external content, within a digest, when it is appropriate, there is a button for entering a reader view. In this view, a minimalist browser will let the reader immerse himself to limit distractions. It reminds me of the Safari reader view. There is always the save button available to put aside an article in case you donāt have time to read it at the moment. Mailbrew provides a separate list for those saved items.
There are a ton of other small change and improvements. Sharing our brews is easier. Sharing a digest also is closer at hand. All in all, this is a solid update to an already excellent service. You can read my initial review of Mailbrew here. If you want to subscribe, please do me a favour and use this link.
-
Optimizing my blogger workflow (#writing #tools #workflow)
This is a test with (redacted) currently in alpha, which introduces support for posting to Micro.blog. Iām a big user of (redacted). This new feature alone could significantly enhance and simplified my blogger workflow. I’ve been waiting for this feature for a long time. When the update is ready, on iPad or the Mac, it means that Iāll be able to start the initial writing in Craft, then export to (redacted) using the TextBundle format, finish the editing in (redacted), then publish to Micro.blog. On the Mac, the same sequence applies, rendering MarsEdit unnecessary. How cool is that? Optimizing my workflow is very satisfying. ššØš»āš»
_This is a first post with (redacted), things could break.Ā _
-
A fix is coming (#apple #M1macmini #bluetooth)
At long last, relief is in sight. My M1 Mac mini is not able to keep a stable Bluetooth connection with Appleās Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. Itās very frustrating. While waiting for a permanent fix, Iām using a USB PC mouse, and I keep my Magic Keyboard connected via a USB-C to lightning cable connected on my LG Ultra Fine 4K monitor. What a messy experience for such a small performance wonder.
-
Mac sales booming but the best is yet to come (#apple #m1mac #applesilicon)
Thanks to the small wonder, the M1 chip and the Apple silicon transition, Mac sales are booming. According to a recent IDC report, Mac sales are up by nearly 30% compared to the same period, a year ago. Apple’s market share increased globally by 1%, which is quite impressive for Apple.
My take: I have the feeling that we ain’t see nothing yet. As the work-from-home trend continues, with the rest of the MacBook Pro line still to transition to the M1 chip, a long-awaited redesiged iMac, 2021 could be a monster year for the Mac and Apple. And beyong 2021 and the pandemic? Ask Horace Dediu.
-
Programming, mathematics and brain activities (#research #computers #computerscience)
What does it take to be a hood programmer? Or better yet, what does it take to like programming hence writing or reading algorithms? Math? Language? Arts? A combination? When I started in computer science at the University, my friends thought that I was good at maths. It wasn’t the case. Before deciding which field I would like to study, I was afraid of computer science, thinking myself that we had to be really good with mathematics. My experience shows that it is not the case. I’m average at maths but good at programming and in computer science in general. Is it surprising? According to this article, no. In fact, computer programming isn’t the same thing as doing maths from a brain activity perspective. It is more like something very demanding where a totally different part of the brain is solicited. Fascinating. It may (or may not) explain why you can be good in computer science but not as good in mathematics. Who knows.
By having a better understanding of what parts of the brain are solicited, we may find common ground with other disciplines. It is really hard to attract people in computer science and knowing what it takes from a brain perspective could help direct efforts of recruiting the right people who will like to read and write algorythms but are not good at maths!
-
Ten Reasons to love RSS feeds (#rss #openstandard)
Alan Ralph, in a blog post, exposes ten reasons why he loves RSS feeds. I agree on all accounts. When I look closer, it all comes down to: control. Control is something we don’t have these days on social networks and social media. We live in a numeric world full of algorithmically-generated feeds and content. We lose control of our feeds. George Orwell was right.
RSS feed, a simple and open standard, is the key, within an RSS reader, of a more open and user-centered and mostly ads-free Internet. RSS feeds are important.
-
On the original iPhone, back in 2007 (#apple #iPhone #blackberry)
Thirteen years already. Gosh, time flies. Steve Jobs announces the iPhone. One of his best presentation. I remember it so well. At that time, I was a huge user (and fan) of the Blackberry. After using a RIM two-way pager for a while, I upgraded to Blackberry with a bigger screen with a monochrome display. But, with the iPhone, I knew, deep within me, this would be a real game-changer. My feelings were the same as with the launch of the Macintosh. What I didn’t know, though, was how profound and long-lasting the iPhone-effect would be on the rest of the tech world. We still feel its effect these days. I had to wait until the iPhone 3GS, in 2009, to get my hands on one for my personal use. I was still using a Blackberry for the office. Yep, I had two smartphones with me all the time.
