Newsletter on Numeric Citizen Blog

Apple Ring confirmed?

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:15:42 -0400

A very telling image of Eddy Cue. First, Eddy Cue is not a fan of the iPad and prefers to use paper for his agenda. Second, and not least, Apple is clearly working on an Oura Ring competitor. The first Apple ring to be offered in light gray. 🤫

Claude Cowork unleashed

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:00:12 -0400

Anthropic is unleashing Claude Cowork, which means artifacts can now be run in the cloud rather than on the machine where they were created. This means that if an artifact depends only on cloud resources and services, it can be executed in the cloud and accessed from anywhere, on any device. Until today, I was looking for a way to migrate my artifacts from my MacBook Air to my desktop Mac, but there were no easy solutions. So far, I have four artifacts that I use daily, and I plan to build more.

On MacSurfer's Headlines Evolution

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 18:09:21 -0400

I often revisit MacSurfer’s Headlines website because I’ve been a fan since it launched. Here are some thoughts from my latest visit: the wave logo has been revamped, and I like it — it looks glossy and modern. Now, readers can hide articles behind a paywall, a feature I don’t recall seeing on similar sites. In this screenshot, 19 out of 40 articles are paywalled, which is very useful. Also, readers can subscribe to a newsletter; I’m not sure if this was always available. Lastly, Amazon ads appear on the left sidebar and inline, which has always been part of MacSurfer and has returned after the recent site reboot. Unfortunately, that’s a bit disappointing. I hope MacSurfer continues to thrive by relying solely on human curation. Do we need another OpenAI Pulse or Kagi News, both of which are AI-based?

Anthropic: you can do better

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:34:46 -0400

From the DF Archive: ‘Electron and the Decline of Native Apps’:

The ironic frustration with Anthropic’s Claude app being an Electron turd is that Claude and especially Claude Code are so capable of helping to create good native Mac apps. It’s one thing for a big company or organization with cross-platform aspirations but no institutional Mac expertise, like Notion or Slack or Discord, to choose Electron to create their Mac client. It’s another when it’s a company like Anthropic, whose only product’s single most impressive ability is generating programming code, including high-quality AppKit and SwiftUI code for the Mac. To return to my hammering-screws-into-the-walls metaphor from yesterday, it’s as though the building into which Anthropic decided to hammer all the screws is a renowned screwdriver factory.

Bingo.

Bye Bye ChatGPT Atlas

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:08:04 -0400

Back home. Rebooted my Mac because of an issue with macOS 27 Golden Gate. Got this warning. Oh well, I didn’t use Atlas anyway. I’m not even sure if Atlas is on OpenAI roadmap for the long run.

Too hot

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:00:28 -0400

Vacations coming to an end this weekend, expect normal programming resuming by Sunday. It was a great two-week vacation in France but the overwhelming heat wherever we stayed was a challenge that we didn’t expect and was hard at some points to cope with, especially in Paris.

Why Inkwell is so useful while on vacation

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:05:25 -0400

I use Inkwell quite often and I like it. While on vacation, I tend to spend less time reading my RSS feeds so my unread count goes up quite a bit. How do I catch up efficiently? I stop for a small reading session, I switch to Inkwell and use the Today tab but also the Recent tab which is super useful to see what I have missed. In extreme case of disconnection, the Fading tab comes to the rescue. If you’re an RSS feeds junkie, you should consider trying Inkwell.

Stop scrolling TikTok and start building YOUR app

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:50:12 -0400

AI coding is creating a new generation of makers:

it’s been heartening seeing people reverse engineer things and build weird little things that they never would have done before. I guess they’d be scrolling TikTok instead.

Anything to stay away from TikTok is a win for humankind.

Bye bye Paris

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:42:06 +0200

My last day in Paris. This week flew by. Despite the climate-related challenges, visiting such a wonderful city has been an unforgettable experience. Now, we’re heading south, on a three-hour TGV ride, for a relaxing week on the seaside. Don’t expect too many check-ins. I’m taking a break. I hoped you enjoyed this photo-centric journaling as much as I enjoyed posting.

The 128 GB trick

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:01:48 +0200

Is the Apple TV the new Trash Can Mac Pro? And why on earth do we need a 128 GB configuration? Was it an Apple trick so that people not knowing what they were buying would go the 128 GB route, making Apple smile with 💵💵💵? It’s a shame that Apple keep this around and even increase the price!

RIP Mr Om Malik

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:43:40 +0200

I learned of Om Malik’s passing last night when I got back to the apartment through a short message from Manton Reece. What sad news. I had noticed recently that the frequency of his posts had changed and become irregular. He had some health issues and shared a few words about it in the past.

I had been following Om Malik for a few years and appreciated his perspectives on Apple and technology in general. He knew how to read the nuances and contrasts of Apple much better than other bloggers I won’t name here. He was a great tech journalist. Finally, I was a big fan of his photographic style. I had the pleasure of following him on Glass and regularly showed him my appreciation for his unique style, full of nuance. He will be missed by us all.

Om Malik was one year older than me.

I read his last post dozen of times. This feels surreal.

A slight twist

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 03:18:33 -0400

Is the worst of this Paris heatwave behind us? Maybe, as we’re only heading for 37°C today instead of 38°C or 39°C 😒🥵. After three mostly sleepless nights, we decided to leave our apartment a day early to stay in a hotel with AC before leaving Paris for good. Other than that, our plans for the day are still up in the (hot) air.

Too hot for photography?

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 03:46:10 -0400

You might think that, by looking at the trail here, I’m taking a lot of photos in visiting Paris, but that’s not the case. One reason is it’s my second time in Paris, but the second reason is the heat. Sadly, It’s not fun to stop on the street for a few minutes, under the sun, for shooting a few photos. And lastly, my iPhone is overheating quickly while taking pictures! Running a beta version of iOS 27 probably doesn’t help either. 🤦🏻‍♂️ I’m probably snapping a third of what I would shoot normally.

28C at 9 o’clock!

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 03:23:26 -0400

Starting day #6 in Paris. After a nearly sleepless night with high temperatures in our apartment, no breeze at all, we are facing another record breaking heatwave day. Heading to Notre Dame this morning while outside temperatures are still ok for waiting inline in a queue. Beyond that, we still don’t know. Max temperature is expected to be 38C at 5PM. 🥵🫤😒

Those open space offices suck

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:40:01 -0400

Open-plan offices have many drawbacks, and I was reminded of another one today. Instead of a generic, rotating desk, I much prefer having a dedicated, private office. I want a space of my own, and I enjoy seeing how others personalize their workspaces. You can learn so much about people’s interests and personalities just by seeing how they occupy the space where they spend a third of their lives.

Peak heatwave

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 03:37:28 -0400

Good morning from heated Paris! Today might be the worst of all as we enter peak heatwave. Expected temperatures are around 38C. 😳🥵😩 Photowalk is not a possibility today, this heat removes any glimpses of inspiration. Looking for more museums to visit.

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:08:19 -0400

Beta 2 on iPhone seems a regression. I do remember that we get a few steps back before jumping back to acceptable stability: visual bugs, weird animations in iMessage, etc.

Still hot in Paris

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 03:46:40 -0400

Well, at the beginning our third day in Paris and options for visiting air conditioned museums are limited because of high demand. Apparently, we should plan in advance which we rarely do in vacation. 🫤 Probably going to visit around Le Louvre then see La Seine river nearby where I expect somewhat colder air. Temperatures are expected to be around 35C this afternoon. 🥵

Paris is hot!

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 03:30:14 -0400

First full day in Paris completed. Now starting second day. In case you didn’t know: there is a heat wave affecting most of France. It’s hot 🥵 here in Paris with a temperature of around 26C early morning. Now planning museum visits where temperatures are colder inside.

More of Siri AI

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:31:13 -0400

Since the Siri AI beta is out, I have started using it more and more for simple prompts like the following. It’s not fancy, but it works. Unlike ChatGPT or Claude, Siri AI doesn’t seem to have a memory beyond the data on my device. I’m not quite sure yet, but that’s my current understanding.

Not Addicted Yet

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:21:02 -0400

This morning, I realized that my Discord notifications were delayed; the last one was over 24 hours old. After a brief investigation, I found that I couldn’t connect to my n8n instance; it seemed to require a restart. I didn’t have time to investigate further, so I rebooted everything. Everything is back to normal.

What’s funny is that I only realized this morning that my Discord instance wasn’t receiving any notifications, which shows I’m not yet addicted to these notifications; no n8n workflows are essential yet, and I can do without them. It’s just a mild annoyance.

High Temperatures Expected

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:52:33 -0400

The weather in Montreal, Canada, has not been very good this Spring (lots of rain, too few sunny days, colder than usual). If weather forecasts for the next ten days materialize, improvements aren’t expected soon. Paris, France, is quite another story. They have had plenty of sun, and temperatures are abnormally high and expected to remain so in the near future, as they are still going through a heat wave. The expected high in Paris this coming Saturday is 36C! As a reminder: AC in Paris, or Europe in general, is not common. 😅🥵

Anxieties of a Creator

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:21:40 -0400

Now that I have everything I need for a public travel journaling experience, I’m starting to think about the anxiety this might trigger while travelling. I want to take and share great images of places that are significant in my travelling experience. But, blogging shouldn’t be a burden, journaling neither, especially while travelling. But as a creator, creating and sharing goes hand in hand. I hope I’ll keep my anxiety at bay!

Apple Can't Hold the Line on Prices Anymore

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:17:01 -0400

Tim Cook Says Apple Price Increases Are ‘Unavoidable’ Due to Memory Costs — MacRumors

“Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” said Cook. “We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.”

This is not looking good, and Apple is getting us ready for it.

Can Siri AI Taking Over?

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:00:01 -0400

Since I now run OS 27 on most of my Apple devices, I should remember to use Siri AI instead for simple questions I’d usually ask ChatGPT. Habits are hard to break, I suppose. I find it strange that Writing Tools are no longer available—am I missing something?

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:19:10 -0400

These are my custom-built apps. Icons aren’t the best and my goal is to refresh them to create a visually coherent set. Eventually.

Describe Extension

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:36:01 -0400

Just finished creating my second Safari Extension using Safari 27’s Describe Extension feature. And it just works on the first try. ¹😳 This one will save the selected text of the webpage to my bookmarking web app, including the page title, page URL and author. I wonder how much more complex an extension can be.

My first try was successful, right away, too. ↩︎

Microsoft 365 Needs Better Meeting Preparation Intelligence

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:57:31 -0400

At my job, I spend most of my time on Microsoft 365 office products, especially Teams and Outlook. I spend a lot of time preparing meetings, sometimes with 15 or 20 participants. I don’t understand why Microsoft hasn’t invested in tools to help plan these meetings.

For example: I need to prepare a meeting with 15 participants; if the 4 or 5 must-have participants are available, those time slots should be clearly highlighted to make it easier to spot the best time to schedule the meeting. But that’s not what happens. Although some participants are mandatory, they don’t all carry the same weight.

I wish Microsoft would improve this aspect of their products; in fact, I wish they would show more empathy in their functional design. I feel like today’s Outlook is very similar to the one from ten years ago.

Why I'm (Almost) Buying a MacBook Neo Before Paris

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:53:10 -0400

What if I don’t plan to use any AI tools? What if I don’t plan to multitask like crazy and focus, instead, for once? What if I don’t need the mightiness of my MacBook Air, yet a trustworthy ally? What if I don’t want to lose my Apple Pencil for a third time during this upcoming vacation? What if I want a small yet powerful Mac while on the plane?

After reading Matt Birchler’s blog post about the MacBook Neo being a great second computer five days before leaving for Paris, I’m considering getting one. It’s so cheap. I have 4 days to decide. My wife wouldn’t understand if I got one. 🤫🫣

Come On

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:36:21 -0400

Rewatching WWDC keynote and boy these constantly moving sequences of people talking are very annoying. And, how ironic is it when we know it was filmed with iPhone which comes with sophisticated image stabilization. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

Apple First, Devs Later

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:43:25 -0400

Apple’s Private Cloud Compute Is Severely Limited for Third-Party Developers:

The bottom line is that — for the OS 27 cycle at least — PCC is primarily a feature for Apple itself to use in Siri AI. Granting access to PCC to any third-party developers at all is better than nothing, but this 2-million-download cap cuts off many developers who are in the Small Business Program. Apple should reconsider that. And I know there are a lot of developers who exceed the eligibility for the Small Business Program who would love to have access to the PCC APIs, even if access was paid. The lack of paid tiers says to me that Apple is worried enough about meeting demand from Siri AI users alone.

Expect this to change sooner rather than later once Apple introduces API consumption tiers for developers. Currently, Apple appears to be managing demand for its PCC infrastructure.

SwiftUI or Catalyst for Notion?

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 10:02:22 -0400

When reading about SwiftUI and how it leads to less than optimal Mac apps, I’m not convinced that rewriting Notion in SwiftUI is a good idea. Why not use Catalyst instead? Craft is a great example of a Catalyst-based app.

A Different Type of Project

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 08:14:44 -0400

I chose to postpone purchasing the $1,500 Nikon 24-120 F4 lens to prioritize upgrading my home networking setup. This change is driven by my plan to turn the unused fireplace in the living room into a home theater space with related equipment. As shown in the photo, the items on and inside this small piece of furniture will be moved into a new structure to be built on the left, where the fireplace now is. Additionally, my Ubiquiti Wi-Fi router will be replaced with a ceiling antenna connected to a hub housed inside the new installation. More details about this coming later this summer.

A New Foursquare Is Born

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:20:16 -0400

I’m making great progress with my new web app. It’s already 90% feature complete and ready for my next trip to Paris, starting next week. When I started this project, I had a fairly clear idea of what I wanted, but as I made progress, it became easy to experiment with new features I didn’t think would even be possible. One such feature is the ability to securely share my check-ins publicly so you can follow me! It’s my only custom-built web app with a public-facing view.

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 22:27:57 -0400

La Sagrada Familia is now complete. When I visited the basilica in 2014, after a few moments inside, I simply cried. So beautiful. I’m happy to see this monumental architectural masterpiece completed.

On *OS 27 Betas

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:00:42 -0400

I’ve been rather silent since the release of Apple’s latest major betas, except for a few reaction blips. While I love the new iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, I cannot install macOS 27 beta. Installation always fails at the very end of the download process. Go figure. 🤷🏻‍♂️

iOS 27 Liquid Glass is what it should have been from the start. Oh, and the speed and stability on my iPhone 15 Pro Max prove to be the best fest beta ever. I’m still waiting on the Siri AI waiting list.

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:28:54 -0400

Google Gemini Could Be the Ceiling on Apple’s AI Ambitions:

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the real test of today’s WWDC keynote is whether Apple can deliver better AI experiences than Google using the same Gemini models.

It is not only about the LLM but also about the consumable data feeding the models… and Apple has the edge here.

Remember Path? I do.

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:25:08 -0400

I’ve been fiercely working on something new since yesterday. 😎 Stay tuned.

Wishing for Lil Finder Guy

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 18:37:11 -0400

Apple embraces Lil Finder Guy with WWDC 2026 swag — 9to5Mac

There’s now a physical Apple pin for Lil Finder Guy, the adorable Finder-based Mac mascot who originated from MacBook Neo’s marketing campaign.

I want this little guy to pop up in tomorrow’s WWDC introductory video.

Testing Micro.blog for Mac 4.0 beta 1

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:41:16 -0400

I think the time to upgrade to a beefier Mac is coming… maybe this fall. Even if it’s a native Mac app, I think I prefer my custom-built Microblog Poster web app. Now, returning to normal programming.

Mac mini Canada: 52 configurations, one clear winner

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:16:06 -0400

If you’re shopping for a Mac mini in Canada right now, the Apple Store configurator is both powerful and opaque. It shows you one combination at a time, with no easy way to compare shipping wait times across the full lineup. So I decided to do something about it.

Using Claude’s browser automation tools, I navigated the Apple Canada store programmatically, cycling through every possible Mac mini configuration: all 52 of them, spanning two chips (M4 and M4 Pro), two CPU/GPU variants, two memory tiers, five storage options, and two Ethernet speeds. I captured the live price and shipping lead time for each one directly from the store. No guessing, no third-party data. Everything you see was pulled in real time from apple.com/ca.

The result is the reference table below. The headline finding is blunt: if you want a Mac mini without a long wait, your options are narrow. Only the base M4 model ships in 3 to 4 weeks. Upgrade almost anything (memory, storage, Ethernet, or chip), and you’re looking at 10 to 12 weeks. The Mac mini may be Apple’s most configurable desktop, but right now it’s also one of its hardest to get quickly.

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:09:30 -0400

Google’s Gemini Mac App Is Native, in a Distinctly Google Way, But Annoyingly Presumptuous, but John Gruber had this to say:

(Sidenote: The Gemini Mac app is a native Mac app, but it is … weird. Gus Mueller poked around at it and found that it’s the product of a Java-to-Objective-C converter that Google made, and much of it was originally written for Android.)

A trillion dollars company can’t make great Mac app, i.e. native Mac app. 🤢 Pass.

Software Quality is Not Goal Anymore

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:23:56 -0400

Working on my iPad and Microsoft apps during lunch while attending a webinar… if you think Apple software is full of paper cuts, you ain’t see nothing because Microsoft apps like Outlook and Teams are literally full of bugs, mostly user interface related. 😩🫤

WWDC26 Expectations

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:36:13 -0400

So you were expecting a long blog post about my expectations for WWDC26, right? Well, I don’t have a clue. I think it would be better to write what I want, not what I expect. Here’s what I want.

A slider-type control for toning down Liquid Glass. This UI must disappear somehow, to a degree.
A useful Apple Intelligence, requiring minimal third-party support in order to be useful. Apple’s relationship with the developers is at an all-time low; it’s not the right strategy to depend on them for basic OS feature support.
Speaking of relationships: I want Apple to care about developers, for real. Don’t pretend. Be honest. Be humble.
Finally, I want bug fixes, all sorts of bug fixes.

That’s it.

The Helper

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:48:06 -0400

This morning, after reading and asking Kagi Summarizer for a summary of this article, I wanted to write a response and attempted to craft a counterargument, first using Kagi Summarizer, then using Claude AI. I reviewed numerous versions but remained unsatisfied with the results. After reviewing my options, I ultimately decided to create this version, entirely my own. I still have a feeling that AI helped forge my thoughts.

The Solution Was to Double Down on my AI Subscription

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:34:41 -0400

Since reading David’s article, “the solution might be cancelling my AI subscription”, I cannot stop thinking about how different our experiences are.

Six months ago, right before subscribing to Anthropic’s Claude AI, none of the following custom-built apps existed: a useful, personally fitting bookmark manager; a purpose-built RSS reader that works hand in hand with my bookmark manager; and a simplified task manager that also works in conjunction with the other two. As an experienced user of many RSS readers, bookmark managers, and task managers, knowing my friction points with these apps, I have always dreamed of what would be perfect-for-me versions of them. So I built those, one by one.

Thanks to Claude Code and my vision for what would make the perfect versions of each of these apps, I could build them without being constrained by not knowing Next.js, TypeScript, CSS, etc. I don’t plan to make commercial versions of these nor open-source them. There are a few, and I can tweak them as I see fit and as my needs evolve; this is where I’ll keep focusing. AI empowered me and will continue to do.

You see, the solution for me is to keep iterating and keep my subscription. Two different stories, two different outcomes. Maybe there is something that I didn’t catch in David’s experience.

Is Apple Really Working on iOS... 28?

Sun, 31 May 2026 14:25:21 -0400

If this year’s OS releases are Apple’s way of fixing its software, do these rumors still make sense if work has already started on next year’s major updates? How can Apple manage to do both and maintain them simultaneously? I understand that some features take months or even years to develop, but this doesn’t seem to fit with the rumors. Alternatively, the rumors might just be reflecting common expectations.

On Apple's Next Disruption

Sun, 31 May 2026 14:13:51 -0400

Apple AI glasses launch pushed back to late 2027, Vision Air to arrive by 2029: report — 9to5Mac

Apple believes it has a massive opportunity here in the eyewear space, and wants to potentially capture billions of people who depend on prescription glasses, casually wear sunglasses, or use glasses as a fashion accessory.

Until Apple released the iPhone, wireless providers dictated everything about the buying experience, but Apple sidelined them. Could Apple repeat a similar tour de force with prescription glasses? Imagine getting your prescription, then heading to the Apple Store to pick up your smart glasses. I do see this as Apple’s next disruption. Really.

Disconnecting for a Short While

Sun, 31 May 2026 07:22:52 -0400

Taking a short break today for a 50 KM bike ride around Montreal Island. The expected weather is cloudy and rather cold, at 12C, with a 40% chance of scattered showers. I wished for better weather, but hey… could be much worse. Have a great day. 🚴🏻‍♂️

My Reading Workflow Revealed

Sat, 30 May 2026 13:57:28 -0400

I’m getting there… by myself. I’m finally getting the reading workflow and tools that I always dreamed of. It might sound complex, but it isn’t. I can start at any reading circle level; no need to go with the smallest one (my blog roll). Seventy percent of the time is now spent in Ink⋅well. More to come.

Under the Hood

Sat, 30 May 2026 13:45:13 -0400

I don’t remember the last time I built a full automation workflow from the ground up in n8n, thanks to Claude AI and MCP support. I started manually before knowing n8n had MCP support integrated, which makes me feel more competent in understanding what’s going on. It reminds me of when I bought an iPad touch so that I could learn to build apps with Objective-C and Xcode; I like to understand what’s going on under the hood, in the digital world, at least.

Archiving Micro.blog Bookmarks

Sat, 30 May 2026 07:23:11 -0400

I just completed a new workflow: automatically saving new bookmarks stored on Micro.blog to my custom-built bookmark manager web app running on Vercel. Since Micro.blog doesn’t support webhook calls, I had to resort to a scheduled n8n workflow that pulls any newly saved bookmarks via Micro.blog APIs and saves each one using a new API route on my bookmark manager web app on Vercel. It’s much more efficient than asking Claude AI to do this using a skill (which was working perfectly, by the way) to save into a Craft Collection block entry.

Food for Thought on a Rainy Friday

Fri, 29 May 2026 12:09:29 -0400

What if, as soon as we shared content on the Internet, you couldn’t remove it as soon as someone was referring to it or embedded it in some other content? I’m thinking about the open web here… would this hypothetical web be called the open web anyway? Would we be more intentional when sharing content having this rule baked in? This chain of thoughts was triggered when I came across a website with a blog post with some embedded content from YouTube. Some videos were no longer available and made the blog post more or less diminished.

Still Looking for the Killer App

Fri, 29 May 2026 10:31:09 -0400

iOS 27 might convince a lot of people to upgrade to a new iPhone — 9to5Mac

Before now, Apple Intelligence arguably hasn’t provided enough reason to motivate upgrades for most users, but in iOS 27, that could very well change.

Unless Apple hits a home run with this year’s Apple Intelligence upgrade, I tend to think that we overestimate the attractiveness of AI for ‘ordinary’ iPhone users.

Thu, 28 May 2026 13:15:49 -0400

Melius’ Ben Reitzes raises price target on Apple to $385 — Asymco

An agentic version of Siri could boost 2030 revenue by as much as $65 billion, Wamsi and his team estimated, adding up to $2 billion in incremental earnings over the next four years.

Siri+. I hope Apple don’t read his blog.

So Many Questions, Still So Few Answers

Thu, 28 May 2026 12:49:57 -0400

Report: Apple Plans to Make On-Device AI a Key WWDC Focus:

The arrangement represents a noticeable departure from Apple’s original Apple Intelligence announcement, in which the company said all cloud-bound queries would be handled exclusively by its own Private Cloud Compute infrastructure running on Apple silicon. Apple is likely to retain the Private Cloud Compute branding despite the change, people familiar with the partnership told The Information.

There is much left unanswered in this article. How much of Private Cloud Compute is in use today and for what purpose? How much of this capacity will be running the new Apple Intelligence? Will Apple expand PCC into Google’s datacenters? If so, what is Apple’s own infrastructure going to serve? And how much of an improvement can we expect to run local models on our devices compared to the original Apple Intelligence model?

I'm Done With Things

Thu, 28 May 2026 07:37:30 -0400

It took me the drive, Codex and Claude Code, four days, and voilà! Things 3 is now a thing of the past; I’m using a perfect-for-me custom-built task manager web application running on Vercel/Neon. Things 4 might go subscription-only; I don’t care.

Daydreaming All The Time

Wed, 27 May 2026 17:51:48 -0400

While moving my tasks out of Things 3, I noticed that many possible projects or tasks were really just daydreams. Migration is an ideal opportunity to reevaluate everything with a fresh perspective. Then, the new digital home will host a new set of daydreaming projects and tasks that I’ll revisit with a smile and kill right off the bat.

