Must Have Features in a Read Later Service

Read later service for me should have these features and attributes.

  1. Be cloud-based to enable access and syncing across different devices and platforms.
  2. Support metadata (tags, folders & description).
  3. Offer a well-designed share sheet implementation on iOS and iPadOS.
  4. Offer a great browser extension.
  5. Offer a native mobile application.
  6. It should work well with my go-to RSS reader, Inoreader.
  7. Be good at data mobility. In other words, it offers a data export option.
  8. Support article summarization with generative AI.
  9. Should be free if possible.
  10. It must support all Apple platforms.

Inoreader check them all.

Can you say Chaps?

Intriguing new product coming from the makers of Craft: Chaps. It seems to be a conversational service where users can build their own AI-based agents. Not integrated with Craft in any way, at least for now. The demonstrated UI seems polished as we can expect from them, but sadly we don’t get to see how those agents are built. I think “Ch_apps_” would have been a better name than “Chaps”, though. I hope they don’t get too much distracted from Craft because it still needs a lot of work and long-lasting issues are yet to be addressed.

That Question That Keeps Coming Back

For some time now, I’ve had a question that keeps coming back to my mind because I often use Bluesky to express my distress or frustration against Trump, Musk, and the entire little clique of authoritarians at the head of the United States. If, in the near future, the situation in the U.S. deteriorates to the point where government groups start hunting down activists like me, who openly denounce Trump’s authoritarian policies and his inner circle, should I censor myself to avoid any form of persecution when I decide to return to the United States?

I fear the day when bloggers will be hunted down to silence them—or worse, to have them arrested in the name of disrespecting the American presidency. Is it precisely the presidency’s game to instill fear so they can continue their authoritarian actions by manipulating people like me?

Questioning Apple Intelligence Improvements

Here is an observation about Apple Intelligence (yet another one you might say?): Image Playground was announced at WWDC2024. It finally made its debut with iOS 18.2, in December 2024. Since then, we got iOS 18.3, now iOS 18.4 is in beta. Did Image Playground improved? A new image style was introduced, in 18.3, I think. Does it provide better results? Not really. Is it easier to use? Nope. On this subject, I must confess that I personally find Image Playground not to be the best UX Apple ever created. I find it clunky and not always intuitive to use. After two releases, Image Playground is basically the same. Isn’t it surprising, coming from a company who’s playing catch up in AI space? The same questions could apply to Writing Tools. I didn’t test text proofing with each release of Apple Intelligence, but I would bet that it didn’t really improve. Strange.

What Are They Gonna Do Now? What a Waste!

One quick question tonight: those people who worked for a government agency in the US and got laid-off by DOGE or anyone close to them or because of them, what are they doing now? Where will they find their purpose? I’m thinking about the scientists, social workers, phycologists, Are they going to work for the private sector or simply increase the unemployment rate? I mean, there are so many human dramas unfolding right now.

Tim Has to Go - Part Deux

I’ve been an Apple fan since 1983, and everyone I know—my friends, colleagues, and family—understands my enthusiasm for the brand. Recently, they’ve been calling me more than ever to ask about my thoughts on Tim Cook’s support for Trump. “Apple is becoming like the others; what do you think?” they all inquire. I struggle to express my sadness about this situation. Tim’s poor judgment in supporting the Trump presidency is disappointing. I hope he regrets his decision. Until then, I want him to step down. It’s as simple as that.

It's Time for Tim to Go

The latest post from @gruber@mastodon.social about the delay of Apple Intelligence and the ongoing fiasco serves as a reminder that Apple needs to change soon. It’s another big red flag something is rotten at Apple. Should I mention that Tim Cook’s financial support for the Trump presidential inauguration, whether personal or not, was another mistake? Apple could have and should have acted differently than Meta, Amazon, and others. They did not. We had all the warning signs regarding Trump, and now Tim is associated with this nonsense. There is no possible excuse. It was a poor decision on Tim’s part.

I believe it’s time for Tim Cook to take responsibility and step down.

Another Frustrating Thing with 2024 iPad Pro

I love my 2024 iPad Pro, but there is a clear regression in hardware+software for palm rest detection. Each time I put my hand on the screen when taking notes using the Apple Pencil in Apple Notes, the content scrolls up, sometimes not by much, but sometimes quite a lot… I always need to lift my hand, reposition the content and try again. This is utterly frustrating; this is something that I never experienced with my 2018 iPad Pro… this is something that Apple used to be good at.

My Updated Defaults as of 2025-03-12

So many things changed since my previous update.

  • ✉️ Mail Client: Fastmail
  • 📨 Mail Server: Fastmail
  • 📝 Notes: Craft + Apple Notes
  • ✅ To-Do: Things 3
  • 📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Camera.app
  • 📚 Photo Management: Photos.app + Photomator
  • 🗓️ Calendar: Calendar.app (Personal Life) + Fantastical.app (Work Life)
  • 🗄️ Cloud file storage: iCloud
  • 📰 RSS: Reeder connected to Inoreader
  • 📇 Contacts: Contacts
  • 🕸️ Browser: Mobile Safari + ARC Browser on Mac
  • 🧠 AI: ChatGPT + Perplexity
  • 🔎 Search: Kagi Search
  • 💬 Chat: iMessage (WhatsApp when abroad)
  • 🔖 Bookmarks: AnyBox
  • 👓 Read It Later: Inoreader
  • 📜 Word Processing: Ulysses, Craft
  • 📊 Spreadsheets: Numbers
  • 🛝 Presentations: Keynote
  • 🛒 Shopping Lists: Reminders
  • 🧑‍🍳 Meal Planning: None
  • 💰 Budgeting & Personal Finance: Numbers
  • 🗞️ News: La Presse (Apple News for English news)
  • 🎶 Music: Apple Music
  • 🎧 Podcasts: Apple Podcasts
  • 🔐 Password Management: iCloud Keychain & Apple Passwords