Wed, 27 May 2026 07:54:19 -0400

You know Apple created chaos when Apple Publishes Document to Help Users Tell Creator Studio Apps Apart. 🤔🤦🏻‍♂️

Switching DB Backend Easily

Tue, 26 May 2026 21:26:13 -0400

After largely completing the transition from Things.app to a version built with vibe coding on Next.js and hosted on Vercel, I decided to switch from Airtable to a Postgres backend. The free-tier on Airtable only allows 1000 public API calls, which wasn’t sufficient. To avoid hitting this cap constantly, I, with the help of Codex, migrated to a Postgres database called Neon, available through Vercel’s marketplace. I already use Neon for my bookmarking web app, so the change was quite smooth. I didn’t need to move any data since I am still in the late development phase. Now returning to other fine-tuning tasks.

Making Progress

Mon, 25 May 2026 07:20:48 -0400

Well, well, well, it seems to be happening much quicker than originally thought. I’m about 70% done with this already! I still like Claude Code more, but Codex is more efficient at testing the UI in its browser than Claude Code. And the in-browser cursor, which is 100% independant than the Mac cursor, is super cool to see in action.

Sun, 24 May 2026 19:58:33 -0400

WordPress 7 shipped with new AI features, where are they hiding?:

The latest version of WordPress (WP), seven, which shipped a few days ago, comes with, according to the accompanying release notes/marketing copy, a number of AI features.

I’m yet to see even one of these, despite installing version seven last week now. The only noticeable difference I can discern — to date — is a change in some of the hyperlink colours on the dashboard.

Not that I’m looking forward to it, but Ghost still doesn’t have any AI-related features.

Burning Tokens

Sun, 24 May 2026 15:49:48 -0400

So far so good with OpenAI Codex. I prefer Claude Code’s look and feel, but Codex seems more like something Microsoft would build: plain, without soul. My data model is completed and implemented in AirTable. The basic web UI is running, but is lacking many basic operations like create, update, and delete for tasks, projects, etc. It took me less than two hours to deplete my token allotment. It’s a slower rate than with Claude Code… but still, it’s quickly gone.

Other Browsers Keep Disappointing Me

Sun, 24 May 2026 11:53:03 -0400

From time to time, I open a different browser to see if I’m missing anything. I tried the Dia Browser again, but I still don’t quite like it. I feel unsure about it. Its design doesn’t appeal to me, and it seems slower than the ARC Browser. My default choice remains Apple Safari. Oh, I want to like the Zen browser, but I don’t like it to be based on Firefox.

Now That Google Broke Its Promise to the Web, What's Next?

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:39:36 -0400

In “Google Betrayed the web”, Mike Elgan argues that Google has broken the foundational “Grand Bargain” of the internet—trading traffic to content creators in exchange for indexing their content. Google now uses creator content to train AI models and serves answers directly to users, bypassing the original sources. This shift eliminates referral traffic to publishers and independent sites while allowing Google to profit from their work twice over. Elgan calls for a post-Google internet as a response to this betrayal. His response centers on Google’s alternatives: Kagi, Perplexity, Fastmail, and Antropic. All alternatives that I personally use, except Perplexity.

Using AI to Capture My Next iPhone Upgrade Story?

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:14:58 -0400

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be upgrading my aging iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone 18 Pro Max this coming September. For each upgrade, when I upgraded to the iPhone 13 Pro, and then to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I wrote a personal take. Both are quite different, and I’d like to put another one this year. The big difference: the place AI could take to help me put this together. I have all summer to think about this. And I know what some people might be thinking about those who use AI and write about using AI to do their things.

Doctors Surprising Practice: Texting X-Rays Using WhatsApp

Fri, 22 May 2026 07:19:53 -0400

Our healthcare system does miracles, but it also relies on practices that are sometimes questionable.

Yesterday, when I went to pick up my wife from the hospital after her jaw surgery, she needed to have one last X-ray. The device is the same as at a dentist’s office, with a rotating head that can turn 360 degrees around the patient’s head. This device is connected to a PC running imaging software. Once the X-ray was taken, the doctor examined it and decided to share it with a remote specialist for a second opinion. The method used was quite surprising.

The doctor started Chrome, opened WhatsApp Web, and authenticated with his WhatsApp account on his personal phone. Then? He took a screenshot of the X-ray using Windows’ utility and sent it in a WhatsApp chat with his colleague. It’s an unusual procedure, but it stems from a flaw in the medical imaging software: the lack of a secure messaging feature. Is this approach approved? I doubt it, but I can’t blame the doctor. His action allowed all of us to save time. And what about the quality of the image on the other end? Using the Windows screenshow utility is certainly not the best way to share a detailed view of my wife’s jawbone.

Oh, and another surprise: the PC had a label with a password written on it to enable a recovery function in case of problems. I thought this practice was outdated. Apparently not.

Where Life & Tech Collide

Thu, 21 May 2026 16:34:48 -0400

I have some personal news to share.

Yesterday, my wife had a bike accident that broke her jawbone, among other injuries. She’s currently undergoing surgery, and the next few weeks will be challenging for her.

Here’s what happened:

We usually bike to work. As we were leaving the bike lane, we parted ways to head to our offices. When I arrived at my office, I received an SOS notification on my watch and iPhone. Apparently, she had hit something hard. I tried to call her back, but she couldn’t speak. I assured her I’d go back and pick her up. Using Find My, I discovered she was only 400 meters away from my office. The ambulance eventually arrived because her iPhone automatically called 911. She was quickly taken to the nearest emergency room for examination and treatment. Thankfully, she’s doing well.

Thanks to the iPhone, Apple Watch, and our mutual emergency contact setup, I was immediately notified of the accident and needed to come to her aid. It’s a testament to the power of technology when used responsibly.

The Irony of the App Store

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:52:10 -0400

Why is Inkwell stuck in review:

I submitted Inkwell for iOS to Apple for review on April 21st. It has gone through numerous rejections, code changes, resubmissions, clarifications, one phone call, and one appeal to the review board, which I’m still waiting to hear back on.

What a bizarre yet expected journey for a small developer trying hard to secure a little place in the App Store sun. I wish Manton a sooner-than-later resolution to this matter. It would be sad to see such a nice, little, and useful app not make it to the App Store. An app that can exist because of the open web, but can hardly live on a closed platform. How ironic. 😔

When Does Using Tools Become Laziness?

Tue, 19 May 2026 07:25:38 -0400

Yesterday, I was criticized for adding an AI-powered feature to my Microblog frontend. It was suggested that, since AI can generate blog post titles, I might appear lazy. I explained that I’m not a native English speaker and sometimes need help with writing. Is that really wrong? For those using spell checkers and grammar checkers, are they lazy, too? At what point do the tools we choose to develop and utilize indicate our laziness?

Bye Bye Grammarly?

Mon, 18 May 2026 22:25:23 -0400

Apple Expanding AI Writing Tools With Grammar Checker in iOS 27:

Apple is planning to introduce a dedicated AI grammar checker for Writing Tools that will work like Grammarly. When writing in Messages, Mail, and other apps there will be a translucent menu that slides up from the bottom of the iPhone’s screen, and it will show suggested revisions next to the original written text.

I feel Grammarly is a hack and offers spotty integration with apps like Craft. For something like writing and text editing, Apple has always been ahead of the pack compared to Windows. It’s time for a complete system-level solution.

Shortcuts AI

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:29:20 -0400

iOS 27 to Let Users Generate Wallpapers and Build Shortcuts With AI — MacRumors

Bloomberg says the Shortcuts app has a prompt that says “What do you want your shortcut to do?” with a text field to enter a description. Shortcuts that are created using AI are then automatically installed and immediately available for use.

If true, I can’t wait to try it out! Shortcuts are out of reach for me. Too complicated, bad editing experience. With AI, this could flip the table and make them usable for me!

AI-Powered Title Suggestions Are Now Built Into My Micro.blog Editor

Mon, 18 May 2026 14:49:55 -0400

I made a small but useful improvement to my Micro.blog frontend: I added a Suggest Title option right to the title field. The prompt sent to Antropic’s cheapest model is:

Suggest a short, compelling blog post title for the following content. Reply with only the title, no quotes, no explanation.

This blog post was created to test the feature. Worked on the first try.

Mon, 18 May 2026 13:32:36 -0400

AI Data Centers Are Deeply Unpopular, Across the Political Spectrum, John Gruber’s comment:

It’s hard to overstate how unpopular this polling paints AI data centers. It’s just an absolute messaging and marketing disaster for the entire tech industry.

In case you missed it: I’ve been working in IT and data center-related tech and projects for more than three decades. Not all data centers are meant to host AI-related stuff. But the trend is clear: it’s becoming harder and harder to find general-purpose data centers… why? Because hosting AI is much more profitable per square-foot. Like Gruber said: Money talks.

Seizing Triggers to Reconsider

Mon, 18 May 2026 13:09:25 -0400

I struggle with my current AI usage because I frequently reach my token limit¹. I see two options: upgrade to a bigger plan² or use the limit as a signal to shift my approach—try something different or adopt a new strategy in real-time. A few years back, I didn’t rely on AI at all for my creative work. Now, with AI’s vast potential, I have found new creative possibilities that depend on it, so it’s hard not to upgrade or buy more.

I’m currently a Claude subscriber only, nothing else. I’m also hitting the very low free-tier limit of ChatGPT. ↩︎
Or restart my ChatGPT subscription in addition to Claude’s. I would use both for different needs. ↩︎

I Love Dashboards

Mon, 18 May 2026 09:55:01 -0400

Continuing my experiment with using my Craft Daily notes, I discovered and experimented with Claude Cowork Live Artifacts. These are interactive HTML-based dashboards that can be automatically updated on a schedule or on demand. This one is built using the Craft Daily notes data and presented inside Claude Cowork. I already have a big dashboard that I have created and hosted on Vercel, so it’s a different approach, a much more expensive approach because Claude Cowork consumes tokens after each update.

Playing With The Digital World

Mon, 18 May 2026 09:19:49 -0400

Since last year, I’ve been tracking my daily creative activities using Craft Daily Notes. Today, I tried out Claude AI and asked it to create a visual timeline for a specific day (yesterday in this case). Pretty interesting, isn’t it? Useful? I’m uncertain. I enjoy experimenting with digital tools and AI; it really elevates the experience. The challenge is to automate this and have a consistent format from day to day.

Internet in 2026: Closed Platforms

Mon, 18 May 2026 08:44:33 -0400

I experimented this weekend with the YouTube APIs to realize how much the platform limits the exposure of its features. It’s a shame and reflects what the internet has become nowadays: a collection of private gardens.

Above all that, the setup of the APIs in Google Cloud seems obscure and unintuitive to me. Luckily, I always have Claude AI nearby to help me.

On Apple AI Chat Beta

Mon, 18 May 2026 07:44:45 -0400

iOS 27: Dedicated Siri App to Include Auto-Deleting Chats Feature:

Apple in iOS 27 will include an enhanced Siri with a dedicated app that gives users options to keep conversations in memory for a limited time, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Clearly, Gurman knows someone at Apple willing to share secret information about the upcoming AI chat app. We’re getting a pretty well-formed idea of what Apple is brewing behind closed doors. I’m looking forward to seeing how Apple will tackle memory management, if they ever decide to expose that portion to the users. Also, will the AI chat support the share extension for uploading images or sharing a website for summarization? All the types of things that we take for granted these days.

The end of the App Store as we know it?

Sat, 16 May 2026 16:03:47 -0400

Apple is blocking AI coding apps because its entire review model assumes software holds still — but AI-generated apps dissolve that assumption entirely. The real conflict isn’t regulatory; it’s ontological. The infrastructure built around static software artifacts — version numbers, review queues, bug reports — wasn’t designed for code that generates itself at runtime.

It’s fascinating, even fun, to watch models evolve and being challenged like this.

My First ChatGPT Ads! YEAH! 😑

Sat, 16 May 2026 08:27:10 -0400

This morning, while chatting with ChatGPT to learn how to block access to one of my websites for a specific country (Russia, for example), I got my first ads in ChatGPT since I’m on the free tier. How cool is that?

Side note: I’m considering blocking access to my websites for specific hostile countries and replacing the content with a “GTFO” page. Yep, I’m like that. 💪🏻👊🏻 I’m still trying to figure that out because using DNS Proxy on Cloudflare is discouraged by Ghost and many other hosting services.

Cancelling Apple Shortcuts

Sat, 16 May 2026 07:43:03 -0400

This morning, I tidied up my to-do list. Most of my ideas or projects involving Apple Shortcuts are now cancelled because I found alternatives using Claude AI. That’s a rather positive, as I never really embraced the Shortcuts mindset.

Really?

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:58:51 -0400

Apple has won a prestigious award for iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design — 9to5Mac

The ADC (Art Directors Club) Annual Awards have recognized iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design with four honors, including a prestigious Gold Cube in the category of Interactive / UX / UI.

There is something that I don’t get.

I'm a Loyal Guy

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:27:54 -0400

Now that I am comfortable with Claude Code and the Anthropic ecosystem, I find it difficult to switch and explore Codex for developing a new web application. I know I will eventually do it, but I tend to be loyal to a platform if possible.

Can't Make It Work

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:13:09 -0400

I’ve been trying to make Claude Code work with Chrome for development purposes and failed miserably. I’m doing all the required setup, and no, nothing seems to work. Claude Code isn’t able to preview changes on my local browser. Is it because it doesn’t support the ARC Browser? I tested Codex, and it worked right from the bat! Mmmm.

Who Wants To Pay Fees In a Commodity Market?

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:47:33 -0400

Apple Working on Plan to Allow AI Agent Apps on the App Store:

Some developers are hesitant to work with Apple to integrate their apps into ‌Siri‌ because they are worried about providing new ways for Apple to collect commissions. Apple is telling some developers that it does not plan to charge commissions during the early stages of the partnership, but that fees are a possibility in the future. Apple has held talks with Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent about ‌Siri‌ integration in ‌iOS 27‌, but the companies do not want to end up paying fees to Apple.

In the early days of the App Store, every developer aspired to be part of it because it was the ultimate platform. Today, the difference is stark and disheartening. I hope some people at Apple recognize that something is amiss. Developer adoption of the Apple Vision Pro has been hesitant, mainly due to concerns about the market size. This is an area where Apple could improve by adopting new strategies. Fees and potential fees are major obstacles that Apple can easily control or eliminate, and doing so could significantly boost perceived value.

I Want To Beleive But... No, I Can't.

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:26:21 -0400

Meta AI App Gets ‘Incognito Chat’ as OpenAI Faces Lawsuits Over Stored Chat Logs:

Zuckerberg also said that Meta AI’s incognito mode is the first major AI product where there is no log of conversations stored on servers. Zuckerberg likened the feature to end-to-end encryption, and said no one will be able to read the AI conversations, not even Meta or WhatsApp.

There is nothing incognito in Meta. I don’t believe him. Do you?

iOS 26.6 Betas: No Thank You

Tue, 12 May 2026 06:15:15 -0400

Dear Apple, I don’t want to see a new round of betas, skip iOS 26.6 entirely, and focus all your energy on iOS 27. Since iOS 26.0, I’ve seen many bugs that are still not fixed, nine months later, so I guess iOS 26.6 won’t do it either. I don’t know why some glaring bugs are still among us, poor iPhone users, but it is what it is. I hope that pouring all your efforts into iOS 27 might be the best strategy if coupled with a maturing use of AI to help your engineers in their journey. Who knows. 😑

Open Web + People = ?

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:10:01 -0400

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead:

Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it’s fair to say that the move is not going down well with users.

Two things come to my mind about how Reddit was even possible in the early days: the open web and people. Now, Reddit put the first part of the equation in the trash. The second part might already be happening, thanks to AI.

Test Micro.blog Native App

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:02:00 -0400

This is a test blog post from the Micro.blog app for Mac. This nifty 5 MB app, which is rather extremely small by today’s standards, keeps slowly but surely improving. Now returning to normal programming.

Where is the right balance?

Mon, 11 May 2026 07:01:16 -0400

The pace at which I prepare and send my newsletter is slower than I would like. The attractiveness of this newsletter is probably affected by that. So I get anxious about it. Conversely, if I were very consistent, my newsletter could become much more popular. In that case, I would probably also feel anxious, thinking I need to maintain this high publishing rate. There must be a right balance, where anxiety doesn’t rear its head.

Apple, Copy This!

Sun, 10 May 2026 20:03:52 -0400

Bauhaus Clock for iPhone and iPad:

Bauhaus Clock for iPhone and iPad is a design-first, utility-second sort of app. It’s simple, doing nothing more than tell the time in one or two locations. But how it tells the time — with its gasp-worthy combination of visual, haptics, and audio features — make it one of those delightful apps you’ll love to have on your device.

I wish Apple offered more stylish and easy-to-read watch faces for the Apple Watch. While the hardware has been lagging a bit, perhaps Apple could improve the watch experience through a better time-reading experience.

An Update About Me

Sun, 10 May 2026 07:51:21 -0400

Just in case you didn’t know, I maintain an extensive “Who Is Numeric Citizen” page, built with Realmac Software Elements and hosted on their hosting service, Elements IO.

In recent days, I made a lot of tweaks and updated some details about me and my digital journey. It’s a bit overwhelming, but I guess it’s reflecting what I’m doing online! 😜

Sometimes I wonder if it is a good practice to put so many details about myself online. In the age of AI, I can imagine bad actors using AI and this website to build malicious impersonation tools.

The RODECaster Video: A Downgrade?

Sat, 09 May 2026 13:54:45 -0400

Another morning spent digging into RODEcaster Video S setup and configuration. I’m starting to get a better picture of what this device will help me improve, but also what I’m leaving behind if I drop Mac-only video production. One example is the lack of flexibility in dynamically framing the Mac desktop to hide or show the Mac menu bar. High-resolution video recording (4K @ 60 FPS) is also something I must leave behind when using the RODECaster Video; it’s not a surprise, but a reality check.

Enjoying Stable Apple OSes?

Fri, 08 May 2026 18:29:43 -0400

It’s the time of the year where Apple’s operating systems are the most stable, right before the next WWDC edition. But, really, this year, it is the case? I’m not so sure. As of today, I see bugs in every OSes that Apple didn’t fix since their dot zero release. I home Apple will change course in 2026.

AirPods Ultra?

Thu, 07 May 2026 19:25:46 -0400

AirPods Pro With AI Cameras Reach ‘Advanced’ Testing Stage — MacRumors

The AirPods Pro will have built-in cameras that will feed visual information about the wearer’s surroundings to Siri. While there will be a longer stem for the camera in each AirPod, the device will otherwise look similar to the AirPods Pro 3.

I would take an AirPods upgrade over any pendant-like device for augmented reality with AI twists. I feel this is more socially acceptable than a pendant.

On Mac SKUs Optimization

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:31:09 -0400

Apple Cuts More Mac Studio and Mac Mini RAM Options as Memory Shortage Worsens — MacRumors

Apple has removed more desktop Macs from its online store as the global memory shortage continues. Mac mini models with 32GB and 64GB of RAM are no longer available for purchase, nor is the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256GB RAM.

While some RAM configurations were removed, I find it surprising that you still can configure your Mac with up to 16 TB of storage, another electronic component that is becoming scarce. Apple is, in fact, reducing CPU SKUs¹, but might also reduce storage options in the future.

RAM or system memory is on-chip. ↩︎

Read The Fuckin Manual!

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:09:11 -0400

I received this device yesterday and started experimenting with it. As someone with limited experience in video production, I find it a bit intimidating to learn and use. I tend to skip reading the manual on my first use, which is usually a good test of a device’s design. A well-designed device shouldn’t need a manual, but in this case, it does.

One surprising aspect is that while there is an online documentation, it lacks depth. Specifically, it would be helpful to have a range of production setups, from simple to complex, along with descriptions for each configuration.

I plan to use the mixer with my Mac mini (for recording my screen), my iPhone (to record myself), an external Samsung T5 SSD (for ISO recording output), my Bose QuietComfort headphones, and my RODE WirelessME pic. I might add another video input, such as my Nikon Zf or my Logitech BRIO webcam, and use my iPad as an external display.

Come On Apple, Take It!

Tue, 05 May 2026 07:06:54 -0400

Manton Reece is struggling with Apple’s efforts to publish Inkwell on the App Store. He shared some details about his recent difficult experience, and I hope he will reveal more once the app is available.

The state of the App Store is astonishing, in a bad way. I recently spent a few minutes browsing the Mac App Store to find an iPhone app and check its compatibility on a Mac. The number of poorly made apps is incredible. It appears Apple no longer recognizes when an app is genuinely well-designed and serves a real purpose.

I use the TestFlight version of Inkwell every day.

On Micro.blog's Blog Post Title Handling

Mon, 04 May 2026 22:05:44 -0400

When using Micro.blog, if a blog post has a title, once cross-posted to Bluesky (and probably Mastodon), only the title is included, with a link to the original post. If I want to include a teaser, I need to generate a text summary of the blog post that will be included in the cross-posted content. If my blog post includes an image, that image will appear, too. All this to say: I’m going to include a post title as often as possible and have a post summary generated. This blog post was more or less a test. Now returning to normal programming. Thank you for your attention to that matter.

Here is the blog post on Bluesky.

Apple Watch Face Store?

Mon, 04 May 2026 10:02:46 -0400

watchOS 27 to Offer New Watch Faces, Including ‘Modular Ultra’ Variant — MacRumors

Apple is testing multiple new faces for watchOS 27, code-named “Orchid,” with one being a “simplified take” on the Modular Ultra design.

When is Apple going to introduce a Watch Face Store? Will Apple ever do this? Beyond Apple Watch Apps, it seems Apple is missing an opportunity to make even more money, even if it is open to a select few Watch Face developers and designers…

Give It a Title or Not? That Is the Question

Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:54 -0400

I’m still uncertain about whether I should include titles for my blog posts here. Do all posts need a title? Why do some have titles while others might not? It seems that the unwritten guideline is that long posts should have titles, whereas short ones might not require them. I like titles because they better define each post, either on the timeline or in a blog post digest. Your thoughts?

Feeling Tired of Apple Keynote?

Mon, 04 May 2026 07:13:36 -0400

Since I started making YouTube videos, I’ve used Apple Keynote to design all my thumbnails because I found it approachable, easy to work with, and capable of helping me quickly create acceptable designs. However, this morning I feel that my approach needs reevaluation. I briefly tried Canva, but the free version is too restrictive, and I dislike software with constant subscription prompts, as if I’m using a demo. I also thought about Acorn, but it never really resonated with me. For now, I plan to stick with Keynote unless someone suggests a better alternative I haven’t considered.

Sat, 02 May 2026 09:02:42 -0400

Apple Stops Selling Mac Mini With 256GB of Storage, Starting Price Rises to $799 — MacRumors

Apple has removed the 256GB storage option for Mac mini worldwide, raising the starting price from $599 to $799.

While this move might be seen as greedy, it probably helps Apple dedicate assembly-line resources to building more capable Mac minis, which are in high demand.

Sat, 02 May 2026 08:11:06 -0400

While reviewing my list of potential tech purchases, I found that the Rodecaster Video now has a new variant: the S model. It is more affordable but still retains most features, with fewer inputs and outputs that are still sufficient for my potential needs. The key question is: do I actually need it? Would purchasing this device allow me to resume producing YouTube videos?

Fri, 01 May 2026 11:27:26 -0400

CIOs ready for another role-change as AI becomes agent of chaos — The Register

As software generates software and autonomous agents execute work, the CIO’s center of gravity shifts from building systems to governing outcomes.

We’ve been delegating so much stuff in the last 10-15 years… like moving the on-prem data centers to cloud providers… transforming manager’s roles from hardware acquisition and planning to contractual surveillance, FinOps, etc. AI will accelerate this but in a new direction.

Fri, 01 May 2026 06:25:45 -0400

Each month, I look at my web analytics, and the downward trend continues. Is this another AI side effect? Or maybe I’m becoming irrelevant. Let’s start a new month, shall we?

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:03:32 -0400

LinkedIn scans for 6,278 extensions and encrypts the results into every request — Hacker News

When LinkedIn’s extension scan runs on your browser, it is not building a device profile for an unknown visitor. It is appending a detailed software inventory to a profile that already contains your verified professional identity.

Wow, now I know why visiting LinkedIn on my work computer is so slow. Is it time for me to close my LinkedIn account? I did close Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for much less than this. 😳😤

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:16:52 -0400

As Tim Cook steps down, Apple hit record sales — but a chip shortage looms — TechCrunch

Cook warned that the expectation is “significantly higher memory costs” in June and beyond, which may “drive an increasing impact” on the business as the AI industry’s demand for memory chips continues to surge.

First real challenge for John Turnus, as a CEO this fall?

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:43:54 -0400

All bloggers eventually want to build their own blog software. All feed reader developers want their own sync platform. All blog hosts want a feed reader.

In 2026, I predict approximately thousands of niche open web apps, each with a small number of users who wouldn’t want to use anything else.

manton www.manton.org/2026/04/28/all-bloggers-eventually-want-to.html

I can attest that, as a blogger, unsatisfied with the current RSS readers¹ or bookmark managers’² offerings, I had to build mine. I don’t plan to share any of it, though. I do see a trend among builders of putting together apps for their personal use, and I find this fantastic. Building software is hard, and seeing people able to put things together that fit their needs is really cool.

I like Inoreader as a service, but less as an RSS reader. ↩︎
I tried many of them, but settled on building mine, very focused on helping me to maintain a newsletter. ↩︎

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:13:51 -0400

Manton Reece writing about Software brain:

Maybe our belief in new technology has been warped by cynicism. We’ve been beaten down by ad platforms, manipulated by algorithms. We’ve grown weary of the relentless pace of Silicon Valley. We assume every CEO must be a liar and that even good intentions are corrupted by money.

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:53:37 -0400

Memory Is the Machine:

Apple did not win an AI race. Apple made a memory-architecture decision in 2020 that turned out to be the AI race, five years before there was an AI race.

Maybe we should stop focusing on Siri failures and, like Om Malik said, on the real story where Apple has a five year lead… which happens to make a big difference in an AI-distributed world.

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 20:00:46 -0400

Deleted a few dozens Shortcuts today. All sort of Shortcuts: simple ones, utility ones, more complex ones. Many of them aren’t needed anymore because of my AI usage. I’m curious to see how Apple will make the Shortcuts landscape evolve in the age of AI.

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:00:46 -0400

For me, this screenshot, taken from an article that appeared on my Ghost Reader timeline, perfectly exemplifies the web in 2026. Nothing more to add, your honour.

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:26:51 -0400

I will not go see the latest movie about Michael Jackson’s life¹. I know I will be disappointed. Just knowing that the film ends with the Bad tour is a strong indicator of complacency. I do not want to repeat the mistake of seeing the Steve Jobs movie. I would take ten new songs from him from his private recording vault² instead of a bad movie.

Which life anyway? The public life? the private life? A combination of both? ↩︎
I have always wondered why there are so few new songs from MJ since his death. ↩︎

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:14:58 -0400

Manuel Moreale, in his “Dealgorithmed” newsletter edition #007, commenting on a (very long) post from Anil Dash about the end of the web as we know it:

One thing I find entirely unconvincing about that post is what Anil has to offer in terms of action we can take. Support the Internet Archive and Wikipedia? Support the EFF? Donate to Mozilla? Think fondly about Stack Overflow?

Is that going to save the open web? If you want to do something to save the open web, leave social media behind and make yourself a website.

Of all the toxicities afflicting the (open) web these days, social media is probably the most toxic by a wide margin. In the name of discoverability and moneytization, we keep feeding the beast.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 22:10:29 -0400

I was doing some cleaning tonight in my old documents on Craft, including those that were initially published as shared documents, then migrated to Micro.blog, on my metablog. The articles cover the period from 2020 to last year; the more recent documents are published directly on Micro.blog. While rereading some of these documents, I thought that their relevance was pretty much nil and that I should maybe delete them permanently. I didn’t do it, out of fear of erasing part of my memory.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 16:00:46 -0400

Sometimes I test a local LLM on my M2 MacBook Air, which isn’t very powerful for this task. After a few prompts, it gets quite hot.🌡️ A MacBook Pro, with fans, would handle it better. Now, think about millions of people prompting LLMs in data centers worldwide, with much more powerful models responding and consuming huge amounts of energy. No wonder some parts of the world are experiencing an energy crisis because of AI.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 09:00:03 -0400

Taking the Apple Agents Concept Even Further with Shortcuts, a Store, and Access Anywhere — Parker Ortolani

The reception to my Apple Agents concept the other day was tremendously positive and I had to expand on it. Imagine being able to build agents with Shortcuts and natural language, browsing an Agent Store for more advanced automation tools, and even the ability to chat with your agents from anywhere on your iPhone from the Dynamic Island.

Will Apple dare to use the “Little Finder Guy” to give Siri a face? That would be really cool. I could call that “courage”.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:07:50 -0400

This morning, I realized that having a self-hosted version of n8n comes with some notable limitations. For example, with the SaaS version, you can link your n8n instance to a GitHub repo so you can use version control right in GitHub and manage issues and all that. More details from Claude AI:

n8n has a native Source Control feature (available in Enterprise / Self-hosted Pro plans) that connects your n8n instance directly to a Git repo: Push/pull workflows, credentials stubs, and variables to/from a branch Supports environment promotion (e.g. dev → staging → prod branches)

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:27:04 -0400

Woah, what happened to Pinterest? Ads, videos, AI Modified / AU generated stuff… 😟😵‍💫 Come on! What is happening to the thing we used to call the Internet?

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:57:34 -0400

9to5Mac’s article “M6 MacBook Pro: Six new features coming later this year”:

Apple is expected to launch a redesigned M6 MacBook Pro later this year featuring a thinner and lighter design, new M6/M6 Pro/M6 Max chips built on advanced 2nm technology, and a touchscreen—the first ever on a Mac. Additional upgrades include an OLED display for better contrast and blacks, a Dynamic Island replacing the notch, and possibly cellular connectivity through Apple’s new C2 modem.

This feels like a meaningful upgrade rather than an iterative one. As my aging 15-inch M2 MacBook Air is starting to show its limits for some AI-related experimentation, I’ve been considering the MacBook Pro, though it definitely feels heavy to use on the couch. A slimmer design would make that transition much easier.

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:06:26 -0400

What do these two smoke?
No significant product issue!?
Off the top of my head:
- iPhone 6 ‘bendgate’
- iPhone 7 ‘loop disease’
- iPhone throttling (‘batterygate’)
- The butterfly keyboard fiasco
- 12-inch retina MacBook failing display cable (trapped in the hinge mechanism, IIRC)
- 24-inch iMacs with failing display cable
Riccardo Mori https://appdot.net/@morrick/116454085612000889

He is right. Gruber looks like a fanboy at times. The keyboard fiasco lasted so long.

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:13:58 -0400

If Google’s Gemini will be the core intelligence behind the “new Siri” this fall, as per Google’s recent statement, should I begin exploring it to understand its personality? 🤔

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:05:48 -0400

You do what you want but using Substack for photo sharing…? I don’t get it. Yet, I do follow a few really impressive photographers there even if I don’t visit Substack often, when I do, I’m always delighted. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:58:11 -0400

John Ternus is already overhauling Apple operations using AI, per report — 9to5Mac

John Ternus is Apple’s incoming CEO, and according to a Bloomberg report, he has already started to overhaul Apple’s internal operations using AI.

I hope Apple don’t join Amazon, Snapshat, Cisco or other corporations laying off employees because of AI.

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:20:34 -0400

The market reaction to Tim Cook’s announcement is wrong. As it’s often the case. 🙄

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:56:33 -0400

A quote from John Ternus’ internal memo leaked today (emphasis is mine):

As you’ve by now heard, Tim has announced that he will be transitioning into the executive chairman role, and in September, I will become Apple’s new CEO. It has been such a privilege to lead the hardware engineering team, to be part of such remarkable work, and to see all of you in action, determined as ever to do everything we can for our users. I look forward to working with you very closely in my new role. Needless to say, I still plan to be very hands-on.

I like this a lot. I always admired people who can be very high-level and very hands-on while being relevant at both levels.

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:44:28 -0400

John Appleseed:

Ternus’s other task will be to repair an incredibly fragile relationship with developers, who have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with Cupertino.

Priority #1 or #2. If #2, then the software story has to be #1.

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:09:30 -0400

The latest Huawei folding phone kind of previews the iPhone Ultra — 9to5Mac

Apple is believed to be going for a wider screen on the outside of its foldable iPhone, which creates a wider aspect ratio for the larger screen on the inside.

I wasn’t very keen to such devices until I saw and okayed with one recently. I’m not sure about this form factor, though. It reminds me of the fat iPod nano. What’s I’d like to see in the future is a foldable iPad where the full size would be equivalent to the current 11-inch iPad, but once folded would be closer to a mix of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and an iPad mini.

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:03:06 -0400

App host Vercel says it was hacked and customer data stolen — TechCrunch

Vercel said the hack may affect “hundreds of users across many organizations,” and not just its own system, warning of potential downstream breaches spanning the tech industry.

All my web apps are hosted on Vercel. I got an email this morning to tell me my account wasn’t impacted by the data leak. Should I trust this statement? One thing that blows my mind: how on earth such a serious company don’t have a more restrictive policy as to what employees can download and test?

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 06:51:40 -0400

Now that my Mailbrew account is closed, I have moved many of my Brews¹ to my RSS Flow web app. This is my home page with many photo-heavy sources. Pretty nice, enh!

Mailbrew objects for configuring a set of RSS sources that form a newsletter. ↩︎

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:12:44 -0400

I’ll never buy anything other than traditional house furniture at IKEA. Don’t trust anything involving electronics or smart home appliances. I learned the hard way. 🤬

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:37:08 -0400

After several years of loyal service, I finally closed my Mailbrew account. This service was sold by its creators a few years ago, and since then, development had completely stopped. It’s a shame because when Mailbrew first appeared, it was an innovative idea that filled a niche for news and reading enthusiasts. I’ve moved on to something else. My reading workflow evolved around RSS and using the best client for the task.

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:12:12 -0400

Just finished watching this video from Tom’s Guide with Apple’s Joz and John Ternus. I paid attention to Ternus’s words and answers while asking myself: is this guy really the CEO Apple should be transitioning to? I think so. I much prefer his tone and more apparent enthusiasm compared to Tim’s.

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:20:57 -0400

For this fall’s iPhone and iOS 27 releases, I hope Apple will include new wallpapers from the Artemis II mission.

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:49:59 -0400

I believe I decided to build my web apps at the right time¹, because if I did it now, it would take two or three times longer due to the current credits consumption rate enforced by Anthropic. I made a little tweak to my dashboard web app this morning, and I’m already at 36% for the current session. It’s really that bad. I wouldn’t pay 200$ a month to get more credits.

In the first three months of 2026. ↩︎

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:21:12 -0400

Apparently, the iPhone 18 Pro will offer two possible shades besides deep red. I might go with the gray version this time! Or the darker one.

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:24:44 -0400

This morning, I realized that managing open issues and bugs on GitHub is advantageous: the more detailed each open issue is, the more effective it serves as a prompt when importing into Claude Code to initiate a new bug-fixing session. Claude Code can also close the issue at my request and link it to a specific GitHub commit.

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:38:40 -0400

I’ve been testing the latest release of the Claude Desktop app, and I must say, more than ever, I prefer integration to splitting features across many different apps. I’m also leaving the CLI behind for now.

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:46:21 -0400

Gemini App for Mac:

Gus Mueller:

Took a peak at it and … it contains 1,856 Objective-C classes whose class name starts with Java. What in the world are they doing? So I had Gemini analyze Gemini. Looks like there’s a lot of shared Android code in there, but compiled to Objective-C and Swift.

Better consider that 95% of new apps these days aren’t native to the platform.

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:33:10 -0400

For all my pending issues across my different Claude Code and web apps, I just realized I could (and probably should) use GitHub for issue tracking instead of Craft. Additionally, I could develop a web app to monitor and manage all open issues across my repositories!

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:26:17 -0400

This morning, I used Claude Code to replicate the visual style of my blog site to one of the first web apps I created using Claude, a Micro.blog front-end for writing and posting a single post. The end result is spot on.

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:51:10 -0400

Today, I tested Ollama and Locally AI more extensively on my M2 MacBook Air, and it was quite demanding. It’s no surprise that a serious local AI setup requires an Apple M5 Pro or M5 Pro Max with at least 16 or 24 GB of RAM. My M4 Pro Mac mini has 24 GB, and I could use it remotely through an SSH session. This experimentation puts any plans to replace my aging M2 MacBook Air into perspective.

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:05:36 -0400

Anthropic Rebuilds Claude Code Desktop App Around Parallel Sessions:

Anthropic has released a redesigned Claude Code experience for its Claude desktop app, bringing in a new sidebar for managing multiple sessions, a drag-and-drop layout for arranging the workspace, and more.

I’ve been testing the new fat client and found it to be familiar yet overwhelming. It’s taking the shape of a full IDE. Monolithic clients aren’t getting the favor of people apparently but I prefer this approach over separate apps.

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:35:44 -0400

Creating an email summarizer was simpler than expected. However, Claude AI struggled significantly with email decoding and data extraction. While one might assume these processes are well-documented and easy, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Additionally, setting up a new Gmail account proved to be unreliable. I encountered numerous errors at various stages, making me question whether the process actually succeeded. You’d expect Google to handle this smoothly, but unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky.

Here’s the overall workflow.

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:21:45 -0400

Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs, Making Them More Expensive Than Equivalent Macs — MacRumors

Microsoft’s PCs are now more expensive than their Mac equivalents, which is good news for Apple.

How long can Apple hold any price increase?

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:19:31 -0400

On the Name of Apple’s Foldable iPhone — Daring Fireball

I have no inside knowledge about what Apple plans to name this device, but I’ll eat my proverbial hat if they name it “iPhone Fold”. That name is so dumb it’s what Samsung calls their foldables. You don’t name a device for what it does, you name it for what it connotes.

The iPhone Duo potential name is not doing it either because it denotes a device with two screens or two sides that you fold together.

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:06:03 -0400

With my blog’s new custom design in place, I’m considering my next project: developing an email summarizer using Gmail, n8n workflows, Claude AI, and Discord. I don’t plan to use this often, but I do have some emails that I get that I wish could be summarized just by sending them to a dedicated email address.

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:44:55 -0400

Inoreader announced support for third-party AI providers for articles summarization. Anthropic and OpenAI are supported among others. Just enter your own API key and voilà! But there is a big catch: even if available for Pro plans, you need an add-on upgrade to enable this! That, I don’t understand because in this scenario, Inoreader is in fact delegating the LLM so they incur not additional costs. I find this perplexing to say the least. Or I might be missing something. I hope someone at Inoreader will catch this comment.

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:56:12 -0400

Hacker News’s article “Ransomware Is Growing Three Times Faster Than the Spending Meant to Stop It”:

Ransomware leak-site claims surged 30.7% year-over-year in 2025 to reach 7,760 incidents, significantly outpacing the 10.1% growth in worldwide security spending ($213 billion), indicating a widening gap between observable threat volume and security investment.

The article doesn’t say what is causing this surge, and if AI has anything to do with it. I would bet that AI might be helping hacker groups.

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:24:08 -0400

Even if I use an automation (via n8n) for my Micro.blog timeline summarization, I still come here to read my timeline, although less frequently than before. It’s a good way to gauge how well or poorly LLM can be at summarizing such content. ☝🏻

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:45:16 -0400

I just updated my blog at meta.numericcitizen.me with my new design. The default view on the site is now dark mode, which includes a smooth visual animation.

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:19:06 -0400

Quoting Bryan Cantrill — Simon Willison

Work costs nothing to an LLM, and LLMs do not feel a need to optimize for their own (or anyone’s) future time, and will happily dump more and more onto a layercake of garbage.

Until recently, thanks to rising chip prices, human developers were too lazy to optimize their software stacks, leading to bloated software requiring much more memory than necessary to run. Now there is an incentive to rethink how they allocate development time, but it will probably be delegated to LLMs… we’re doomed.

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:09:42 -0400

With the blog redesign, I decided to remove the /archive page. I add an issue with Micro.blog / Hugo handling of long list of blog posts. Because I couldn’t figure out how to fix it (nor Claude AI apparently), it was removed. I bet that nobody really look into this page anyway¹.

Except AI bots. ↩︎

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:47:36 -0400

M.G. Siegler about Apple’s AI competitiveness in Serious About Computing? You Should Build Your Own AI. — Spyglass

While they may look smart at some point for not pouring hundreds of billions into CapEx spend, that could come back to bite them in ways that are more tangential. Including, culturally, if the DNA of the company is never rewired to operate in the Age of AI. “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware,” Alan Kay famously declared in 1982. What if the modern day version is something like: “People who are really serious about computing should make their own AI”?

I think we are still in the early days of generative AI. Siri’s failures apart, generative AI being so different than anything Apple did with Siri in the past, they can (and should) outsource their AI infrastructure. Eventually, they might bring it in, just like they did for Qualcomm modems, for example.

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:33:23 -0400

Forcing Micro.blog to rebuild the entire website to enable a design change is so slow; close to 30 minutes each time. 😳 One of the challenges is that not all design changes require a full rebuild; some do, some don’t, and I don’t always know in advance which ones do. Claude AI is not very good at predicting this either.

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:46:08 -0400

Probably one of the coolest images coming from the Artemis II mission. So cool.

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:04:15 -0400

Since returning from vacation yesterday, I’ve been using Claude Code for different things, and yes, I can confirm that the credit consumption rate is much higher than it was a few weeks ago. 😳

Trying to Define What is a Blog Home

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:53:00 -0400

This might be obvious for many bloggers, but these questions popped up in my mind this morning when working to enable the new visual design of my blog.

What is a blog’s home? Or is it defined? Should it be the geographical region where the blog is hosted? Or should it be the author’s regional location? Or should the author sign with his or her name followed by both, like “Numeric Citizen from Montréal, Canada, hosted on a server somewhere in the US”? And where this signature should go? At the end of each post? Or at the end of the blog’s main page?

I’m still pondering my options.

Announcing a New Blog Design

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:18:04 -0400

Finally, after so many years on Micro.blog, I’m excited to announce that this blog is now using my custom-built visual theme, built entirely with Claude AI, Claude Code, and a lot of my spare time. Bye-bye third-party visual plugin¹! This marks a major milestone for me, as I have always wanted to have my own design for this blog².

I was using the excellent Cards Theme. ↩︎
I’m still working out some issues that I didn’t have on my test blog before, but only occur on my production site. ↩︎

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:38:19 -0400

This year is an iPhone upgrade year for me; coming from a still-powerful iPhone 15 Pro Max. First time since my current iPhone still feels snappy for 99% of my use. Yet, I’ll move ahead with the upgrade because one of my expectations I have is that the new Siri will be more demanding.

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:43:45 -0400

I wonder what would happen if I tried ChatGPT Codex on one of my code base built with Claude Code. Could this bring some unforeseen areas of improvement? Could this be equivalent to human code review?

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:49:33 -0400

I’m currently on vacation but I keep an eye on the tech news and commentary landscape. With all the brouhaha surrounding Claude Code spotty performance lately, I’m starting to be wary of resuming my work on some of my projects when I get back home. 😟

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:13:26 -0400

I’m taking a quick one-week vacation, hence my silence. 🤫

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:24:52 -0400

iPhone 18 Pro Reportedly Won’t Come in Black — MacRumors

Apple offers the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max in just three colors – Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue – but notably there’s no black option. Last year was the first time Apple’s high-end iPhones have not been available with a black or dark gray color option in any way, but those hoping for the return of black this year for the iPhone 18 Pro should look away now.

My go-to choice is black, the only exception was for the iPhone 13 Pro which was in light blue (or whatever color they used to call it). If no black option for the 18 Pro Max, then my second choice goes to the deep red.

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:53:06 -0400

OpenAI against the world:

Apple was seen as a laggard in AI development, and in fairness, they clearly saw themselves that way and invested billions in trying to catch up to the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic, but they failed miserably. And yet, they seem like they’re going to be doing just fine. You need a computer to do all this vibe coding on. You need a phone to talk to an AI agent. Who makes the best computers and phones? Apple does.

MP3 vs iPod playbook all over again? Or is it different this time? Not having to pay for all the necessary infrastructure to run AI might be beneficial for Apple’s future.

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:27:00 -0400

It’s been a long time since I watched a rocket launch live from NASA. It was a great one 🚀. I didn’t know that two of the main engines are coming from previous space shuttles!! 😳

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:10:00 -0400

I’m part of Apple’s 50-year history. Here are some documented proofs.

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:53:52 -0400

So, Claude Code source code has leaked, for real? 😳 Or is this a bad April Fool thing? Seems serious if true… how can they cope with this? Why did it leaked and how? It sounds like a disaster for the company.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Apple!

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:35:48 -0400

For today’s Apple’s 50th anniversary, I didn’t write a special blog post. Maybe I should have. I kind of forgot about it, even though I wrote about it a few days ago. Anyway, a few years ago, I wrote about the root of my passion for Apple. I’m not sure this article aged well, though. Nonetheless, Apple and Steve Jobs played a major role in defining who I am today, that’s for sure.

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:39:51 -0400

Slash AI:

Personally, I couldn’t care less what you write on your /ai page. The same way I couldn’t care less if you use em-dashed. Words are cheap, easy to write, and they mean less and less. But your history, all the baggage you carry with you, all you have written and said, that is harder to fake, building it is time-consuming, but destroying it takes a second. If you start posting AI slop, my trust in you is gone in an instant, and no matter how you’ll try to justify it, that trust will not come back.

I can understand Manuel’s disdain of anything related to AI, but I feel his stance is a little too much “binary”; all or nothing. There must be a middle ground, isn’t it?

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:56:24 -0400

Business Insider Profiles Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s ‘CEO of Applications’:

People stay on Facebook and Instagram even as the experiences worsen because everyone they know is also still on those apps. There’s no network effect like that for ChatGPT. Claude is already rising to near-equal status in popularity, and Gemini isn’t far behind, and Simo hasn’t even started enshittifying ChatGPT yet. People will just switch.

I don’t use my Facebook account, Messenger, yes, because of others who refuse to let go and don’t understand alternatives. I already switched to Claude. I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t have to wait for the obvious to come.

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:05:38 -0400

Apple Maps Is Getting Ads. It’s Apple’s Riskiest Bet Yet — I might like Apple ads, after all. #not

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:56:42 -0400

Everything New in iOS 26.5 Beta 1:

iOS 26.5 is now available for developers, and while it doesn’t include any new Siri capabilities, there are some major changes for the European Union, and smaller tweaks for features available worldwide.

A meagre release, except for the EU. I find it stupid that Apple doesn’t enable the same feature set in the Americas market. Apple being… Apple.

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:47:56 -0400

Apple is sure to release iOS 26.5 beta, when is still an unknown, but also unknown is what Apple Intelligence/ Siri new features Apple will want users to test that cannot wait iOS 27. 👀 We shall see very soon.

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 06:48:07 -0400

9to5Mac’s article “Vibe coding could mark the end of the App Store review process as we know it”:

Summary

The rise of AI-powered “agentic coding” has overwhelmed Apple’s App Store review process, with developers reporting review times of 3+ days to a week instead of the traditional under-24-hour turnaround. The influx of fully AI-generated apps from new developers has created a bottleneck for human reviewers, making it unfair for established developers whose update submissions are delayed. To address this, the author suggests Apple could implement separate review queues for established developers or automate updates while maintaining human review only for new submissions, though it may ultimately become necessary to reduce or eliminate full human review.

I don’t see the current review process at Apple as sustainable. I can imagine parts of the current workflow being automated (like finding instances of private API usage in application binaries). But, just for vibe coding, reviewing app submissions should be human-gated. An AI agent could even run the app in a simulator for testing.

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 13:17:47 -0400

Daring Fireball commenting ‘How Apple Became Apple: The Definitive Oral History of the Company’s Earliest Days’

Apple is at its best when it’s infused with a bit of the spirit of the two Steves whose first joint venture were blue boxes that let you make long distance phone calls for free. The first public phone call Steve Jobs ever made on an iPhone was a prank call to the Starbucks next to Moscone West. I feel like that renegade spirit has been repressed in the Tim Cook era.

Indeed. Ternus could change that; that’s my expectation.

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:34:24 -0400

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple come up with Siri+ or to take a cut on third party AI offerings that support iOS 27 new AI-related features. I would probably plug my Claude AI subscription into this provided Anthropic support is enacted.

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 09:31:03 -0400

I officially lost my Apple Pencil Pro. This 200 CAN$ doesn’t support Find My??? WTF. This is the second time I’m losing an Apple Pencil. The first time was the original one.

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:48:32 -0400

Successful products — Manuel Moreale

A product being popular is an indication of a lot of people using it. Doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is good. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s successful.

Exhibit A: all Microsoft 365 products, which contain so many paper cuts.

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:24:13 -0400

Vibe coding SwiftUI apps is a lot of fun — Simon Willison

A full SwiftUI app can fit in a single text file, which means Claude can be used to build complete macOS applications through conversational prompts alone.

How much of that tech Apple will ever adopt inside the company, or let developers take advantage of in Xcode, is yet to be known.

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:21:36 -0400

Developers targeting Apple platforms, particularly the Mac, are expressing frustration over TestFlight approvals that take over a week. They attribute the delays to Apple being overwhelmed by the influx of vibe-coded app submissions. Is this explanation accurate?

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:28:04 -0400

Micro.blog News:

Added new “OPML Sync…” button on Account for Inkwell users. This lets you set an external OPML file (for example from FeedLand or another feed platform) that Inkwell will automatically import feeds from.

Oh, cool! I updated my RSS reader to generate such a consumable file, making it the single source of truth.

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:21:04 -0400

Steve Jobs Talks iBook, AirPort, and More in Newly Surfaced 1999 Video — MacRumors

The talk outlines Apple’s product strategy at the time, centered on its four-quadrant lineup of consumer and professional desktops and portables. With the iBook, Jobs said the matrix was complete alongside the iMac, Power Mac G3, and PowerBook G3, and noted that several of these products were already on their second or third iterations.

Incremental updates isn’t something new at Apple. Gurman lamenting about recent updates being incremental shouldn’t know better.

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 15:26:05 -0400

I finally put together a video demonstration of my RSS Reader and Bookmark Manager. It’s a much longer video than originally anticipated, that is why it is being posted on my YouTube channel instead of Micro.blog. You’ll get to see both apps in action. I’m rather proud of thse apps, they are now essential for me.

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:29:53 -0400

Untitled — Manton Reece

NetNewsWire via AppleScript via MCP… I wonder what the future of scriptability is. We’ve got AppleScript, Shortcuts, App Intents, and MCP. But meanwhile you have agents which are fine just firing up command-line tools.

One day, I would argue that most apps will come with their MCP endpoint.

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:36:43 -0400

MacBook Neo review: I wish this had an M1 inside:

The MacBook Neo is a cool little computer that I like, despite the fact that, on paper, it’s a pretty irrational purchase for most people (including myself). When I take a step back from the current hype cycle, I think this product is a tale of two halves: one outstanding, and the other pretty rough.

Here is an honest review of the MacBook Neo, a review that stands out compared to everything I’ve read and heard about it. I’m not sure that I agree with all of it, like the sound quality, but I think it’s important to amplify this type of review.

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:29:01 -0400

“We’re the last people in this business who give a shit about making great computers.”:

I think that this newly discovered footage of Steve Jobs congratulating Apple employees at an outdoor all-hands meeting at the Infinite Loop campus following MacWorld New York in 1999 is some of the most important that exists of him.

I just found out about this clip of Steve Jobs, recorded back in 1999. It was a fascinating thing to watch in the context of the just-released MacBook Neo, while this clip covers the iBooks launch era. I think today’s Apple is staying true to the original vision of the iBook.

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:20:28 -0400

Started working on my next YouTube video. I consider myself not very good at this. It takes way too much of my time to create a single one, but I sometimes want to share things I otherwise couldn’t in written blog posts. One of the things I should do for each video is write a script. I don’t. I never did. I’m a “go with the flow” type of guy when I record. I don’t feel at ease when reading something in front of the camera (and I don’t have the right desk setup for that).

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 08:32:22 -0400

Many MacBook Neo reviewers are impressed by its ability to open 10 or 15 apps at once without the Neo feeling sluggish. Well, having some basic knowledge of operating system theory would help understand why. Launching 10 apps simultaneously will certainly stress the Neo, but once they are in memory, of course, the Neo isn’t affected; those apps become quite dormant, using very few CPU cycles and less memory (thanks to macOS memory management). Of course, if an app is exporting a video in the background, it could impact the Neo’s overall responsiveness. Big difference.

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:12:47 -0400

It’s rather impressive how slowly things are turning for the worse in the Middle East. It won’t end well. And it will last much longer than originally claimed. I hope this will be all the nails required for his coffin.

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 20:46:41 -0400

It seems I cannot finish this bookmark manager as I always find something to tweak, add or improve. I hope to record the video tomorrow! 👨🏻‍💻

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:00:18 -0400

An unexpected side-effect of the MacBook Neo release on my purchase plans is that going with an M5-MacBook Air, I would rather select a 13-inch format instead of the 15-inch, saving some money that I would rather put on more RAM, instead (24 GB or even 32 GB instead of 16 GB). I think 13-inch is the perfect size for a travel companion. I get the portability of the Neo but the power of the M5 chip. But, I’m not there yet. Still rather happy with my M2 15-inch MacBook Air.

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:02:15 -0400

Mark Gurman (@markgurman@mastodon.social)

Google is ramping up development of a dedicated Gemini AI app for Apple Inc.’s Mac computer lineup, looking to step up competition with OpenAI and Anthropic

Suddenly, building a Mac app is sexy again. Who knew. There is an ad concept, right there, Apple!

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:55:04 -0400

Gruber’s reaction to Hacker News Discussion on Shubham Bose’s ‘The 49MB Web Page’:

One of the most controversial opinions I’ve long espoused, and believe today more than ever, is that it was a terrible mistake for web browsers to support JavaScript. Not that they should have picked a different language, but that they supported scripting at all. That decision turned web pages — which were originally intended as documents — into embedded computer programs.

It’s hard to imagine the web without JavaScript, only as a collection of static, linked documents served by essentially passive file servers.

A Little Rant about LinkedIn

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:54:21 -0400

Rant of the day: Why is Microsoft not caring about making the LinkedIn app a better app, a better mobile experience? Aren’t they using designers? UX specialists? Even AI? Aren’t they taking care of their brand and image? I mean, using this app on the iPad is such a displeasure.

If someone from Microsoft and / or LinkedIn responsible for this app: have tried it once for real on the iPad? Are you ok with this? Really? If you aren’t, and obviously cannot do anything about it, why are you still working there?

Rant off.

The iPad Pro on The Road for Office Work

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:55:39 -0400

Finally, I configured my personal iPad Pro with all my office tools. I certainly wish my job would allow me to use a Mac, but no.

The iPad is very good in this scenario with all the M365 apps (bleh). Battery life is 20 times better than my HP laptop, without the always-on noisy fans. I understand this device is way more powerful than the MacBook Neo, much more compact, three times more expensive for an inferior software experience. That is quite a paradox.

Today, I’m going to the administrative head office, a three-hour drive, using the office’s business bus, specially designed for workers on the road (sure, the Corporation wants always-productive employees!).

Life of an IT worker.

The iPhone 5 and the MacBook Neo

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:31:45 -0400

One of the best iPhone design, the iPhone 5, is now obsolete for Apple, which means is no longer serviceable. It was one of my favorite design of all the iPhone partly because of the tech context it was living. But iOS 6 on this was pure beauty.

As a side note, it’s funny to see reviews of the MacBook Neo where none of them mention macOS as being part of the machine. What makes a Mac is not only the hardware, but the software. I guess tech pundits had to exclude macOS from the equation. Or is it because the Neo design is so unique, so enchanting that the software story has to be sidelined?

I’m so anxious for Apple to fix macOS.

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:31:11 -0400

It’s uncertain whether Apple will keep Liquid Glass unchanged in iOS 27, and it’s premature to conclude. The latest iOS 27 build reportedly doesn’t update Liquid Glass, so no definitive judgment should be made. If iOS 27 is a Snow Leopard release, significant UI changes are unlikely. Gurman should be better than that.

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:49:32 -0400

Apple CEO Tim Cook Responds to Retirement Rumors — MacRumors

“I can’t imagine life without Apple.”

But can we imagine Apple without Tim Cook? Probably yes for many.

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 06:34:25 -0400

It’s Your Fault Really:

It fits the broader pattern of what Meta is becoming. AI slop in your feed, fake engagement bots, insecure messaging. The direction of travel is obvious. None of these things are surprises or mistakes. They are deliberate decisions made by a company that has decided the path forward is to extract as much attention and data as possible, and anything that gets in the way of that, including basic privacy protections, gets quietly deprecated because apparently not enough of you were using it.

And Meta is about to deprecate 20% of its workforce because of… too much spending on AI infrastructure that doesn’t move the revenue needle. What a wonderful American corporation.

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:16:01 -0400

A few notes about the MacBook Neo:

I’m not thrilled by the lack of backlighting in the keyboard. Maybe it’ll appear in the pricier model in a future iteration. The keys are white/tinted, so maybe the printing is contrasty enough to make the key symbols visible even in poor light. I was willing to put this in the ‘okay’ category, but I can’t help feeling this was an unnecessary corner for Apple to cut.

My wife also has some negative comments about the keyboard. Not only it doesn’t include backlighting, since the keycaps aren’t pure white, the contrast is lower which negatively affect the readability in low light conditions.

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 17:47:18 -0400

Reuters: Meta Is Planning to Wreck the Lives of 20% of Its Staff Because It Is Spending So Much on Data Centres — Pixel Envy

Meta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers.

Wow, that’s a lot of people! Is Alan Dye in the bunch? 👀

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:50:41 -0400

Just as streaming services helped lower the cost of music, AI is reducing the price of software even more than the subscription model does. The downside is that AI is driving hardware prices up, and it’s uncertain whether we will ever see the return of the always-cheaper hardware trend.

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:41:03 -0400

Mark Gurman in No Major Changes to Liquid Glass Expected Across iOS 27 and macOS 27 said:

Apple’s new software design chief, Steve Lemay, was “a driving force” behind Liquid Glass and was “deeply involved in its development.”

I’m not sure we are still so excited for Lemay replacing Alan Dye now. 😳

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 08:21:43 -0400

Since my bookmark manager is almost complete, I plan to record a demo to share here. I like its integration with my other web apps, such as the Micro.blog front-end for posting linkposts and the feature that exports selected links and quotes to a markdown file, which will be included in an upcoming ephemeral scrapbook edition.

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:34:08 -0400

‘Software Bonkers’:

Don’t get distracted by the mountains of steaming shit that hacks are using these tools to spew. There are amazing things being built by these tools that never would have, or in some cases could have, been built before.

So far, with the help of Claude Code, I have built: a Micro.blog front end, a Scribbles page front end, a perfect RSS feed reader, a personal dashboard, and a bookmark manager. I’me super happy to have tools that really fit my workflows, my working style and my blogger journey. Without Claude Code, I would need to resort to existing but not-as-satisfying tools. Next, I want to build my own Micro.blog visual theme plugin. Plus, this morning, while Things 3 was open on my MacBook, I realized that I could build my very own personal task manager. The only limit is my imagination.

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:23:30 -0400

At the Apple Store for testing the Neo. Two things: I prefer its trackpad over my MacBook Air’s. The speaker grill can easily be bended with a nail. Much faster than I thought. Nice feel in the hands. Great size. Impressed. Bought one for my wife.

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:09:46 -0400

It will be interesting to see in the next 2 or 3 quarters the effect of the MacBook Neo on the Mac sales (harder to tell as low priced Mac won’t make a big difference in revenue numbers) and the IPad sales. If both move in opposite directions then we could potentially conclude on the Neo effect.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:16:49 -0400

The more I think about it, the more willing I am to try it: build a Micro.blog theme using Claude AI. As much as I like my current theme, I want something closer to the usual “Numeric Citizen” branding.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:56:33 -0400

The Essence of a Machine

“Neo does not mean more. It means the return to what is essential.”

— On my Om

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:18:48 -0400

Halide Cofounder Sebastiaan de With Joined Apple’s Design Team in January:

When de With published his essay, it was as an idea for where Apple might go. Now that we’ve seen and been living with Liquid Glass, his essay works even better as a roadmap for the direction Liquid Glass should head.

I really hope De With was hired, not only for his talent, but for the work he did behind his essay: Physicality: the new age of UI.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:46:37 -0400

My personal and web-based bookmark manager was built mainly to support my workflow of creating each edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. And it works great, so far.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:41:38 -0400

The New Apple Finally Begins to Emerge:

The MacBook Neo is a new kind of product for Apple, unveiled in a new way, with new materials, by an array of fresher faces. These new products being unveiled at the same time the faces of the company are beginning to change feels like a turning point. You could argue Neo is one of, if not the first product of this new Apple.

I hope Parker is right. I do too feel something different. Is it only Neo-related or is it more profound?

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:10:48 -0400

If I were to buy a MacBook Neo, I would turn off Apple Intelligence to reduce resources consumption. But according to the reviews published this week, it appears that this wouldn’t be necessary. The Neo is really a capable machine even with only 8GB of RAM.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:46:23 -0400

ChatGPT Plus subscription cancelled. Now, I could upgrade my Micro.blog subscription to Studio to support @manton in its mission!

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:52:11 -0400

Grammarly’s ‘Expert Review’ Feature Presents Fake Advice in the Names of Real Journalists and Authors — Pixel Envy

Grammarly’s “expert review” feature uses AI-generated text attributed to real people and deceased figures without their consent or knowledge, merely slapping their names on insights they never created.

Can we say “Corporate slop”? I think we can.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:48:46 -0400

The Essence of a Machine — On my Om

The MacBook Neo is a laptop. A complete, beautiful, sufficient laptop. It costs $599, but the real disruption is not the price. It is the reminder that “enough” is not a failure of ambition. It is often the highest form of design.

I love this.

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:12:33 -0400

Gruber’s review of ★ The MacBook Neo:

I’ll just say it: I think I’m done with iPads. Why bother when Apple is now making a crackerjack Mac laptop that starts at just $600? May the MacBook Neo live so long that its name becomes inapt.

😳

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:38:07 -0400

MacBook Neo reviews are very positive. A few reviewers compare the Neo to “comparable” Windows laptops, all of them with 16GB of RAM. At the end of the day, it doesn’t help the Windows story much. Reviewers fail to mention the Windows reality: the need to include security software that will eat up precious CPU cycles in order to keep Windows secure. That’s the reality. Anyway, Apple’s offering is honest and very valuable for a lot of people. I don’t remember the last time a new Apple product generated that level of positive buzz. Bravo.

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:29:35 -0400

Apple’s new MacBooks have keyboard change you might notice instantly — 9to5Mac

Apple’s new M5 MacBooks drop text labels on several common keys, including tab, caps lock, and more, replacing them with glyphs that have long been the standard outside the United States.

Welcome to 2026.

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:13:21 -0400

Anybox date importation is nearly ready, complete with support for tags! I think the weekend I spent building the specs instead of rushing to start coding is paying off. Even using Claude AI for coding an app, some development rules stay the same: think before you code. Or something along this line.

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:24:27 -0400

I didn’t expect Inkwell to come with an API… I’m very curious about that because it could mean that I could replace the data persistence layer of my personal RSS web app with Inkwell’s. Something to think about. 🤔👨🏻‍💻

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:22:35 -0400

My use case for Inkwell, for now, is to consume content from my blogroll feeds. I asked for a sync option with Inoreader, my beloved RSS sync service, but I don’t want to break the calmness of using Inkwell. 🙏🏻

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:54:15 -0400

I need to start organizing a reunion for the university alumni (class of 1990), and the first challenge that arises is: how can we communicate with each other if I don’t want to use a Meta service (WhatsApp, Messenger) and I want to reach as many people as possible without everyone having to become ‘friends’ on Facebook? ☹️

Forty years ago, before the Internet, we used the phone to talk to each other, a service often owned by a single nationwide company. We were okay with that, even if, in some jurisdictions, people talked about a monopoly. Now, it’s very different. What makes this less acceptable to me today? 🤔

For now, we will use Messenger because some people don’t have iPhones and can’t use FaceTime. 🙄

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:52:23 -0400

Introducing Inkwell: manton.org
Manton Reece https://www.manton.org/2026/03/09/introducing-inkwell.html

I was (and still am) so excited about Inkwell that I created a video tour. Very personal. I originally thought the name would be Micro.ink, but the real name is Inkwell, while the URL is micro.ink. I wasn’t sure when I recorded the video yesterday. Now I know. Thanks to @manton for this!

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:27:45 -0400

The New Apple Finally Begins to Emerge:

The MacBook Neo is a new kind of product for Apple, unveiled in a new way, with new materials, by an array of fresher faces. These new products being unveiled at the same time the faces of the company are beginning to change feels like a turning point. You could argue Neo is one of, if not the first product of this new Apple

I, too, do see a different Apple vibe with the launch of the MacBook Neo. Just using a different name instead of iBook (which they could have done) is sign sign that they are willing to try different things.

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:15:27 -0400

I completely put aside OpenClaw experimentation since its creator went to OpenAI. It’s not about OpenAI owning the thing, which seems it’s not the case, I simply decided to let the thing mature while I’m finishing my other projects which consume a lot of AI credits anyway. I’ll get back to it eventually.

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 21:17:47 -0400

FBI is investigating breach that may have hit its wiretapping tools — The Register

The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks related to wiretapping and surveillance systems, marking a significant breach of law enforcement infrastructure.

The same FBI that demanded Apple build a backdoor for them in 2016?

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 16:12:17 -0400

Apple Planning ‘MacBook Ultra’ With Touchscreen and Higher Price:

Instead of succeeding the newly announced M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros, the “MacBook Ultra” will be a new, top-tier Apple laptop. Gurman added that the device is likely to sit above the current M5 MacBook Pros, rather than replace them, suggesting that they will remain on sale.

Well, how many laptops can Apple have in their product line?

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:25:10 -0400

Lil Finder Guy — Basic Apple Guy

Who is it? What is it? Is it friend or foe? Has it arrived in peace, or is it plotting to corrupt our SSDs and fray our USB-C cables?

I hope Apple keep the little guy for a while. It’s so cute and fun.

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 18:25:47 -0400

The New Apple Finally Begins to Emerge — Parker Ortolani

Molly Anderson’s already proven herself to be an incredibly talented industrial designer, and if the latest iPhones and the MacBook Neo are the first real fruits of her leadership, that bodes incredibly well for the future.

New product design at Apple takes a long time. How much of influence those two new figures had on the MacBook Neo?

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 18:04:50 -0400

It’s a good start. Looks quite different than my other web app. Still a lot to implement.

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:00:19 -0400

Working on my future bookmarks manager webapp. I’m still refining the specs document. I decided to add the possibility to save text quotes in addition to bookmarks. Quotes might be linked to a bookmark. My specs document is quite long and detailed. I wonder how good Claude Code will be to digest all this from the start.

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 08:37:11 -0400

Neon Signs — Take

Let’s leave the software malaise aside for a moment, hard as that might be; the Neo is a scrappy assemblage of parts, that is trying to find a new route to what Apple considers acceptable, and that is a sign of health.

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:29:22 -0400

‘The Window Chrome of Our Discontent’:

This entire idea that application window chrome should disappear is madness. Some people — at Apple, quite obviously — think it looks better, in the abstract, but I can’t see how it makes actually using these apps more productive. Artists don’t want to use invisible tools.

Well, if window chrome is absent, what’s left for Apple to differentiate itself from others than UI elements inside a window? Buttons!

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:35:27 -0400

A UI should step back and let user content come forward. But Apple often treats the UI itself as a key part of its identity and differentiation. That creates a tension: the more the UI disappears, the harder it becomes for Apple to stand apart from Microsoft or Google.

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:07:13 -0400

I’m really tempted by the MacBook Neo, but really, it makes no sense as an owner of an M4 iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard: it’s a powerhouse in a compact design. The only problem: iPadOS. It’s THE biggest issue in this story.

Good Job Apple, Now Back to Software?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:56:50 -0400

Ok, Apple did a great job this week. A lot has already been said about Apple’s announcements. The MacBook Neo is a killer, even as an entry device. My wife is getting one. It’s the original Mac mini in a laptop shape. Apple did a great balancing act with the Neo. The only two quibbles: only 8 GB of RAM (I wanted 12 GB) and the lack of a MagSafe port.

Now, I hope Apple can do as good a job on the software as it did on the hardware. There is so much to fix.

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:44:35 -0400

One vendor doesn’t mind high RAM prices: VMware — The Register

The high price of memory and solid-state storage has almost everyone worried – but not VMware, because the most innovative new feature in the Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) private cloud suite it launched last year is memory tiering tech that allows offload of data from RAM to NVMe drives.

VMware has always promoted VCF 9 memory tiering as offering the chance to reduce infrastructure costs by reducing the amount of RAM needed in new servers, and by creating the opportunity to upgrade the NVMe drives in old boxes and effectively increase their memory capacity.

Well, yeah, memory tiering certainly helps reduce the cost of servers, but even NVMe drives, which are built on electronic chips too, are impacted by price increases. And, servers must be compatible with this feature. No magic bullet here.

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:29:55 -0400

People’s reactions to Apple hardware announcements so far have been quite positive, if not enthusiastic, much more so than any software announcements in recent years. The difference is stark.

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:21:03 -0400

Apple Does Fusion.:

To understand what Apple launched today, we have to go back just over five years, when Apple launched the M1 in November 2020. I wrote then:

“This approach to integration into a single chip, maximum throughput, rapid access to memory, optimal computing performance based on the task, and adaptation to machine learning algorithms is the future — not only for mobile chips, but also for desktop and laptop computers.”

That turned out to be right.

What Apple achieved with their new M5 Pro and M5 Max is quite impressive. Even more impressive is that the architectural decisions made back in 2020 (or earlier) are still paying off today. If only Apple had the wisdom to make similar smart decisions with Siri architecture. Apple seems stuck on redoing its homework forever with software.

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:38:11 -0400

iBook > MacBook Neo ? 🧐

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:31:26 -0400

Apple Does Value (Week) — On my Om

Apple has decided that $599 is the new floor for a “real” Apple device—not a hand-me-down, not last year’s leftovers, but a current-generation product with current-generation silicon.

If Om Malik is right, this would put the new entry-level MacBook price at 599 US$. The question now becomes: what do you get for that amount of money beyond the A18 Pro chip?

Dim that background for me, will ya?

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 22:32:50 -0400

★ HazeOver — Mac Utility for Highlighting the Frontmost Window:

What HazeOver does is highlight the active window by dimming all background windows. That’s it. But it does this simple task with aplomb, and it makes a significant difference in the day-to-day usability of MacOS. Not just MacOS 26 Tahoe — all recent versions of MacOS suffer from a design that makes it difficult to distinguish, instantly, the frontmost (a.k.a. key) window from background windows.1 Making all background windows a little dimmer makes a notable difference.

For some reason, I forgot about this Mac utility. It was installed on my Mac mini, but disabled. It’s now installed and enabled on my MacBook Air with a 40% dimming value. Makes a big difference.

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:53:46 -0400

Apple is still proud of Liquid Glass. Found on the iPhone 17e mini website. 😵‍💫

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:56:32 -0400

Prices of the new iPad Air and iPhone 17e seems in line with previous generation products they replace and not affected by the current tech environment where prices are going up drastically… it looks rather well too for the upcoming entry-level MacBook pricing.

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:56:06 -0400

Of course, I had to create my own… miniroll… nice mini webapp… still wondering if I’m going to support Chris. Probably.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:02:54 -0400

Welcome (back) to Macintosh, by Jesper @ Take

“My hope is that, just as Apple crawled out of a hardware nightmare pockmarked by thermal throttling, keyboards incapacitated by strands of human hair and lack of respect for its users needs, it can choose to refocus its software and its humility too, and stop doing this to the bicycle for the mind.”

I think we will have to wait, the upcoming week’s releases are about Apple hardware…

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:15:41 -0400

Claude hits #1 on the App Store as users rally behind Anthropic’s government standoff — 9to5Mac

While the long-term consequences of this disagreement are unclear, Anthropic appears to be winning in mindshare, at least for now, in terms of app downloads among iPhone users.

If Anthropic was a publicly traded company ten times their current valuation, would they still stand out against the US government? Asking for a fictional friend at Apple.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:51:07 -0400

Apple Reportedly Expects ‘Major Rush’ of Customers This Week:

The new product likely to receive the most interest is the rumored lower-cost MacBook, which is described as an “incredible value” within Apple, according to the newsletter. Apple believes that a more affordable MacBook will help to “drive a serious number of switchers from Windows machines and Chromebooks,” wrote Gurman.

Somehow, I think that if the price is really competitive, Apple’s bet is that services will subsidize this entry-level MacBook price.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:18:46 -0400

Apple believes low-cost MacBook will be an ‘incredible value,’ tempting switchers: report — 9to5Mac

Internally, the low-end MacBook is being described as an “incredible value,” with Apple believing the launch is going to drive a serious number of switchers from Windows machines and Chromebooks. It could even compel iPhone users without computers to buy their first Mac.

I’m trying to convince my wife to buy one as she finds the iPad to be lacking for certain tasks. I suggested that we buy one of those new entry-level MacBook to try it out without much obligation as we can return the thing in less than 14 days.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 11:13:06 -0400

Done. I exported my ChatGPT memory to Claude. I’m curious to see how Claude’s answers to my prompts will change from now on. Starting March 12th, I’ll be on Anthropic / Claude AI only.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:53:37 -0400

Currently assessing the impacts of unsubscribing from ChatGPT. Image creation is the most obvious impact, but I rarely use it. I could switch to MidJourney for a third of the monthly price. API consumption is another factor, but none of my four API keys have been used in the last 30 days. According to Claude AI’s examination of my current n8n workflows, three are configured with an OpenAI API key. Investigating further.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:22:04 -0400

Since when is this a thing: Switch to Claude? I mean, I wrote “A Case for ChatGPT Takeout” not long ago!

Moving out of ChatGPT / OpenAI is now a movement, right?

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:05:46 -0400

You might have noticed more linkposts than usual here today. The reason is that I’m testing this new RSS thing in Micro.blog… or part of Micro.blog future offering. It’s pretty solid.

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:02:48 -0400

Flickr’s URL Scheme:

Flickr deserves a lot of praise for a number of technical advances that I wish had seen wider adoption. Their API was one of the first and honestly still one of the most enjoyable to actually use as a developer. It’s still full of incredibly interesting API calls that you wouldn’t expect from it unless you read carefully. Did you know, for example, that flickr API will provide you with the bounding box co-ordinates of different types of places? From a neighbourhood all the way up to a continent?

Maybe one day, Glass will add these, too?

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 10:44:47 -0400

Why Objective-C:

Anyone new to Objective-C thinks it’s difficult and maybe a bit harsh because [[those squareBrackets] lookInsane:YES].

Once you get past that, which takes a day or two given a good-faith effort, you’ll realize how small a language it is, how easy to hold in your palm and turn around and understand all sides of it. And you’ll appreciate how easy it is to make good decisions when you don’t have a surplus of language features to choose from.

I had many great moments writing in Objective-C (2009-2013) while experimenting with iPhone app development. As someone who learned a bit of C++ in university computer science courses, I thought Objective-C was indeed more approachable. When I peek at Swift code these days, my thinking goes like this: “I’m too old for this shit!”

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 10:13:14 -0400

How I Write Code With AI:

I use AI coding assistants extensively, but I don’t vibe code

I do too, but I’m not sure to understand the difference.

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 09:42:33 -0400

It’s sad to see the US act of war against Iran, a sovereign country, with the help of their “friends” from Israel. The cherry on the sundae: Russia condemning US aggression. Look who is talking… 😤 What a world we are living right now… nothing new but… still.

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:33:45 -0400

I would love to build the dream bookmark manager for myself, just like I built an RSS reader and a photo-sharing website. I love AnyBox, but it’s not integrated with the rest of my workflow and doesn’t have a web version. This bookmark manager could be integrated into my RSS reader and gather data from Micro.blog Bookmarks, too. Still a lot to think about.

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:28:42 -0400

While waiting for Micro.blog next chapter, I’m playing with RSS feeds display strategies. This view is called “Journal”. Built using Claude Code and hosted on Vercel.

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:18:37 -0400

Building a custom branded Ghost theme for my main website with the help of Claude Code seems like an achievable goal, right?

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:04:08 -0400

Fastmail is preparing to launch an updated photo gallery functionality in approximately two weeks. I wasn’t certain they would keep updating this feature, so I’m glad it’s still available and that it keeps improving. I have a few test images there, but with my own web app for sharing photos now, I’m unsure whether I would switch to Fastmail’s version, since my version and Fastmail’s are quite similar.

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:23:09 -0400

Three ways new Apple products next week will modernize iPhone, iPad, and Mac — 9to5Mac

That would mean that every new iPhone, iPad, and Mac supports Apple Intelligence for the first time — oh, and Apple Vision Pro, too.

Instead of downplaying Apple Intelligence, Apple is doubling down on it. They must be confident, even after such a false start in 2024.

Micro.blog + RSS = ?

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:14:43 -0400

Micro.blog is set to launch soon what could be its most exciting new feature yet: an integrated RSS reader. If I’m not mistaken, this could significantly change how I use the service. I currently follow many Mastodon accounts from news sites, so their updates are pushed to my timeline. With a possible RSS integration, I could use the RSS feeds directly, eliminating the need to follow the Mastodon account. I don’t know how the new feature will integrate with the rest of Micro.blog features, but I’ll find out very soon. I can’t wait. Why? Because I’m a fan of Micro.blog and of RSS.

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:02:06 -0400

The speed at which Anthropic is adding new stuff to Claude and Claude Code on the desktop is impressive. Is OpenAI even competing?

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:44:41 -0400

I’ve been working hard on a few presentations lately at work and one of the most satisfying thing is when I remove words or phrases without changing the message.

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:45:08 -0400

Leaker Says Apple’s Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations — MacRumors

While the leaked files are real, this source currently lacks an established track record, so these claims should still be treated with some skepticism.

Well, this information pretty much aligns with the definition of an entry-level Mac.

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 22:51:18 -0400

Samsung Launches Galaxy S26 Ultra With Built-In Privacy Display and New AI Features — MacRumors

New to the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a built-in “Privacy Display” that makes it harder to view what’s on the screen when looking at the phone from a side angle. It’s clear when looking at it head on, but someone sitting next to you will have a hard time seeing your phone’s display. Privacy Display works at the pixel level, controlling how pixels disperse light. It can be set to activate only for certain apps or situations like entering a PIN, and there are partial and maximum privacy options.

I want Apple to copy this. So clever and quite useful for someone like me who commutes on public transport.

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:21:39 -0400

I like this image for a few reasons. First, it feels a bit like the early nineties, with some mid-century design elements. But this PowerBook Duo station on the integrated desk reminds me of when I was working at an Apple Dealer; I could use a PowerBook Duo in this exact configuration. It was a great and novel product at the time.

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 22:13:02 -0400

The recent rumors about Apple incorporating touch support into macOS for the M6 MacBook Pro, expected around fall 2026, seem a bit odd. I’m somewhat skeptical about Apple’s abilities lately, particularly after the Liquid Glass reveal. Incorporating an adaptive touch mode on the Mac feels unusual to me. In recent years, Apple made so many changes to macOS to make it look more like iPadOS. I wonder why it needs to add adaptive UI on top of that. And, introducing an M6 MacBook Pro less than 12 months after introducing new M5 models also feels strange.

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:06:05 -0400

Apple accelerates U.S. manufacturing with Mac mini production - Apple

What the Apple press release seems to depict are workers building 2U rack servers. No Mac mini in sight. 🧐🤨

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:41:24 -0400

Ouch, 2025 was a tough year for Apple. I consider writing my own opinion on this, but it seems everything has already been said. Overall, it was a difficult year for Apple on many levels. Unfortunately, this isn’t yet clear in their financial reports; if it were, the executives might see things differently.

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:21:18 -0400

Apple is shipping a UI whose core identity depends on effects that many users can’t tolerate, so Apple has to provide ‘escape hatches’—which implies the identity is optional, and therefore poorly grounded as a universal interface language. 🙄

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:51:09 -0400

Microsoft finally makes OneDrive look like a Mac app as it gets an all-new UI — 9to5Mac

The all-new OneDrive Activity Center embraces the Swift UI design language, including support for Liquid Glass on macOS 26 and native accessibility options like VoiceOver and Full Keyboard Access.

Can we say: finally?

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 20:53:34 -0400

I have such a hard time explaining to people around me (family, friends and colleagues) that platforms like Meta are no good and that we should avoid them. 😔

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 15:26:13 -0400

Apple is Testing These iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Colors — MacRumors

While it was previously rumored that Apple was also considering purple and brown finishes for the iPhone 18 Pro models, Gurman said he believes that those color options are “just variants of the same red idea — given that the tones are fairly similar.” In other words, it sounds like those two color options will not actually be offered.

I’m getting more and more nervous about Apple’s plans for the iPhone 18 Pro colors…

More MacBook Expectations

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 15:07:07 -0400

Here’s what I want for the upcoming entry-level MacBook:

Size and design: thin and less boxy than two iPad Pro on top of each other.
Just under 13-inch retina display.
Full-size keyboard flush with the left and right device edges.
8GB of RAM with a 12GB option available.
256 GB of fast storage (120 GB/s) with a 512GB upgrade option.
One fast USB-C port and MagSafe.
Very thin bezel around the display to minimize the overall device size. Fingers crossed for a notch-less design.
External display support (a bit far-fetched, though).
Colors similar to the current iMac desktop.

What I don’t expect:

Headphone jack
Thunderbolt support
More than one display
Nano texture option
Glowing Apple Logo on the back of the display
The return of the wedge design
Cellular option

Starting price: 599 US$.

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:39:35 -0400

Matt Birchler’s “[Apple will kill iPadOS] article: (https://birchtree.me/blog/apple-will-kill-ipados/)”:

Matt argues that Apple should discontinue iPadOS and instead fragment it into two distinct operating systems: iOS for casual iPads (iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air) and macOS for the iPad Pro, creating clearer software distinctions across the product lineup. This reorganization would address the current problem of one OS trying to serve devices ranging from 8" tablets to 13" laptop-style screens, and would make sense once foldable iPhones that expand to tablet size arrive. Matt contends that recent iPadOS updates have primarily added Mac-like features anyway, and that macOS’s UI elements are already compatible with touch input, making a touch-enabled macOS on iPad Pro a logical next step.

I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Way too much investment in iPadOS. While Matt isn’t wrong per se, I think we need to look at this from the normal, non-tech user’s perspective.

About This Tempting Light MacBook

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:23:42 -0400

If the rumors turn out to be true, Apple will announce a new entry-level MacBook line on March 4th. Why is this relevant to me? Well, I’m really curious to see what Apple will offer in terms of technical specifications and overall design, because I might be tempted to get one. But why? I already have an M2 MacBook Air 15"!

The short answer: to use while travelling instead of bringing my M4 iPad Pro! But I’ve always said that the iPad is a perfect device to bring on trips! That’s true, but it still lacks one thing: the flexibility macOS provides. Yes, we’re back to the Mac again!

My last trip abroad confirmed that my iPad was very suitable, but I sometimes wished I had the flexibility of a MacBook for certain tasks, as well as a larger keyboard. If the new MacBook offers reasonable power, dimensions close to those of the old 12" MacBook, a lightweight, and a fair price, I might be tempted.

I owned the 11-inch MacBook Air (as explained here), and I loved it. My hope is to see a blend between the 11-inch MacBook Air and the 12-inch MacBook.

It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about the prospects of a new Apple product.

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:44:49 -0400

Early this morning, using Craft Agents, I created a new skill that enables me to save my Micro.blog Bookmarks into a Craft collection. The agent figured out the Micro.blog API, the new collection schema and how to move things around. So cool. Any questions?

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 09:11:11 -0400

It’s funny how my interactions with my colleages is evolving since I’ve been using AI. My requests to them are looking more and more like prompts: I give them a context, state my needs and expectations and provide the expected end results, in that order. All the time. 🫣

When I Retire...

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:50:54 -0400

One of my nieces’ friends works in IT and recently contacted me for advice about his career in this field. This isn’t the first time I’ve received this kind of request. Over the past year, two other colleagues have also asked me for similar career advice. I have to admit, I really enjoy it. I like listening to the concerns of the younger generation and, to the best of my knowledge, advising them to help them flourish even more.

I have over 30 years of experience in IT, and I’m starting to think about retirement and what I will do once my career is over. I have to admit, offering my advice for free to younger people is something I would really love to do.

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:31:18 -0400

9to5Mac’s article “Google launches Snapseed camera for iPhone with pro manual controls, retro film”:

Snapseed, a photo editing app by Google, has launched a new camera feature for iOS with manual adjustments, professional mode, and various film emulation styles. The updated app allows users to customize their photos with real-time filters and provides a full editing stack that enables post-capture modifications. The app is free and available in the App Store, with plans to update the Android version in the future.

I never quite understood why Google is making such an app. It’s great but… why?

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 22:01:25 -0400

9to5Mac’s article “Another AirPods Pro 3 model is coming, with one rumored upgrade”:

Apple is rumored to be developing a new, higher-end version of AirPods Pro 3 featuring infrared (IR) cameras to enhance AI capabilities and potentially support visual intelligence and hand gestures. This upcoming model is expected to be similar to the current AirPods Pro 3 but will likely come at a higher price point. The IR cameras are anticipated to help users better understand and interact with their external environment.

Oh, as an AirPods Pro 2 owner, I might want to hold up my next purchase. I’m just curious about the appeal of this upgrade.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:31:34 -0400

At this point, I have to admit, the only reason I’m keeping ChatGPT is its image-generation and analysis capabilities.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:11:42 -0400

New MacBook with ‘fun colors’ sounds like the best Mac for most people — 9to5Mac

It’s pretty simple: if you can get a MacBook that’s the most affordable by far, comes in fun colors, and will do everything you want—why would you choose anything else?

I’m warming up to this. Could be a boon to my travel gears.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:22:22 -0400

How many new RSS readers can we get in a week? I’m counting two so far. Might be a third one coming soon? Cc @manton

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 07:21:15 -0400

Using Claude Code, I added an OPML export feature to my RSS Flow webpage so that I could move my feeds into Current so that I could compare the reading experience of a RSS river… let’s see.

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:26:21 -0400

I bought Current. I’m not sure it’s for me. It doesn’t support Inoreader. It might be in a future version. Information density is too low. I like some of its design decisions. It seems that some useful features will come the more I use the app. I’ll see.

We're Making a Big Mistake

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:19:28 -0400

I believe that IT workers who are also passionate about gen AI are making a major misjudgment. We wrongly assume that the advances we observe in our field, such as the autonomous or semi-autonomous development of applications, also translate to sectors like medicine or law. This is a false generalization.

The field of IT heavily relies on strict formalism: the raw material consumed by LLMs. In the legal field, for example, this is not the case: it is much more complex. Laws, regulations, and judgments are generally written and presented in standardized forms, but the content is far from being as digestible formalism as lines of code written in a programming language. In my opinion, we should remember that when we share our enthusiasm for gen AI. We must be lucid while also setting the right expectations for decision-makers and lawmakers.

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 07:57:37 -0400

Matt Shumer writes in “Something Big is Happening”:

The AI labs made a deliberate choice. They focused on making AI great at writing code first… because building AI requires a lot of code. If AI can write that code, it can help build the next version of itself. A smarter version, which writes better code, which builds an even smarter version. Making AI great at coding was the strategy that unlocks everything else. That’s why they did it first.

Clever. Exciting. But scary, too.

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:02:16 -0400

I Am the Great Glassholio! — Spyglass

Meta plans to add facial recognition to its smart glasses, which would let wearers identify people and get information about them via an AI assistant.

Meta being meta. Creepy.

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 09:55:24 -0400

If Apple does a “Snow Leopard”- style release with iOS 27 (and hopefully macOS 27), then I’m all in. Software quality has taken a nosedive in recent years, and it’s no longer aligned with Apple’s “It just works”. Apple needs to do something about this. I cannot count how many times people have come to me and said, “Apple’s hardware is top-notch, but the software is such crap.”

I bet Apple will use some level of AI to inspect code and apply AI-based suggestions and recommendations.

The Rise of Cognitive Dept

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 07:49:43 -0400

Margaret-Anne Storey introduces “cognitive debt” as a concept that may be more threatening than technical debt in AI-augmented development. Unlike technical debt (which lives in code), cognitive debt is the erosion of shared understanding that resides in developers’ minds. Drawing on Peter Naur’s concept of a program as a “theory” distributed across teams, the article argues that as AI and agentic tools push for development velocity, teams risk losing their collective understanding of why systems work the way they do. Even if AI generates technically clean code, teams can become paralyzed when no one can explain design decisions or anticipate the consequences of changes. The author calls for intentional slowdowns, collaborative practices, and serious research into measuring and mitigating this growing challenge.

“As generative and agentic AI accelerate development, protecting that shared theory of what the software does and how it can change may matter more for long-term software health than any single metric of speed or output.”

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:39:00 -0400

When I was a teenager, programming languages like LOGO made computers and programming very accessible. In today’s world, I would argue that, to some degree, vibe coding does the same: it makes computer programming more accessible in a much more complex digital landscape.

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:39:58 -0400

Do we know if Apple upgraded the local Apple Intelligence model since its initial release? In case they didn’t, it’s no wonder why Apple is so far behind as others are releasing new models at a rapid pace, even those destined at being run locally.

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:37:55 -0400

I’m still tweaking my RSS Flow web app using Claude Code. It’s addictive and fun. It’s becoming the exact RSS reader I always wanted.

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 21:39:57 -0400

I would pay to have a widget that shows an up-to-date view of Claude’s credit usage.

Traveling to Egypt and Jordan: Some of My Random Travel Notes

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 06:26:10 -0400

One of my favourite things while flying is seeing a plane go in the opposite direction at a distance, ideally close enough to feel the raw speed of the plane added to mine.
I loved Egypt, but the chaos of Cairo can be overwhelming and tiring. I prefer the relative calm of Jordan’s cities. I may be getting too old for some scenery.
WhatsApp is a dominant communication platform worldwide, except in North America. Too bad it is so awkward to navigate and is owned by Meta.
Taking pictures of the scene from my hublot is a good time killer and can produce fascinating images. I have so many of them.
Posted many pictures on my personal and custom-made photo-sharing website, and it worked beautifully. Of course, a selection of my photos was also posted on my Glass page. More to come in the next few weeks.
My personal custom-built RSS web app proved to be super handy when I wanted a quick overview of the news.
These notes were gathered and written using Raycast for iOS before being edited and published. Raycast > Tot, in my opinion.
I encountered several planes equipped with electronically activated polarization shields on the windows, which produce unusual lighting effects both outside and inside the cabin. Some shields do not completely block external light. Additionally, these shields are centrally controlled during flight, which can be frustrating.
Most airports remain and will always be customer-hostile and unfriendly. It seems to be getting worse every year, everywhere, as air travel continues to increase.
I brought my newly acquired Ubiquity Travel Router with me, but it was of no use; all hotel Wi-Fi, including the cruise ship, allowed many devices to connect with a single activation.
Taking a break from the intensity of the digital world is salutary. But I’m glad to be back online now.

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 02:05:48 -0400

Better Siri is, yet again, a little farther off — BirchTree

Making a meaningfully better, LLM-enhanced Siri seems to be very tricky.

Well, probably but changing the software strategy over and over might prove to be the real culprit here.

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:26:17 -0400

Fact: airports aren’t created equal. 😩

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:43:48 -0400

Having a great time in Egypt so far. Internet connectivity is spotty which explains why I’m not posting more photos. You will be flooded in due time!

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:34:47 -0400

Anthropic cements its position as the not-OpenAI with no-ads pledge — The Register

Anthropic has committed to keeping its Claude AI model ad-free, emphasizing user trust and avoiding potential conflicts of interest that could arise from advertising. The company believes serving ads in chat sessions could introduce incentives that might compromise the AI’s helpfulness and neutrality, distinguishing itself from rivals like OpenAI who are exploring ad-supported models. This decision aligns with Anthropic’s principle-driven approach and focus on maintaining user privacy and genuine assistance.

How long will it last? In today’s tech world, cynicism prevails.

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:26:40 -0400

“Today, Apple is proud to report a remarkable, record-breaking quarter, with revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent from a year ago and well above our expectations,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone had its best-ever quarter driven by unprecedented demand, with all-time records across every geographic segment, and Services also achieved an all-time revenue record, up 14 percent from a year ago. We are also excited to announce that our installed base now has more than 2.5 billion active devices, which is a testament to incredible customer satisfaction for the very best products and services in the world.”

How can Apple think they are doing anything wrong with these numbers? You tell me.

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:35:34 -0400

Manton Reece on Aeronaut

Trying out Aeronaut for Bluesky. Very nice. I don’t actually visit Bluesky directly that often because I post to it and follow within Micro.blog. Good to have a dedicated app for things like feeds, though.

Tried it for five minutes on my Mac. Nice, indeed. Certainly better than Bluesky’s offering which is iPhone only. The only thing is that I never quite remember what to use as my Bluesky username.

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:31:46 -0400

Let’s Keep an Eye on Apple’s Own iOS Adoption Numbers — Daring Fireball

I presume, or at least hope, that they’ll update these numbers for iOS 26 any day now.

Apple will wait as long as the numbers look favorable. The longer it will take, the more we can assume that this year’s OSes adoption isn’t where it was in previous years.

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:24:50 -0400

Halide cofounder Sebastiaan de With joins Apple’s design team — 9to5Mac

Halide and Lux co-founder and designer Sebastiaan de With announced today that he is joining Apple’s human interface design team.

Woah! I’m happy for him, and I think it’s a big plus for Apple in general. I always admired his work, both in Halide and on his website.

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:13:06 -0400

Yesterday night I installed and configured ClawdBot on my M4 Mac mini sitting on my home office desk. Now, I’m remote-controlling it with Discord, preferring it over Telegram or iMessage because Discord support in ClawdBot felt more mature. I can ask simple things and get simple answer. It’s exciting. Yet, it was more complicated than I originally thought. ClawdBot is a nerdy thing for really nerd people. More comments about ClawdBot can be found on MacStories.

I see a lot of potential for learning and testing new things with ClawdBot. I’ll probably dedicate a lot of my spare time to it in the coming months. But for now, because I’m very close to leaving for a vacation trip to Egypt, I’ll put that aside for a few weeks.

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 13:22:46 -0400

Open source vs. open platforms — Manton Reece

Open source gives power to developers. An open platform gives power to everyone. The web needs business models that can sustain both.

Well balanced point of view, something we see less and less often these days.

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 07:50:15 -0400

Yesterday, I suscribed to Edovia’s Screens so that I could remote control my Mac mini upstair to configure ClawdBot where it is running. Like many other apps, Screens now comes with Liquid Glass support and it’s a mixed bag. Plus, this thing is a battery drain powerhouse! 🫣 I’ve been using Screens 3 a long time ago when we couldn’t remote control into other Macs via FaceTime. I’m happy to see it still around, especially that I know the developer behind it.

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 15:51:03 -0400

Here’s a very short demo of RSS Flow.

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 15:47:24 -0400

At this rate, I wonder if I could create a custom-build, highly feature-focused Inoreader replacement using Claude Code. My experience so far with RSS Flow seems to confirm that I could, piece-by-piece.

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 14:58:27 -0400

I’m putting the final touches on a few of my web apps before going on a two-week vacation. One nice thing is that my RSS Flow app can call my Microblog Poster app to quickly create a link post from a text selection in RSS Flow.

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 14:16:49 -0400

I’m not sure it was a good idea to put my GitHub repos inside iCloud Drive Documents folder. Some of my projects have more than 50K files inside of them, thanks to dependancies. The fileproviderd process consumes quite a lot of CPU cycles at times.

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:37:52 -0400

I visited some friends this weekend and talked about Apple’s latest software updates. The general sentiment seems to be that they don’t like the updates (iOS 26 as well as the “new weird and fuzzy look”). Apple no longer delights users. 😔

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:26:04 -0400

iPhone 18 Pro: Leaker Reveals Alleged Size of Smaller Dynamic Island — MacRumors

The account “Ice Universe” today claimed the Dynamic Island cutout on the iPhone 18 Pro models will be approximately 35% narrower than it is on the iPhone 17 Pro models. Specifically, they said it will have a width of around 13.5mm, down from around 20.7mm, and they shared the mockup image above to show what it would look like.

When Apple eliminates the camera and sensor cutout from the display, maybe next year or the year after, what will happen with the dynamic island? My take is that the dynamic island continues to show content popping up from the top of the screen, just like before.

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 23:22:45 -0400

Intel puts consumer chip production on back burner as datacenters make a run on Xeons — The Register

If you notice PC prices creeping up over the next few months, the rising cost of memory won’t be the only reason, because on Thursday Intel said it is reallocating foundry capacity from client chips to meet surging demand for Xeon processors used in AI servers.

I wonder if Apple can manage to keep iPhone prices stable this fall with the release of the iPhone 18. They are certainly facing headwinds.

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:04:18 -0400

So far this year, AI and Claude Code have completely changed my plans to learn writing extensive Apple Shortcuts. In fact, I would even argue that Apple has to find a way to enable a Claude Code like experience to write Apple Shortcuts (and why not AppleScript while at it).

Something Is Going On

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:31:24 -0400

I’m still working on this, but I’m heading in the right direction. I realize that every blog post should have a title so that my RSS flow feed looks great. 👀

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:24:53 -0400

Asking Claude Code to suggest new features and improvements for my photo-sharing app is a lot of fun. Reviewing the list, I see several valid suggestions. However, as a “product manager”, I must decide what gets implemented and what does not. It’s kind of a power trip. You know “A thousand no for each yes”? 😎

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:58:03 -0400

This weekend, I wanted to work on my next YouTube video, but I fell into this “photo-sharing website for my close family and friends” rabbit hole. It took most of the day to refine that I completely forgot about my video. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:51:13 -0400

Miniroll: what a great idea, and a well-designed one above all. Is it for me? I don’t know. I barely update my blogroll on Micro.blog. I’ll certainly keep an eye on the changelog to see where it’s going, and who knows…

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:20:17 -0400

Looking at my Micro.blog timeline summary I see this bad interpretation of my words in a recent post about updating my Nikon camera firmware from 1.21 to 3.0. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:53:11 -0400

“Please, add a map of all the places I visited based on photo metadata”. “Add animation across the site to make it more dynamic, nothing too fancy”. “Please, add support for progressive web app and make sure to set the favicon with the provided image”. “Add support for swipe gestures (ledt and right) while glancing at individual image”. “Add a counter of how many images are stored in each album”.

Are you getting it?

This is simple web app development in 2026 built using Claude Code, Vercel, Next.js and Tailwind CSS. 🤯

Building A Dedicated Photo-Sharing Website in Claude Code

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:15:14 -0400

Thinking about the upcoming trip to Egypt, I realized I still didn’t have a good solution for sharing photos and comments beyond the usual social networks. Drawing on my experience from the past few weeks deploying web applications on Vercel, I decided to try the same by building a website for sharing and viewing photos. The additional complexity here is that the viewing portion is separate from the photo upload section. Therefore, I need to protect this feature with a password. Additionally, image storage must be optimized to minimize costs and provide a pleasant, flexible viewing experience. I’m using Vercel-only blog storage and Redis for metadata store.

In less than 2 hours, I built a fully functional application with Claude Code and Vercel. Impressive.

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 21:47:22 -0400

How long will it take Apple to fix the Apple Watch setup process involving restoring from previous backups? It’s been an issue for many people for years! My setup process when I upgraded from Series 6 to Series 8 was hindered by this issue. Same when I upgraded from Series 8 to Series 10. Either the backup found wasn’t recent, or there was no backup to restore from. Michael Tsai is one such person. Anyone at Apple is setting up a new watch? 🤔

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:26:48 -0400

I completed implementing automated backups of all my n8n workflows to GitHub and documenting their triggering times in a compact format using Claude AI. The backup workflow is based on a template found in the n8n community.

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:13:33 -0400

Tomorrow, I’m planning to visit Apple’s new Ste-Catherine store in downtown Montreal. From the outside, it certainly looks much better than the previous store on the same street, 100 m further west. I don’t plan to buy anything; I just want to look at the architectural details, the crowd, and the mood. Expect some photos and maybe a short video.

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:01:22 -0400

Digg is finally in public beta. They also introduced a refreshed design (compared to what was available during the private beta), and I think it’s way better. Also introduced are user-defined communities. It’s currently limited to two per user, which I think is fair. This is my profile. I was looking to create a community, only to realize I was about to dilute myself again. My community is here.

Apple Creator Studio - A Few Comments

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 21:42:34 -0400

On today’s announcement by Apple:

Now we know why it took so long for Apple to update Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Where is iWork? Why no iWork subscription without the pro stuff?
I don’t understand this bundling of pro apps with consumer-generalistic apps. Is Apple trying to upsell Pro Apps to consumers via a new subscription? They might be. I don’t think pros want to get Numbers or Pages, though.
Icons are utterly un-Apple, or Apple has become something I no longer relate to software-design-wise. It’s not a good sign.
Yes, Apple does look like Adobe and … Microsoft. And less, Apple.
No mention of Photomator. I believe merging Photomator into Photos is not a good idea; combining a photo browsing app with a photo editing app isn’t ideal. Currently, Photos functions more as a photo browser than as a dedicated editing tool, and both aspects risk becoming mediocre. I want a focused, serious photo-editing app that doesn’t try to rival Photoshop. Is that too much to ask? The challenge lies in Apple’s prioritization of profit over user needs, which makes it difficult to develop such an app.

What a strange start to the year.

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:19:50 -0400

I’m sorry but Apple no longer knows how to do icons. Serious downgrades. WTF is this? I could do better in a weekend.

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:13:16 -0400

It appears that Photomator in MIA in today’s announcements which doesn’t bode well for its fate. 😔

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:51:45 -0400

Simon Willison on experimenting with Cowork from Anthropic:

“I had Claude Code reverse engineer the Claude app and it found out that Claude uses VZVirtualMachine - the Apple Virtualization Framework - and downloads and boots a custom Linux root filesystem.”

Whoa, this is clever. This is a reminder, too: my next Mac must have more than 16GB of RAM.

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:29:22 -0400

Anthropic on Cowork:

“That said, there are still things to be aware of before you give Claude control. By default, the main thing to know is that Claude can take potentially destructive actions (such as deleting local files) if it’s instructed to. Since there’s always some chance that Claude might misinterpret your instructions, you should give Claude very clear guidance around things like this.”

and

“You should also be aware of the risk of “prompt injections”: attempts by attackers to alter Claude’s plans through content it might encounter on the internet. We’ve built sophisticated defenses against prompt injections, but agent safety—that is, the task of securing Claude’s real-world actions—is still an active area of development in the industry. "

A world of possibilities awaits you. 🫣

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 23:14:20 -0400

/rant on

Can you believe it? I updated my M4 iPad Pro today to beta 2 of iPadOS 26.3, thinking I would see some much-needed fixes, but elas many visual bugs are still unfixed, bugs that were there in 26.1 or even 26.0. I mean, bugs that are very easy to catch and experience. I can’t believe I’m the only one experiencing those. One example: when sliding up an app to return to the home page, the background briefly disappears.

Please, Apple, stop piling up new features and fix your shit.

/rant off

On Scrollbars

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 21:54:59 -0400

After reading a recent Gruber article about the macOS Tahoe window-resizing issue, I found a setting in Appearance that keeps scrollbars always visible. It’s somewhat odd because of the scrollbar’s thickness. I wish Apple would make them thinner and less noticeable. I’m unsure if I’ll get used to this.

Note: On Windows 11, scrollbars are always visible by default but are less obtrusive. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Apple was once known for leading with excellent design and great visual taste, but this is less obvious nowadays.

On Apple’s Deal with Google

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:24:30 -0400

Back in November, Google announced Private AI Compute, positioning themselves to offer something like Apple’s Private Cloud Compute. It might be something that OpenAI wasn’t willing to do or didn’t see a fit in their business mission. By offering Private AI Compute, Google might have secured the business with Apple. Anyway, it’s becoming impressive how Google is taking back the lead in AI. Lastly, maybe we will see Google Gemini being added to this week’s next beta of iOS 26.3 to go side-by-side with ChatGPT?

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 19:36:05 -0400

I just discovered that Raindrop.io offers many integrations, including n8n! I might need to reconsider my bookmarking strategies, yet again. I’m currently using Anybox. 🤔 I’m exploring ways to move the data around. If you made a similar move, I’ll be more than happy to learn about your experience. For now, I’ll prompt ChatGPT for strategies.

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:45:21 -0400

Inspired by basicappleguy on Mastodon, here’s my rating of each Apple product. Design, usefulness, feature focus, maturity, and usage frequency are the key factors here.

iPhone
Mac
iPad
Apple Watch
Apple TV
AirPods
Vision Pro
AirTag
HomePod

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:19:48 -0400

This diagram tries to illustrate the how modern AI, Claude AI in particular, compares to traditional computing paradigm. Models more or less are processors, Agents are more or less the operating system and Applications are more or less Skills. It’s interesting, but I’m wary about agents because they open up too many pandora boxes.

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:54:17 -0400

I made two important changes this morning for my automation-related operating environment:

Using DigitalOcean monitoring, I created two resources alerts (CPU > 50% for 5 min, Disk usage > 70% for 5 min). Alerts will make me look into n8n automation misbehaviours.
I switched my AI nodes to use Claude AI Haiku 4.5 instead of Sonnet 4.5 to reduce costs for comparable results. I don’t think my summarization tasks needs more powerful LLM.

When Things Go Wrong With AI-Generated Code

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 23:18:50 -0400

My first bad experience: the code generated by Claude Code made my dashboard unresponsive in my browser. Eventually, the data stopped updating. After a ten-minute debugging session, I asked Claude Code to revert the change, and it did so promptly. But then I started getting execution failure notices on Discord. A lot of notifications. Then I started investigating…

It appears the browser was making frequent refresh requests to one of my workflows, which depleted my Claude pay-per-use credits. Bummber. Looking at my n8n dashboard, I saw that one of my workflows was failing because of that. Logs were confirming the problem with the interaction with Claude AI. As shown on the graphs below, my instance CPU usage went through the roof. Ouch. Now I know what happened, and the problem was fixed. Now, I should find a way to rate-limit this type of behaviour. That’s for tomorrow, I guess. 😅

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 22:52:35 -0400

Ten days into 2026, I have achieved much more than I anticipated. If I maintain this pace, I will complete my list of wild ideas soon. It’s not just about checking items off the list, but also about learning a lot along the way. It’s very fulfilling.

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:57:09 -0400

One of the frustrating aspects of LLMs is their lack of consistency unless you develop specific skills, which can take time to implement effectively. For example, I wanted to generate documentation for my most recent n8n automation workflow, but Claude was unable to do it, and I can’t remember the prompt that finally made it possible. I should have saved it somewhere for easy retrieval. I’m wasting precious credits. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 10:29:08 -0400

Simon Willison on AI-assisted programming:

The more time I spend on AI-assisted programming the less afraid I am for my job, because it turns out building software - especially at the rate it’s now possible to build - still requires enormous skill, experience and depth of understanding.

My Defaults as of 2026-01-10

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 10:16:00 -0400

Changes from the last edition are in bold. ✉️ 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 🗄️ Cloud file storage: iCloud 📰 RSS: Reeder connected to Inoreader 📇 Contacts: Contacts 🕸️ Browser: Mobile Safari + ARC Browser on Mac + ChatGPT Atlas 🧠 AI: ChatGPT + Claude AI 🔎 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 👨🏻‍💻 Blog hosting: Ghost, Micro.blog, Scribbles.page 🌐 Web Services: Cloudflare, Chillidog Hosting, DigitalOcean

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:02:37 -0400

Apparently, people are barely using Stack Overflow to ask questions, thanks to LLMs and AI. I expect a similar trend among people in a community like this one on Micro.blog. Some questions would be super easy to answer by asking ChatGPT or the like. I do understand that many people still want this human touch, though.

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:55:53 -0400

Something is about to happen. Again. 🤗🫣

On Tahoe Icons

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 09:00:04 -0400

Just finished reading “It’s hard to justify Tahoe icons”, which many UI design pundits and non-UI experts, as well as simple, passionate Mac users, have been referring to a lot recently. I appreciate the documentation effort. It’s really well done. Very convincing. But…

Designers age and are gradually replaced by a younger generation. Whether you like it or not, they bring new beliefs (justified or not), design principles (better or not), and values (questionable or not). Recently, there’s a trend where software appears much less crafted than it once was. Everything seems thrown together, flat. And still…

I like those macOS Tahoe menus with icons (🫣), but yes, there is an absolute lack of consistency.

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 23:04:30 -0400

I can confidently say I’ve learned at least one significant new concept every day over the past two to three weeks. It is not only satisfying but also quite stimulating. This will keep me from aging, that’s for sure.

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 07:41:38 -0400

Claude Code skills are probably the most intriguing aspect of Claude Code and Claude AI. I’m not so sure yet how to take advantage of them. My understanding from this excellent video is that you have to be an expert at something to create those skills.md file.

An Important Lesson

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 22:26:12 -0400

When I started my studies in computer science over 40 years ago, we learned to read functional specifications and then translate them into machine instructions (COBOL, FORTRAN, Pascal, etc.). It was the training of a programmer. I knew that one day I could become the person who writes functional specifications. I didn’t become a programmer, nor did I work in the development world.

Due to my recent experience with Claude AI, Claude Code, and Vercel to create custom applications, I realize that I have become the one who writes functional specifications, but for processing by artificial intelligence. What does this tell me about the profession of a software developer? The need to write specifications remains essential, if not more so, even with powerful tools like AI. I think it’s a valuable lesson.

On OpenRouter.ai

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 21:13:44 -0400

I just finished reading about the service openrouter.ai. I was curious to understand the purpose of this service as well as its business model. I saw several instances of this service being used in n8n workflows. The problem I see with this service is that it makes the consistency of the quality of responses from the requested LLMs even more unpredictable. Each request could be handled by LLMs with different characteristics and performance from one time to another. I’ll pass on this, but I still learned something tonight.

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 18:04:56 -0400

My latest n8n workflow automates summarizing my Micro.blog timeline (via its private RSS feed) and sends the results to my Discord server every hour. Pretty cool, right?

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:35:24 -0400

Today, I created a new blog post category. Now, all blog posts related to automation (usually n8n-based) or AI will be assigned the “Automation & AI” category. I went back to my blog posts and updated a few of them to reflect this change. You can follow the blog posts with this dedicated RSS feed, which is automagically created and maintained by Micro.blog.

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:11:26 -0400

I’m discovering this powerful n8n node this morning. This means I could trigger that workflow from an external source, such as a Telegram message, and receive a response with some RSS content.

Launching Numeric Citizen Blog Digests

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:52:59 -0400

Today, I’m excited to share my latest idea and creation: a website collecting my Micro.blog posts, monthly digests. What, another website? Yup.

In case you didn’t know, Micro.blog has a newsletter capability. My blog offers readers the opportunity to subscribe to a monthly blog post digest delivered to their inboxes. Plus, each digest is also available as a webpage (here’s the index page if you are curious). It’s a great way to get a quick overview of everything I published for a specific month. Of course, the whole thing is searchable.

But one day, I tried feeding one digest into ChatGPT and started asking questions about it. It was a revelation. Eventually, I asked for a structured summary, and ChatGPT promptly complied, returning a beautifully formatted summary. I spent quite some time reading the output, and I was blown away by how accurate and complete it was. This is where the idea of creating a new website to store and share those summarized digests. I think it’s a great way to get up to speed with my blog for newcomers or for people who might have missed a few months.

So, here we are, digests.numericcitizen.me is born. For now, you’ll find the summary of last month, but each month will be added as a single article. An AI-generated summary (by Micro.blog) describes the current month, and you need to click the title to get all the content. I plan to add some other highlights to this site. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 15:49:28 -0400

“Start a blog. Start one because the practice of writing at length, for an audience you respect, about things that matter to you, is itself valuable. Start one because owning your own platform is a form of independence that becomes more important as centralized platforms become less trustworthy. Start one because the format shapes the thought, and this format is good for thinking.” - JA Westenberg in The Case for Blogging in the Ruins

Beyond feeling independent, having a blog helps active thinking.

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 14:32:12 -0400

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”
There you go. That’s the real reason for the invasion, just like Iraq. WMD? Drugs? These are just excuses to get the oil. Only a month ago, the POTUS pardoned the former President of Honduras for trafficking cocaine into the US. As usual, the lies are blatant.
Jeff Johnson https://mastodon.social/@lapcatsoftware/115832384114132583

The more it changes…

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 10:51:07 -0400

I cannot stress enough how flabbergasted I am by the value Tinylytics is offering. Just finished configuring recently added options. What you see is my Blips analytics dashboard. Hat down to Vincent.

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 10:22:18 -0400

Putting up a new website on Micro.blog is way too… easy. 🫣🤫🫢

And the next n8n project is?

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 23:03:51 -0400

My next project with n8n automation is to build a replacement for Mailbrew. 🫣 I’m facing many architectural decisions:

How do I fetch content (web or RSS feeds)?
How do I extract articles for more efficient summarization?
How do I combine the results?
How do I control the size of the summary?
Do I need some form of temporary data persistence within the workflow?
How do I minimize LLM credits usage?
Should I use an n8n data table for storing data sources and loop through them one by one?
Where do I send the summary and how (Telegram, Discord, Email)?

…and probably a few more decisions to ponder!

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 18:14:55 -0400

My Microblog Poster web front end now supports Markdown files, drag-and-drop, and preview mode, all in a simple (but less simple than initially built) web interface! 😅

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 12:12:37 -0400

My updated profile description for 2026:

“I’m a compulsive creator and contributor, a digital nomad, a light painter. Aspiring peace supremacist and democracy propagandist. Proud member of the Secret Internet Curators (SIC) brigade.”

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 10:53:32 -0400

I’ve been working on a new workflow that would let me skip using Ulysses when sharing new content from Craft to Ghost. To that end, Claude came to the rescue as always, but I’m not done yet. Here are a few details.

Claude needs an n8n workflow (exposed via the n8n MCP server) to retrieve the content of a specific document using Craft APIs. Using an n8n workflow keeps credentials secure, as I don’t need to provide them directly in Claude prompts. Next, Claude converts Craft blocks to well-formatted HTML, the format Ghost expects from its APIs. Next, Claude depends on another small n8n workflow to securely push the HTML content to Ghost. Those two n8n workflows use webhooks (triggers) and HTTP requests (GET, POST) to transfer information between Craft and Ghost via their respective API endpoints.

The publishing workflow is done and handled by Claude AI, but posts are always in draft mode so I can review them in the Ghost Admin management interface before publishing. I need more work to finish this because now I have to make sure that on the next occasion, in a new Claude conversation, Claude will remember to use my n8n workflows and how I want the content converted. Another issue seems to be about the size of the request being sent to Ghost to create the draft post.

If I go back a few weeks, I barely knew how to use Claude Code or leverage webhooks and MCP servers meaningfully. Now I do, thanks to AI. I feel empowered by AI.

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 10:25:20 -0400

When I get this from Claude AI, it’s time for either a break or to work on something else until the reset.

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:44:50 -0400

I’m making quite a bit of progress with my Micro.blog UI frontend to the point where I’m wondering how much of the whole experience I could rebuild using Vercel and Claude Code. Challenge?

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 16:59:55 -0400

I decided to try building a small website on GitHub Pages. I have no idea if I’ll ever make something useful out of it. Since I’m spending some time with GitHub, I have found some interesting side features.

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:56:43 -0400

I saw many times people talking about Ghostty for Mac, a terminal emulator. My question: why use Ghostty instead of Apple Terminal? I just downloaded it and my first reactions are: less window chrome, bigger windows, split-window mode, better font and better default colors scheme. Adopted.

MacUpdate Is Dead?

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:59:21 -0400

From MacUpdate website:

Unfortunately MacUpdater 3’s promised lifetime of “until 2026-01-01” is now over. There will be no MacUpdater 4 or any continuation of the MacUpdater product from us. Our daily maintenance has been stopped and we don’t verify updates anymore. MacUpdater 3.5 is now unsupported but free-to-use including all previous “Pro” features.

WTF?? 😩

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:19:52 -0400

My most “complex” n8n workflow so far. This workflow retrieves Tinylytics AI-generated insights for the day across all my websites and creates a meta-summarization for inclusion in today’s Craft Daily Note.

Let's Start 2026!

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 10:45:39 -0400

This is my first post of the year on Micro.blog. Despite the overall global, political, and economic challenges that don’t seem very promising, I am personally looking forward to 2026.

Travel-wise, I have four planned: Egypt, Mexico, France & Thailand. This could also be a productive year for photography. I’m looking forward to those trips as we celebrate our 20-year relationship, my wife and I. 😊

Tech-wise, it’s the year of the iPhone upgrade. After skipping the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17, it’s time to upgrade my capable but aging iPhone 15 Pro Max. I expect to stay on the Max. It could also be the year when I replace my M2 MacBook Air with the M5 version. It will depend on the available money and other factors. Lastly, if Apple finally release a HomePod with a screen, I might get one, too. 💻

I wish you a good one!

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:02:43 -0400

My biggest challenge so far in building automation workflows in n8n is data manipulation (arrays, JSON, data bits extraction, etc.) It’s not fun at all, but when it works, it’s rewarding.

In 2026, I’ll Keep an Eye On…

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 17:29:29 -0400

I’m already turning my attention to 2026, in no particular order:

Ghost.org next moves, now that are a better Fediverse citizen.
Plausible Analytics, which seems to be overkill for my needs but I might find a use for their service exposure via their APIs.
Craft because they finished the year with a bang and I’m super anxious to learn what’s next.
Apple because of Apple Intelligence and Siri promised updates. Will they deliver? They are the underdog right now but it could serve them well in the end. Remember the Mp3 players market before the iPod? I do. I don’t want another features rush but a bug-fix bonanza. Will they deliver? I have my doubts. What’s next for Photomator and Pixelmator?
Micro.blog might also surprise me with features like RSS reader integration. Who knows.
Anthropic and OpenAI offerings… will they keep the pace? Will they slow down? Will they surprise us? Will they crash? Is enshittification on our way?
Inoreader is also evolving at a steady pace and I wonder if it will continue in 2026.
Things to-do manager: will it turn to version 4?

So much fun is awaiting, I’m sure.

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:04:36 -0400

In my piece this published this morning, I totally forgot to mention the possibility of enshittification of AI offerings by Anthropic and OpenAI, which could trigger some decisions on my part if this happens. For unknown reasons, I have better trust in Anthropic staying away of this for a longer time than OpenAI.

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:10:59 -0400

I got a lot of positive reactions about my Micro.blog front end for writing and publishing posts in a simplified user experience. I wasn’t expecting that. To me, it might mean that it’s filling a small void in Micro.blog offerings. Thankfully, Micro.blog is an open “platform” which allows such experiments like mine.

Some people asked me to make my app open source. I’m hesitant. I don’t want to feel the pressure of having to support others in using my work but who would like to add their own touches. I think, for now, I’ll respectfully decline. I would rather encourage anyone to follow the same route that I did and experiment with the tooling. 👾

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 22:52:32 -0400

Wow, the UniFi Travel Router is already sold out! I bought one this morning. I hope to get it before I visit Egypt later in January.

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 19:22:34 -0400

I won’t write my predictions for 2026, but I want to write about how I envision using different AI offerings to support my creative journey next year.

Craft & Inoreader in 2025

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 09:09:02 -0400

In 2025, two notable apps or services received numerous and meaningful updates: Craft and Inoreader.

Craft received long-awaited tag support, with APIs and MCP support added. The latter two are quite transformative, and I expect 2026 to bring many new users to the app. Personally, I’m barely scratching the surface of Craft APIs. Craft is at the center of everything that I create, and I couldn’t think of a better app to support my creative journey.

Inoreader also got a bunch of updates, many of them focused on AI-based empowerment (article summaries, podcast and video transcriptions, tag suggestions, etc.). More than ever, Inoreader is an essential part of my digital toolset.

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 21:51:59 -0400

It’s fascinating how building things with Claude AI and Vercel made me forget about my desire to expand my knowledge and experience of Apple Shortcuts. I no longer see the need for that. My wish, though, would be to see Apple bring a way to build Shortcuts using Apple Intelligence.

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 20:13:35 -0400

I see a lot of interest in my experiment with Vercel and Micro.blog if the reactions are any indication. I’m going to do a small write up about this. I didn’t expect my experiment to be successful. Can’t wait to share more details about this on meta.numericcitizen.me.

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 14:06:49 -0400

One of the reasons for building my own web app for posting to Micro.blog: having the title field and categories shown by default 😁🤣

And Now Microblog Poster Web App is Live!

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 11:58:12 -0400

It’s a web app (on Vercel) just for me to use so that I can write blog posts on the go with a clean UI. It’s my second web app on Vercel built entirely with Claude AI.

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 09:24:37 -0400

I made my first Vercel app: a simple form for posting to Scribbles.page. Super lean, super clean. I do have coding experience, but not with Next.js. Claude AI helped me out. Here is the final form. Next up: same thing but for Micro.blog. This time, the title field, the categories will be shown by default! 😅

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 10:06:04 -0400

I’m done with the 2025 editions of The Ephemeral Scrapbook (all editions in one place!). It’s my free newsletter built with care and love and hosted on Ghost. Looking forward to 2026.

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 16:37:34 -0400

When I’m hitting my Claude AI credits allotment, it’s time to do something else. 😅

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 18:44:50 -0400

My n8n exploration continues: now I have both an n8n MCP endpoint and an API endpoint enabled. I can talk to my n8n instance from Claude via either my MCP connection or an API. I can trigger an n8n workflow via the Claude AI MCP connection. Endless possibilities. 🤯

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:33:53 -0400

Moving from Apple Keynote to Freeform for my next content creation workflow diagram update. It’s a sneak peek. It was much easier to convert (a simple copy-and-paste was all that was needed to kick-start the process). I also made significant changes to the way certain things are presented.

Who's Right?

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:13:46 -0400

Apparently, web analytics is not an exact science. Here are three web analytics versions of the same period: from November 23rd to December 23rd (Top: Ghost Analytics, Middle: Plausible Analytics, and Bottom: Tinylytics). Plausible feels conservative, with about half as many unique visitors as Ghost, while Tinylytics seems to overestimate. The patterns are barely the same, too. Who’s right?

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:21:47 -0400

My wife and me quite extensively used a group conversation in ChatGPT to help us face some health-related issues. It was beneficial to a visit to the hospital and still is after the visit yesterday. It is so much more helpful than having to google things and try to figure out what is going on.

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:52:50 -0400

Keeping track of all those services API keys, authorization tokens, API and MCP endpoints, their respective level of authorization is starting to feel cumbersome. 🥴

Consuming AI Can Be Expensive

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 11:10:20 -0400

While experimenting with n8n and LLM services, I realize that using artificial intelligence can become a very costly hobby. The fact that the consumption of these services relies on two separate offerings — the subscription to the interactive service and on-demand billing for APIs — requires careful management and wise choices of providers.

Currently, I use ChatGPT and Claude AI in interactive mode, but I also need a provider to access AI via APIs. This latter mode of consumption is particularly expensive if you’re not careful.

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 10:43:41 -0400

Woke up this morning and appreciated the results of my first n8n automation: a Craft Daily note with a list of topics for the day automagically created for the current day. I did use Craft Templates before, but I prefer the programmatic route because it enables much more powerful content creation by consuming different sources via APIs. For now, my automation doesn’t, but I’ll iterate on that.

My Learning Approach

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 17:58:43 -0400

Still exploring n8n, slowly but systematically. Because I’ll be using all sorts of external services like Craft, Micro.blog, Ghost, Inoreader, my strategy is to do individual integration tests instead of trying to build a biggy workflow and find all sorts of errors. Each of these micro experiments is forming the building blocks of something bigger. This approach is not different from the one I used for building iPhone apps and learning Objective-C and Interface Builder back in the day. I guess I’m a bottom-up kind of guy when it comes to understanding this kind of stuff.

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 15:08:11 -0400

Just completed a one-hour WordPress+Email issue-debugging session with my daughter-in-law. It was a harsh reminder of how much I hate WordPress.

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 23:15:25 -0400

Got my first n8n instance up and running on DigitalOcean. Running 2.0.3. That was easy. Enough for tonight.

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:47:53 -0400

Started learning more about Vercel. I see a lot of people using it for many different things. Seems quite capable even on the free tier. I might need it for some projects involving Craft. 🤓 Anyone using Vercel here? Thoughts?

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 09:04:45 -0400

For the first time ever, I applied decals to a device. 🙈

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:36:24 -0400

I knew I could build my Discord server, but didn’t really pay attention to it and couldn’t figure out what purpose it served. Now I do. So I created one so that, among my many use cases for this, it can receive a webhook call when one of my websites is down, thanks to Tinylytics’ webhook support.

Goodbye, IFTTT

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 22:56:25 -0400

It was a memorable, long journey. I officially shut down my IFTTT account tonight after over five years of use. It wasn’t costly, but I have the feeling that IFTTT started to trail behind competitive offerings like Zapier, Make and now n8n. It wasn’t the most user-friendly for debugging issues. Now, I’m turning my focus towards n8n. In the coming days and weeks, it will be my next digital playground for experimentation.

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:17:22 -0400

The year 2025 according to ChatGPT newest image generation tool — a concise snapshot of where AI actually stands in 2025. That is all. 🤣

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:28:54 -0400

After testing Claude AI, agentic workflows and Craft this weekend, I’m genuinely thrilled about certain aspects of AI—it’s a level of excitement I haven’t felt since I first explored the web and started using the iPhone.

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:46:47 -0400

Are we getting Apple OS 26.3 this week? If the pattern repeats itself, yes.

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:59:33 -0400

Just finished verifying my options for backing up my Synology NAS to the cloud and Synology C2 is still offers the cheapest option. Yet, it’s not cheap.

Learning in the Age of AI

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:27:29 -0400

Between 2009 and 2013, in my spare time, I was an independent developer and had three applications in the App Store. I learned on the job, as they say, and it was an adventure that required a great deal of personal investment. I learned a lot, but it was arduous. Learning a new programming language (Objective-C), APIs, and a development lifecycle to make applications available for sale in a store like the App Store was a major challenge. At the time, to deal with problems, there was no artificial intelligence. Everything relied on Google searches and countless visits to Stack Overflow to find solutions.

Today, I have another project focused on automation with n8n, hosting an instance in the cloud, and consuming APIs and artificial intelligence services to build highly customized workflows. There are many things I don’t know, but knowing that I will be able to rely on artificial intelligence to help solve my learning challenges is very reassuring. Without these possibilities, I probably would not move forward with this project.

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 13:35:23 -0400

Seriously thinking of moving out of IFTTT to a self-hosted n8n instance on Digital Ocean. My IFTTT use case is simple: archiving RSS feed articles into Dayone. This seems quite possible to move this workflow into n8n automation.

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 09:31:13 -0400

This morning I discovered that I could add RAM to my Synology DS720+, increasing it from 2 GB to 6 GB. This upgrade would make it possible to install an instance of n8n as a container and explore the creation of automations connected to Craft. But, memory prices aren’t cheap these days. 🤯 Trying to find alternatives source for memory purchase and Crucial is no longer selling memory that fit, than to AI data centers demand.

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:56:00 -0400

Tonight I’ve been testing something really cool: using Claude, Craft MCP connections, and Craft Agents to write a blog post to Scribbles. The blog post was written by Claude under my instructions but I could tweak the workflow to get the text of the blog post from a Craft Collection instead. Something to experiment during the upcoming Christmas holidays.

Saved 50 Minutes

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 17:34:32 -0400

Realmac Software shared their latest dev talk video. The video title mentions conversations about future plans for Elements. I was curious because I want to know where they are going with the CMS and RSS. I headed to YouTube and asked AI the following question: did they mention CMS? In a few seconds, I got my answer: yes, and they also talked about better support for RSS, which is something I’ve been waiting for. I didn’t watch the video; I already had the information I wanted. I saved 50 minutes of my time.

Now, one question: how is this good for Google? We’re so accustomed to being manipulated by platforms designed to increase our engagement with them; with this AI feature, it’s the opposite—I’m less engaged. Is this another subversive move by Google, part of a master plan that escapes my awareness?

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:01:45 -0400

ChatGPT recently launched version 5.2, shortly after version 5.1. The update frequency remains consistent. Why hasn’t Apple upgraded the Apple Foundation Model behind Apple Intelligence? Shouldn’t they be able to push out updates to their models as well? Will this change in next year’s Siri?

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 20:47:14 -0400

I’m happy (and quite surprised) to have made it to third place in today’s Craft Winter Challenge — a.k.a. the hackathon — for my submission of the Year-in-Review Writing Assistant. It’s a 500 US$ prize! 😅

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:43:23 -0400

What a night & day difference between Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Opus 4.5 models. The latter is much more effective at working through my MCP connection to Craft. But boy this baby consumes a lof of credits. 😅

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 21:46:09 -0400

I’m trying something new this year for my year-in-review blog post. Using all my monthly post digests stored in Craft¹, I’m using ChatGPT to look at those digests, take into account last year’s year-in-review article, plus this year’s document personal milestones to suggest ideas. This is now possible because Craft now supports MCP. Using the best ChatGPT models, I get a lot of material to consider but somehow I feel this is really overwhelming. I should be more directive like limiting the number of possible scenarios, their length, etc. I’m still exploring this workflow.

I subscribe to my own blog post digest newsletter for archival purposed. ↩︎

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:06:13 -0400

Anyone from my dear followers reading my newsletter (the ephemeral scrapbook)? Thoughts? 🙏🏻

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 10:32:01 -0400

I added a new page to my “Where Apple’s Liquid Glass Crashes the User Experience” mini website called “Expectations might be too high”. You might take a look if you care about Apple.

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:53:09 -0400

I forced my wife to update her iPhone 16 Pro to iOS 26.1. She will probably kill me today. It was nice to meet you guys. 🫢

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:29:18 -0400

Time to renew Kagi Search. I’m on the starter tier. Upon examination, I’m doing about 45 searches per month. The trend is decreasing. I use their Article Summarizer on the iPad and iPhone much more often. I want to support them because I believe we need diversity when it comes to searching the web. But it’s not cheap, and my search requests trend is going downward, thanks to AI. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Any Kagi users in the room?

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 08:30:34 -0400

I always feel like I’m losing the time-saving benefits if I spend time improving an automation (an Apple Shortcut, for example). 🤦🏻‍♂️

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 22:23:45 -0400

Thinking out loud here: one way Apple could retain more talent could be to start innovating again, maybe? ¹

Recent departures to OpenAI, a company working on a new class of devices might doing just that: trying to innovate for real. ↩︎

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 15:30:14 -0400

I spent the last few days putting together a workflow to help me write those year-in-review articles. As we get closer to the end of the year, it’s the right time to start working on this. I documented my workflow in this Craft document and submitted to the #winter_challenge on Slack. Hint: my first real use case for MCP.

On Tony Fadell For Apple's New CEO

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 10:18:59 -0400

Parker Ortolani on taking a chance of Tony Fadell to replace Tim Cook. At first, Tony Fadell seems like the obvious candidate, but I worry that we may be under the spell of a certain nostalgia in thinking he would be the perfect choice, as Parker points out. The world is no longer what it was in the days of Steve Jobs and his close collaborators. Apple is no longer what it once was either, and that is partly what many people criticize the company for. John Ternus is a product engineer, not a designer, and putting design back at the center of the process as it was in the Steve Jobs era may be a more restorative idea—and in that sense, yes, perhaps Fadell would be a good choice.

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 13:55:33 -0400

Rant on. I’m judging on facts and acts, not with what someone says. Some people might defend web openness et al, but sharing on x.com in 2025 because it’s the place most people go is not an act of openness. It’s an act of contribution toward fascism. Stop pretending, people, don’t be lazy, stop taking shortcuts and leave x.com once and for all. Rant off.

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:48:36 -0400

I don’t really believe in vibe coding, especially the scaling of it for complex systems, even more for maintaining code. But I certainly wish I could use vibe coding to write Apple Shortcuts. Apple must do something about its Shortcuts editor. It’s cumbersome, buggy as hell. Having a textual representation, a la Apple Script, would be so cool.

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:20:19 -0400

Louie Mantia on Steve Lemay:

I don’t have much to say about Steve Lemay. He was the hiring manager for my first interview at Apple fifteen years ago. It didn’t work out, and I went to work on iTunes and iLife instead. But he had already been at Apple for a long time, and I have lots of respect for him for his platform knowledge and expertise. I don’t expect any big changes because I don’t think he or Apple are looking at this as an opportunity to undo Jony and Alan’s influence on the company, but I do sincerely think this will all feel better with Lemay’s leadership. I wish him the best.

What we’re going to see from Apple in the next twelve months is probably set in stone (except Siri or Apple Intelligence, maybe). I don’t expect a revolution in that short time frame.

Think Different

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:49:57 -0400

I understand the enthusiasm for AI among certain groups of workers, especially in the field of information technology and more specifically software development. However, I believe that caution is necessary for most other categories of employment. Enthusiasm cannot simply be transferred systematically and literally to every domain, whether technological or not. Contexts differ greatly, professions are highly diverse, and even small variations in requirements can reduce the applicability of AI to nearly zero. We should remain critical of this overflow of passion and the promised revolution; by doing so, we might help avoid the potential bubble that increasingly seems to be forming right under our noses.

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:52:54 -0400

Me to my wife: “Big news today, Apple is losing their designer lead. He’s joining Meta.” My wife: “WTF is there to design at Meta?”.

I love her. 😍

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:07:04 -0400

I believe in talents renewal and in new dynamics to favor new ideas, new ways at seeing problems and challenges. It’s a new opportunity even if the guy taking over has been at Apple for a long time. Bye bye Dye.

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:39:44 -0400

I don’t like the idea that a service like ChatGPT tries to present itself as a friend, an agent, or a human. With instructions, I can ask it to avoid this type of behavior. But I like the service’s appearance to be warm. Perhaps that’s why I prefer Anthropic’s Claude. Claude, even though it’s a proper name, presents itself better; its visual style seems friendlier to me. I feel like this is a contradiction.

I asked Claude about this possible contradiction. Here’s what he responded:

“I don’t think it’s actually a contradiction. You’re distinguishing between two different things: false intimacy (an AI pretending to be your friend or a person) versus pleasant design (a warm, welcoming aesthetic and tone). Wanting the latter without the former is perfectly coherent—it’s the difference between a tool that’s agreeable to use and a tool that’s trying to deceive you about its nature.”

Thanks, Claude.

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 08:02:10 -0400

I’m experimenting with Claude for a month because I want to test MCP connections with Craft. ChatGPT does support MCP connections but the experience is not as mature as configuring an MCP connection with Claude. Claude is not cheap: pricing is similar to ChatGPT’s but plan usage limits are easy to reach.

Algorithms, Platforms, and the Personal Web Space

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 22:49:10 -0400

The piece) from Disassociated about being “freed from personal websites” thanks to algorithms and timelines really resonated with me. I’ve long believed that platforms are killing the web; they are not the web.

I recently asked my son if he had ever considered having his own personal website—a blog, having a place outside the usual platforms. His immediate response was, “But what about discoverability?” Why I think that everything comes down to that: It’s always about beating the algorithms (hello SEO) so that we are “discovered”. I always believed about my own existence without the need of any algorithm. Same with my wife: she knows about my websites but rarely visit them. She’s always talking about discoverability too, thinking that there is no future if I’m not one those platforms. She couldn’t be more wrong. And yet… Platforms have obscured the open web, plain and simple.

This led me to a question that keeps circling in my mind: if we go back 50 years, how accurately did newspapers reflect reality? And how different is our situation today? Yes, the speed and reach of information are radically different now, but consider people who read only one newspaper—like my father did when I was young. Weren’t they also shaped, if not manipulated, by that publication’s editorial line?

Disclaimer: I feel my feelings are well reflected in those few words… it’s complicated.

Three Years Already

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:14:45 -0400

Three years of ChatGPT. Time flies. A few thoughts on that are mandatory it seems. ChatGPT certainly turned things upside down not only for me as a writer but for many creators. The entire software industry also was turned things even more upside down. It’s hard to imagine what would have been software roadmaps or new features pipelines without generative AI. See? We almost forgot about what it was like before ChatGPT. Can’t imagine where things are going. Generative AI integration into apps and user experience is the next frontier where things will be interesting to watch.

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 18:33:43 -0400

Finally received the right Paperlike version for my iPad. Installed without any bubbles. I get the feeling that it transforms my iPad screen into one with a nano texture, but at a fraction of the cost. 🤓😏

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 13:59:00 -0400

I made a new video about the latest release of Craft (v3.3.1), which I think it’s a game-changer. Long live to Craft!

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 12:42:57 -0400

I happen to spend more and more time on Ghost Network tab to see who’s subscribing to my blog, reply to comments, etc. That’s really cool.

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 10:01:44 -0400

As much as I love Tinylytics, I wish there was some basic analytics on Micro.blog, just like Bear’s. I should update my Micro.blog wish list. If @manton don’t want to spend time working on this, maybe he could find a way to integrate a Tinylytics dashboard inside Micro.blog? 🙏🏻

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:44:45 -0400

I found a video of mine in my archives showing a full edit session with Snapseed on my iPad. The resulting image was part of an old blog posts collection called The Perfect Imperfection series initially on Instagram and later on Exposure. Sadly, this photo collection no longer exists because I closed both my Instagram and Exposure account. You’ll understand why I chose this naming when you see the resulting image. Enjoy the short ride here in the video below.

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 18:21:18 -0400

The problem is that I have too many ideas, there is too many things that I’d like to work on, there is not enough time.

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:05:49 -0400

AI benchmarks remind me of CD writers back in the day where you could upgrade a 32X CD burner to a 48X one, but the speed difference was minimal in practice.

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 18:22:06 -0400

For the first time since I own an iPhone, I decided to get a screen protector. I went with a matte version from Ambison, and I like not only the feel to the touch but also the way it affects screen content sharpness. It may make the display a little less sharp, but I find that the matte finish actually complements the general look of Liquid Glass, especially for icons. Isn’t that strange?

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:46:03 -0400

From time to time, I consider subscribing to The Verge. This week is one of those moments. The subscription is currently 40% off the regular yearly price, down to 35 dollars. This would be the first time I would pay to get tech news. 🤔

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:41:09 -0400

Blogging in the enterprise is not a thing apparently, even with a headcount of 58K people. I spent some time today in Viva Engage communities to see if some people were there for blogging, even with a corporate mindset, but nothing. It seems that only corporate-related communities are allowed. Too bad.

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:58:38 -0400

Feeling a little bit frustrated this morning: discovered a rather significant scratch on my Apple Watch screen. 🤦🏻‍♂️😒 Now all my portable devices have a scratch on the screen: my iPhone 15 Pro Max and my M4 iPad Pro. It’s the time since I own Apple devices that this happens. Never had a single scratch before! Fuck. 😢😟😩😢

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:56:10 -0400

As I’m spending 70% of the time on ChatGPT Atlas, I decided to go further with ChatGPT Atlas and set it as the default browser on my MacBook Air. 20% is with ARC Browser, 5% is Safari.

AnyBox

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 23:01:17 -0400

I’ve been a long time user of AnyBox, after leaving Raindrop.io, and Pocket, but I was a light user until recently. I revisited the app thoroughly and now it’s sitting at the center of my newsletter preparation workflow. I love this app so much; it feels native, fully-featured, and offers the right information density. The only missing thing would be to have a cloud-based version…

Paperlike 3 take 2

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:50:01 -0400

Bought the Paperlike 3 for my M4 iPad Pro except that it was for a 2018 iPad Pro. Ordered the wrong one. 🫤 Asked my wife if I could give it to her and install it on her iPad. Initially, she said no. 😔 She eventually abided to my offer. I ordered a new one for my iPad. Reason: there is a small scratch on the screen that I want to hide. 🤦🏻‍♂️

I had the first edition of the Paperlike for my previous 2018 iPad Pro and really liked it. The installation process was very different from today’s version. While the new process is more complicated, it allows for a more controlled installation that minimizes dust and bubbles. The surface texture of the film is also much finer. I’ll have to wait for another week before getting mine.

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:12:14 -0400

When blogging from Scribbles.page, this is how the blog post will appear on my timeline (because I use Micro.blog’s RSS feed reading capabilities, which is really cool). The first occurence of the post is the cross-posting result from Micro.blog to my Mastodon account (yes, I subscribe to my own Mastodon account). I see the full post including the shared link. The second occurence is the RSS feed article as grabbed by Micro.blog and reposted on my timeline; if you follow me on Micro.blog, this is what you will see. The post is truncated and the link is missing. I think there is room for improvement here. cc @manton

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:58:05 -0400

Using Micro.blog’s upgraded video features, here’s my latest video round-up highlighting this year’s Micro.blog improvements. Previous videos were posted on my YouTube channel. I hope you find this to be useful.

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 20:36:41 -0400

Earlier today, I recorded this update about Micro.blog. At one point, I wanted to show blog post summary in action. Everything was going according to the plan except that, after publishing the blog post, the summary didn’t go through. 😔 I had to cut that from the finished video. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I don’t know if this was a one-time event of if it’s something I did wrong… who knows.

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 15:31:08 -0400

Since iOS 26.2, I guess, each time I leave the house, my iPhone prompts me to re-enter my Apple Account password. I can click “Not Now” without any apparent issues, but that’s utterly annoying. Even after entering it, the next time I leave the house (or probably go outside a certain wireless context), I’ll be prompted again to re-enter my password. Anyone seeing this?

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:57:35 -0400

This is Micro.blog in 2025; Am I missing something? 🤯 Let’s be honest here: that an incredible value for the money.¹

This is not an ad. I’m just a bit enthusiastic. ↩︎

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 11:23:08 -0400

The latest edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter is out (Craft-based version). In case you didn’t know: this is a free newsletter available to a mailbox near you (to go out later today). Pas editions can be found here (Both, Craft versions & Web versions).

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 22:54:45 -0400

Watched: Pluribus S1E2, Pirate Lady 📺 Still not finished it, but man, this is so weird.

Apple Home?

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 19:43:29 -0400

I want this from Apple. Extracted from this surprising video about a fake Apple Event happening next Spring. This would be called Apple Home. I don’t like the name, but I do like the device. It is reminiscent of older Apple designs during the Apple //c and Macintosh era.

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:12:40 -0400

This is an insane video, well worth it if you are an Apple fan! You’ll thank me later.

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 14:52:24 -0400

Working on the next edition of “What’s Up With Micro.blog”. The last one was done a year ago. Not only are there so many new and updated things in Micro.blog, but my workflow for going back and analyzing the changelog is so much different and more efficient. I hope to get it done by the end of this weekend!

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 11:41:51 -0400

Watched episode #1 of Pluribus yesterday. I wasn’t expecting this at all. I don’t know what to think. Maybe episode #2 will help me settle on it.

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:21:10 -0400

What the US “leadership” is doing to Ukraine is beyond cruel. All this bloodshed for that? What if Mexico invaded the US and people were forced to speak Spanish after a three-year war? How about that?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:28:07 -0400

What the hell is that font, Apple? Is this a new design trend? It reminds me of when we opened a PageMaker document on our Mac back in the day, and some fonts were missing from the System Folder. Maybe they should install a copy of Suitcase? 🤦🏻‍♂️

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:56:00 -0400

Is this a new tactic by Amazon: clicking on reviews count to take a look at reviews to discover that not all reviews apply to the currently selected product? 😳😒

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 22:50:01 -0400

As hard as I wanted to get extensibility in Craft (with APIs, for example), I still fail to see a practical use case for me. The APIs are really simple, but what am I going to do with them? I just don’t know. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:03:46 -0400

With just-released support for vertical tabs and Passkeys, ChatGPT Atlas is two more steps closer to replacing the ARC Browser.

iPadOS 26.2 with External Display: Are We There Yet?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:44:47 -0400

I’m giving the iPad Pro with external display another try (under 26.2 b3). As far as I can see, it’s not all Apple’s fault if there are many paper cuts: third-party apps support with external display is lacking. Make no mistake: iPadOS 26.2 as come a long way… but iPad-only rules still make the iPad a bit too far from the macOS experience. Borderless-windows in dark mode makes it hard to distinguish which app is which.

Long story short: no.

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 07:54:57 -0400

I’ve been creating YouTube videos for several years, mainly focused on Craft, but also covering Micro.blog and a few other topics. Some of my older Craft videos seem outdated since they reference much older versions that are not relevant anymore. Should I set these videos to private now? What are other YouTubers doing in this situation?

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 20:58:54 -0400

Something must be going on with Apple’s iWork not being updated with Liquid Glass at this time of year. Apple might be working on better integration with Photomator and PixelMator Pro beyond Liquid Glass adoption. What is your take?

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:11:14 -0400

Another major Internet outage is ongoing, thanks to CloudFlare this time. I’m experiencing several unusual issues this morning (Inoreader, Micro.blog, Craft-hosted docs, etc.).

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 07:37:09 -0400

A bug in the Apple Shortcuts editor on the Mac. One of so many. Can you imagine if Apple allowed third-party Shortcut editors to create shortcuts? That would be awesome.

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:47:50 -0400

Tweaks to iPadOS 26 b3 multitasking are so very much welcomed! Is Apple finally getting there where they take the best of iPadOS 18 and iPadOS 26? It might be the case. Still experimenting.

Bye Bye Zapier, IFTTT, Still a Keeper

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 22:23:52 -0400

I have finally deleted my Zapier account after a few years of inactivity. It’s significantly more complicated than IFTTT and much more expensive. IFTTT is far from perfect. It seems to be stagnant even. But, for my needs, it’s ok. I have two applets: 1) Save all posts on my RSS superfeed into a **Day One **journal, 2) Save a link into a Google sheet of a YouTube video that I like. The latter could probably be eliminated.

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:55:35 -0400

I might have made some progress… last try for today. Please, ignore. 🙏🏻

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:49:14 -0400

I’m not particularly skilled at making API calls, apparently. 😔

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:35:07 -0400

Like I said, things never work the first time. And rarely the second time, too.

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:18:42 -0400

Currently testing Craft API capabilities to save this blog post via my blog’s RSS feed via IFTTT. Let’s see what happens. Things never work the first time.

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 10:07:21 -0400

With iPadOS 26 multitasking, I found that the best way for me to add another app besides an existing one is to go through the App Library, search for it, then tap and drag into place. Is there a more efficient way?

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:41:57 -0400

In recent days, while on vacation, I spent some time cleaning up my Shortcuts library. It was a mess: unused shortcuts, non-working ones, unnecessary settings for Apple Watch or search availability, wrong tile color, etc. I’m still not done yet.

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:04:29 -0400

I learned that Day One offers an MCP server for the Mac. Craft is about to launch its own MCP support. Now, could this mean I could build a bridge for exporting data from Day One to Craft (using a Shortcut for example)?

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 10:24:13 -0400

The iPhone Pocket is, thankfully, a limited edition so not all is lost. 😞

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:20:54 -0400

After Craft, Ulysses, still in beta, might be the second-best take on Liquid Glass adoption. I love it.

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:15:07 -0400

Apparently, you can upload a .shortcut file into ChatGPT for analysis!? 🧐😱🤯 it’s great for learning. Will try it soon.

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 22:31:09 -0400

I’m tempted to start a sticker collection and put them on my M2 MacBook Air. I’ve never done such a thing because I always keep in mind that I’ll resell my Mac, and my sticker taste might not match the buyer’s taste. I’ll probably start with the M-Series stickers from Basic Apple Guy.

Google and Apple - A Convenient Wedding?

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 13:52:11 -0400

Apparently, if rumors are any indication, Apple’s next AI provider for integration into Apple Intelligence is Google’s Gemini, or a derivative of it. It would go along with Apple’s own LLM models running on Private Cloud Compute.

I wonder if Google’s contribution is free for Apple or part of a larger deal, tied to the Google search agreement, where Google is the default search engine on the iPhone.

Imagine that¹, Apple probably said: “You know what, I’ll reduce your cost for this search deal, but you accept to build a specific version of Gemini LLM for use on Private Cloud Compute and develop a conduit for Gemini on-device that integrates with Apple Intelligence.”

Matters are probably more complex than that. ↩︎

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:30:48 -0400

In my latest video, this is how I’m using, for now, Craft + ChatGPT via Atlas. My reading workflow is finally taking the right direction. AI haters, I hear you but not everything is bad in AI land.

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 09:13:20 -0400

Just pushed an update to the Projects section on my personal landing page.

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 19:25:23 -0400

I just rewatched Thriller, like I do every year on Halloween. What a great music video! Everything is in there: music, storytelling, special effects, dance, great décor, and a good ending. Pure and genuine entertainment.

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 16:53:37 -0400

I experimented with a few agentic prompts using ChatGPT Atlas browser on my Micro.blog timeline. I asked it to list my posts for the day. It took only 17 seconds, and voila! It’s quite impressive when it functions correctly.

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 16:21:55 -0400

Apple’s strong quarter in services revenue shows that people are willing to pay for additional storage, among other things. I don’t think Apple will feel the need to increase the free storage tier beyond 5 GB anytime soon.

Building a 'Relationship' With Corporations

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:08:43 -0400

I tend to be super loyal. I’ve been an Apple fan forever (read “The Roots of my Passion for Apple”), even though there are things that put me off (too many to list here). The same is slowly happening with OpenAI. I’ve tested alternative services but always come back to OpenAI’s offerings. They’re far from perfect—just like Apple—both from a corporate point of view and in terms of products and services. And yet, I’m increasingly hooked on ChatGPT, Atlas, and their LLM “personality.” The conversation memory in ChatGPT and the browser memories are helping build this relationship on the knowledge OpenAI is slowly building on me. It’s scary.

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:14:19 -0400

I hate creating Shortcuts in Apple Shortcuts. There is no easy way to debug this shit. No quick start for anything. It’s not fun at all. There, I said it (again).

ChatGPT Atlas is for?

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 07:40:23 -0400

I’ve been testing the ChatGPT Atlas browser heavily in recent days. It’s already controversial, but I’m in the camp that likes it. Of course, this is Chromium with a ChatGPT button bolted on. But that’s the point: helping eliminate app switching that I was constantly doing anyway. Of course, it’s not the real web experience, but who said OpenAI was pretending to offer the classic web as we’ve known it over the last 30 years? Those years are already behind us, you like it or not. One thing I do is summarize my browsing activities, focusing on reading my RSS feeds in Inoreader. It’s very impressively done, complete with a back link to each Inoreader article. I’m not using, and don’t plan to use, agentic browsing activities due to their apparent lack of maturity and highly questionable security issues.

Speaking of Inoreader: the service allows you to summarize a bunch of selected articles using AI, but it’s an extra that costs more! With ChatGPT Atlas, a simple prompt while browsing an RSS feed or a group of RSS feeds does the job wonderfully.

More to come soon.

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 06:51:26 -0400

If Apple were to introduce a new MacBook (not in the Air or Pro line), smaller than the 13-inch Air, in the 12-inch range, with an iPhone-class processor, I would probably buy one. Why? Because for me, having an ultra-portable yet powerful macOS-based machine for travelling would be a killer.

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:34:41 -0400

John Gruber is asking:

But even if Apple is correct about that, at some point, after being handed loss after loss in rulings from courts and regulatory bodies around the globe, shouldn’t they change their strategy and start trying to offer their own concessions, rather than wait for bureaucrat-designed concessions to be forced upon them?

I’m glad he is asking this question. If Gruber is fed up with this attitude, I guess it’s time to think differently, Apple.

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:40:26 -0400

If ChatGPT could read RSS feeds for summarization and other tricks, it would probably be a game-changer for me. Inoreader offers such a thing, but it’s a paid addition on top of an already rather expensive subscription.

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:24:36 -0400

It appears that Apple will go ahead with paid ads in Maps sometime next year. I’m not happy about this for a few reasons. One is that Apple is becoming… less and less… Apple. Two, I hate ads. I despise the implications behind a platform that supports ads (user tracking, data collection, etc.). I hate the business model behind that, too. I hope that it’s a false rumors, but if recent years are any indication, it’s going to be a thing.

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 08:06:45 -0400

Why would an Android developer would use Apple’s Swift language now that it’s available for Android? Single code base?

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 17:23:47 -0400

MCP support is coming soon to Craft. They are taking a more cautious approach than Notion’s. Oh, and APIs are also coming, too. I like that. We will see how things go. So far, it’s fun to play with.

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:17:27 -0400

I’m reading some pushback against ChatGPT Atlas — or, more generally, against browsers that aren’t really web browsers but skins on top of Chromium that enable user behaviour and data collection in novel ways. I’m not sure how I feel about these opinions. For now, the way I’m using ChatGPT Atlas is like ChatGPT client. I don’t use agents. I never will. It’s mostly about content summarization and analysis.

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 20:30:31 -0400

In “Creative neglect: What about the apps in Apple?” Joe Rosensteel from SixColors discusses the lack of attention and updates for Apple’s creative apps. Of particular interest to me: Photomator. It didn’t receive meaningful updates since its acquisition. Don’t get me started with the Apple Intelligence support, it’s a gimmick. At the same time, I’m afraid of the Liquid Glass treatment Photomator will eventually get. It’s a strange vibe, not to be excited about any impending updates.

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:57:36 -0400

**OpenAI acquired Software Applications Inc **— a startup building an AI-powered user interface for Mac desktops. I’m not to aware of the product that company was building, but I wonder how portable it was. OpenAI is a multi-platform company, so focusing on a Mac-only app is strange. As a Mac user, I’m very curious to what will happen with this.

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:21:49 -0400

I can’t remember when the last time I visited an Apple Store. This means I didn’t go to see the new iPhone 17 series. Now with the availability of the M5 iPad Pro or M5 MacBook Pro, I might decide to go even if I’m not upgrading any of my things. What’s wrong with me?

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:18:27 -0400

Using ChatGPT Atlas for my personal browsing activities offers an unexpected plus: at the end of the day I can ask to summarize my browsing activities and group them by subjects and themes. It’s very cool.😎 But is it secure? 👀

Hot Take on ChatGPT Atlas - More Thoughts

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 22:09:13 -0400

The original ChatGPT Mac client is now mostly integrated into this new web browser. Chrome extensions are supported. My use of the Mac client might decrease significantly over time. Having ChatGPT inside the browser has big implications for my reading and information workflows. Processing YouTube videos is easy; everything happens within the same app. Thought: Google’s cautious AI integration in its browser (Gemini) might stem from a fear of conflicting with its business model, which involves tracking users to sell ads. How do you sell ads within AI-generated content? I could try using ChatGPT Atlas as my main desktop browser for a few days to see if it truly makes a difference.

Hot Take on ChatGPT Atlas

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 20:58:29 -0400

From the initial download, install up to a few visited websites and prompts. Here’s my hot take. Nice icon. Nice onboarding, but with a few typical sets of questions (default browser, import current bookmarks). Minimalistic browser window. Just like Dia! Another Chromium wrapper? It better be good. I like the integration with ChatGPT and the browser memory. I wonder if it is linked to my ChatGPT memory. It seems yes! I wonder if ChatGPT Atlas could replace the ChatGPT client altogether because all my past conversations are available in a collapsible left sidebar. The integration of ChatGPT’s past conversation, memory, and current browser context seems a powerful combination. Bye-bye, Dia, please, return to developing the ARC Browser. More to come soon.

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 19:06:27 -0400

I would be curious to do the exercise of going back in time and counting the number of occasions where Apple, after introducing a significant change in the design of a user interface element or its functionality, following users outcry, reversed its decision by adding a parameter in the Settings app to appease frustrated users. I applaud this change.

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:26:03 -0400

We are not out of the woods but this new Apple Liquid Glass toggle in iOS 26.1 beta 4 makes a significative improvement. We wish we had a more gradual toning, but hey, it’s better than nothing.

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 20:44:20 -0400

Apple cemetery: Aperture. iWeb. TouchBar. iTunes Ping. iTunes Radio. iTunes. iPhoto. iLife. Clips. I very much like the first two.

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 17:28:52 -0400

I visited a friend this weekend, who had an Amazon Echo Show 8 in his kitchen. Physically, not a bad-looking device, but man, this thing is slow, and Alexia isn’t that good. I’m really curious to see what Apple will do in this space in the coming years. I would probably get such a thing if software execution proves to be better.

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 19:02:33 -0400

Thinking of subscribing to VSCO pro plan. Just for fun. This would be the third photo-sharing service that I use. But it feels so different than Glass and Pixelfed. It’s all about filters!

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:38:42 -0400

Existential question: I follow a very popular author who writes constantly about Apple. I know he uses a lot of AI-generated artwork. One caught my attention today. Since he didn’t create this artwork himself, am I entitled to copy it and use it without permission? 👀

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:10:58 -0400

I’ve just noticed that YouTube appears to offer an “Ask” button for each video, as shown in this screenshot. I tried it twice and found the summary quite clear and helpful. The consequence is profound: I didn’t watch the videos. As someone who creates videos, I’m pondering the implications for my and all other video creators.

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:17:56 -0400

Statistically, nobody cares about Liquid Glass. There has been no user revolt, no viral TikToks, no nothing. Nobody's even complaining about the Music app. On the flipside, nobody is proclaiming its virtues, either. It just kinda… is, and everybody is moving on with their lives.
The only thing anybody seems to care about is transparent & tinted icons — which a certain kind of person seems to *love*
Steve Troughton-Smith https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/115377668456835693

True.

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:34:32 -0400

At work, I moderate a user forum for iOS and iPadOS products. I recently asked community members for their general opinion of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. Although it’s not a scientific survey, the responses I received surprised me. A majority of respondents say they have a generally positive impression of the latest versions of iOS and iPadOS. Well… 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 20:09:55 -0400

As reported by 9to5Mac:

“Apple will be leaning into the vertical stack of Apple TV in Apple TV on Apple TV”

All bets are on the table.

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:05:36 -0400

iOS 26.1 b3 breaks the folders appearance in a big way if you are using tinted icons. WTF! 🫣😵‍💫

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 20:36:29 -0400

It took one question from someone who watched my latest video to realize that I might have rushed that one out a bit. I failed to explain and mention the reasons why I still need an app like Craft while I use Ulysses, another app for writing. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:53:45 -0400

TV is hard, and Apple not only never shipped a TV set, but it also never quite figured out the whole Apple TV branding (hardware, software, service). Removing the + from Apple TV won’t help unless something else comes along. I’m betting that Apple will double down on the HomePod brand moniker¹.

The HomePod TV is a good bet. ↩︎

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:55:11 -0400

If Apple TV+ now becomes Apple TV, how Apple should name Apple TV next generation of hardware?

The Illusion of Decline: Apple, Complexity, and the Myth of Falling Quality

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 19:49:07 -0400

Reading The Great Software Quality Collapse by Denis Stetskov reminded me of a recurring conversation in the Apple community: that Apple’s software quality isn’t what it used to be. Every release cycle brings the same chorus—bugs, regressions, performance oddities—and the sense that the polish once synonymous with Apple is fading. But Stetskov’s essay helped me reframe that perception. Modern software isn’t just “worse”; it’s exponentially more complex. Apple now maintains multiple platforms—macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS—each with deep integrations and overlapping technologies. What once felt like craftsmanship at the scale of a single ecosystem is now a sprawling web of dependencies that even Apple struggles to tame.

So, maybe the cracks we see aren’t evidence of negligence but of scale. Perfection doesn’t scale well. The discipline that Stetskov calls “boring engineering” still exists within Apple, but it’s buried under layers of ambition, abstraction, and velocity. His piece is a reminder that our expectations of elegance must evolve alongside the complexity of what we ask these systems to do. The problem isn’t just that software breaks—it’s that we’ve forgotten how miraculous it is that it works at all.

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:27:06 -0400

I’m done with the latest edition of The Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter (Craft-based version). Enjoy. BTW, past editions are available here (Craft-based versions).

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:23:24 -0400

Not only Apple is losing its touch for desktop operating systems, apparently.

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 08:59:15 -0400

Watched: The Gorge. I don’t watch enough movies, but yesterday I was tempted by The Gorge on Apple TV+. The trailer hinted at a science fiction film with a vibe similar to Silo. Despite an atmosphere that sometimes reminds me of Severance in terms of the soundtrack, the shift toward a romance between the two antagonists was a bit too easy. The environment deep inside this gorge is sometimes surprising and well done, though. I never would have guessed the presence of these… creatures. I don’t want to reveal any more.

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 06:52:12 -0400

It’s sad to see Micro Social being abandoned. Are there other ways? Why not make the source code open source? Or sell it? Can someone take over the development?

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 21:58:21 -0400

As reported by 9to5Mac, AltStore is to support Fediverse with its own Mastodon instance:

AltStore is embracing ActivityPub and the fediverse, with its own Mastodon server, allowing developers and users to have a more direct channel of communication and interaction.

This is, among other things, what we are missing with Apple’s tight control on its App Store.

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 21:28:05 -0400

I agree with Eric Schwarz, yep, it’s utterly curious:

Curiously, I am surprised that the iWork suite, as well as GarageBand, Pixelmator Pro, and other Apple apps have not been updated—it’s a really weird thing when Cupertino’s own have been sent to squircle jail.

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 20:16:34 -0400

I’m juggling with two options to make Liquid Glass bearable: Reduce Transparency and Display Borders. The latter is a newly discovered option. Moreover, beta 2 of iOS 26.1 seems to include tweaks to Liquid Glass effects and transparency. I’m hoping some YouTubers will highlight those tweaks, if I’m not mistaken.

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 07:24:06 -0400

For a few reasons, I’m tempted to subscribe to… The Verge. This would be the first such case of subscribing to a news site. I kind of like the site design and content; there is a community vibe if commenters are any indication. However, even as a subscriber, I may still receive ads served to me. 😑 Anyone subscribing to The Verge here? Thoughts?

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 21:48:23 -0400

OpenAI unveiled some impressive developments today at their developer conference, including apps in ChatGPT and Agent Builder. I’m much more impressed by this than by Sora. 👀

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 15:42:00 -0400

What a beautiful day it is. I had an 11 KM hike today. We touched 30 °C, which is astonishing for October 5th. I mean, this is autumn, guys!

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 14:26:38 -0400

Weirdly, Apple Music Replay are web-only…. even when using music.apple.com, Replay is located on a separate website.

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 09:19:42 -0400

Contrary to their usual bullshit about the App Store, Apple has lost control over it in a sense… The App Store is a junkyard. I find it disheartening to see the current state of the App Store; it is a place where deception has been flourishing for ages. It’s un-Apple.

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 17:20:47 -0400

The most troubling thing about iPadOS 26.1beta1 is that I don’t see any improvements to Liquid Glass or the general multitasking experience.

Using My M4 iPad Pro (iPadOS 26.1b1) With An External Display - Observation #5

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 17:05:32 -0400

One of the most frustrating and hard-to-understand behaviours in the new iPadOS 26 multitasking is when iPadOS, for some reason, breaks all the running apps and window arrangements. I often find myself in need of relaunching the apps and doing window placement to my liking. Again, iPadOS 26 is exhausting to use. I think this happens if I disconnect the external display. Restoring computing state is a basic principle in UI and UX design. Am I demanding too much?

Using My M4 iPad Pro (iPadOS 26.1b1) With An External Display - Observation #4

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 10:54:42 -0400

Locking the iPad while the iPad is using an external display is brutal. Dragging an app from the built in display to an external display is also brutal, forcing a full app content redraw, nothing compared to the Mac experience. I couldn’t record the experience with screen recording, so I used my iPhone.

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 10:37:11 -0400

Yesterday night I got one of my macOS feedback answered by Apple. It was about the Mac Appe Store app Reload menu item not being enabled which prevented me to reload and refresh apps with pending updates. It was fixed in macOS 26.1 beta 1. I can’t remember when was the last time one of my feedback reports being processed.

Using My M4 iPad Pro (iPadOS 26.1b1) With An External Display - Observation #3

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 10:30:30 -0400

Doing serious work on the iPad now feels… exhausting. The efforts that you have to deploy to avoid the too many paper cuts is exhausting. I don’t know who, at Apple, is working on Files.app but the team should get in touch with those who work (if they are still there) on the Mac Finder. I ended up doing many of the files management tasks on… the Mac.

Photomator doesn’t work well with files located on a remote SMB share, apparently. After granting permission to the root folder as requested, Photomator is stacked in a “Processing…” loop. Not good.

Using My M4 iPad Pro (iPadOS 26.1b1) With An External Display - Observation #2

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 09:55:31 -0400

The iPad running Files.app with two windows, side-by-wide for easier file management.

Working with Files.app is still very frustrating and unpredictable. For some reason, I cannot drag & drop a file from my iPad downloads folder to a specific folder (on my Synology). The only way to get around this is to go up in the folder hierarchy, drop it there then later move it inside the intended target folder. Also experienced one crash with numerous “Content Unavailable” conditions like shown on this screenshot. So far, no file management done. WTF? Let’s try harder.

Using My M4 iPad Pro (iPadOS 26.1b1) With An External Display - Observation #1

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 09:28:29 -0400

My current iPad desktop on the external display.

I just started a one-hour work session with my M4 iPad Pro connected to an external display (LG 5K Ultra Fine) running iPad OS 26.1 beta 1. I should probably update this article I wrote more than a year ago: “Using the iPad With an External Display — Space Oddities”. Let’s see how it goes.

First issue: I started writing this blog post in Micro.blog client. Sadly, Micro.blog’s iPad app is buggy with an external display: I cannot set the blog post category… the little gear icon is missing and iPadOS 26 menus aren’t supported, yet. My fallback plan: Ulysses. Works great. Next step: doing some files management with Files.app using an SMB share on my Synology NAS. Let’s see how it goes. Oh, and ShareShot works… but not without strange visual issues.

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:48:53 -0400

The M4 iPad Pro battery health after 18 month of use and 127 cycle count: 87%. I consider this to be bad. Battery life on this device is not good at all to be frank.

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 19:15:16 -0400

I guess I was right to call the Apple Vision Pro a failure in my recent piece on Apple Failures.

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 17:16:22 -0400

Are there any Craft users here? I’m curious to see if sharing short videos¹ about Craft would be of some interest.

Micro.blog is soon launching better video hosting; I might take advantage of that instead of YouTube. ↩︎

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 17:07:31 -0400

Please, would you be kind enough to explain this graph to me (the top portion)?

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:10:24 -0400

I no longer use the Mac App Store to update my apps on my Mac; I prefer using the brew “mas outdated” and “mas upgrade” commands instead.

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:26:18 -0400

On the Mac, I consume Apple Music via music.apple.com. Lighter. Faster. Better design. Trustable. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:44:21 -0400

Another item added to my wish list… 👀

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 07:42:01 -0400

Comet, Dia: these AI-focused browsers aren’t clicking with me. I tried many times. I prefer to use a native client like ChatGPT, which will surf for me when needed.

AI Unsuspected Collaterals

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 20:56:59 -0400

Accenture reportedly laid off over 11,000 employees, citing a lack of demand for workers without the necessary AI skills. Additionally, Accenture warns that further layoffs could occur if remaining employees cannot quickly acquire AI skills in a rapidly evolving world. I believe we should look beyond the headlines and question the real motives. What were the laid-off employees doing? What value did they bring to Accenture’s clients? Or is it simply because there is less demand for consulting services? Is it more appropriate to frame the layoffs as linked to “AI”? If you’re aware of some AI limitations in a complex business environment, where layoffs are supposedly driven by AI replacing workers, I would argue that they didn’t significantly impact the company initially. Alternatively, framing AI as a questionable strategy is a dubious approach. And it’s only the beginning.

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:46:55 -0400

What a wonderful weekend in Montreal. The weather is ideal—just the kind that makes fall my favorite season.

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 11:10:48 -0400

I have a one-day holiday vacation on Thursday, right in the middle of the week, and I still have no plans. 🤨 Weather should be perfect, though. 🍁🍂🚲👀

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 09:07:51 -0400

Here’s another edition (Craft edition) of the world-famous Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. It’s also published as a free newsletter on Ghost. Maintaining this newsletter is quite fun and forces me to explore more than I would if I weren’t authoring it. My publishing cadence is also quite consistent. I wish more people knew about it and would subscribe… but hey, that’s the life of any blogger.

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 19:13:04 -0400

Is ChatGPT enshitification about to begin? It certainly looks like it. Fuck.

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 17:39:37 -0400

I created this diagram in MindNote Next today for a video about Craft and tags usage. There is a “Focus Mode” where the UI disappears, allowing us to focus on the content, as shown in this screenshot. There is one big problem with this: the “Focus Mode” status button at the top. It is highly distracting to me; I can’t focus. 😳

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 14:43:20 -0400

How many ways can you write that the iPhone 17 is an improvement compared to last year’s iPhone 16? 🤨

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:21:32 -0400

I have a deep feeling that AI and Apple Intelligence are consuming a significant amount of development resources at Apple, which could explain why this year’s releases are so buggy.

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:04:01 -0400

In the article “Why Everybody Is Losing Money On AI,” Edward Zitron discusses the unsustainable financial model of generative AI companies, highlighting that they are consistently unprofitable due to high operational costs and escalating expenses associated with model inference.

In other words, AI is a money pit.

The Future of Technical Training According to Microsoft

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 06:44:50 -0400

Today, I’m completing a four-day course from Microsoft (AS-104 if you are curious). It’s all virtual, of course, through Microsoft Teams, and instructor-led. We’re a group of 50 people from all around the world, primarily from the US, from what I can see. The one fascinating thing is how pushy the instructors are for us to use… Copilot. They use it all the time to answer questions and paste the answers in the group chat. They offer ways to utilize Copilot to prepare for the certification exam. Etc. Copilot is really their assistant, the undergraduate who’s doing the dirty job, the gopher, if you will. The course is so strictly structured and formatted that I’m seeing a future where there won’t be any instructors. Only Copilot. 😳

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:27:50 -0400

It’s been two weeks (if not three) since Apple released iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26 are out… and still no iWork update. 👀 It must be hard to implement Liquid Glass… even for Apple.

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:00:17 -0400

I’m concluding that without an external screen, multitasking on the iPad is best experienced with Stage Manager. It’s a more controlled experience (hence requiring less management). With an external monitor, then going all in with windowing is the way to go. That’s my conclusion anyway.

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:44:47 -0400

With flexibility comes mandatory management. That’s the case with iPadOS multitasking. Ideally, management should be kept at the minimum. That’s not the case with the current state of iPadOS windowing system. It. Is. So. Cumbersome. It. Is. A. Regression.

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:48:42 -0400

I think that, from what I observed and experienced since Apple OS 26 releases, some apps inherently lend themselves better at Apple’s Liquid Glass adoption because of dev abilities but also because of the very nature of the app. Craft and Reeder are good examples. There are a few others.

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 16:57:07 -0400

The latest ludicrous bug found, this time on iPadOS 26.1 beta1. That is really one of its kind. 🥴

Journaling While Traveling - A Third Option?

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 06:49:39 -0400

Journaling and documenting my experiences while travelling has always been something that I wish I could do effectively, without too much friction. I did it in Italy in 2022 using Craft and again this past summer with Apple Journal. Two different kinds of vacations, totally different solutions. I’m still not satisfied with either of these options. Next time, maybe I should consider using the real deal: Day One?

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 19:03:50 -0400

I’m still exploring ways around Liquid Glass.

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 21:18:47 -0400

I received a notification in the Settings app about an AppleCare renewal for my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’m uncertain whether I should proceed with the renewal or leave it to chance. It’s 15 CAN$ a month. Not cheap. I got a scratch on the screen.

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:46:31 -0400

Apple’s iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) is still not updated for Liquid Glass. Mmmmm. 👀

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:37:23 -0400

Yes, Om, I should go out and get some air, indeed. I might visit an Apple Store this weekend to take a closer look at the iPhone Air, even though I’m not upgrading or replacing my current iPhone. Comments are generally positive.

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:24:32 -0400

There is no clipboard manager on my office PeeCee… at least, nothing that I could install anyway if such a thing exists on Windozzzz. 😒

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 22:22:37 -0400

I like this iOS 26 Home Screen customization options for my iPhone when going to bed.

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 11:54:10 -0400

Flighty is increasing by 33% their yearly subscription fees. This is… massive. I recognize the constant improvements to this app but boy, that makes me pause and reconsider.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 08:48:42 -0400

I have to say that this year’s Apple OS releases are the most unfinished, unpolished, uneven and buggy .0 releases in a long, long time. It’s the only unifying thing across the board, not Liquid Glass. It will take many more releases for Apple to bring some order to this mess. Every day, I discover a new issue.

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:35:17 -0400

Watch out, Synology, you’ve got some serious competition. I like what Ubiquity is doing these days, not only in the networking equipment space but in other devices, too. Who knows, I might replace my Synology NAS with one of these.

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 07:49:00 -0400

While read later services are enticing and convenient, I often forget about the saved content and the service itself. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:06:01 -0400

Just tried Apple Live Translation with my wife. She was purposely talking in English while I was speaking French with my AirPods Pro 2. This is so seemless, powerful and cool.

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:49:19 -0400

I’ve been installing and applying app updates en masse for a few days. There is a clear trend. Big corporations like Medium, OpenAI, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. release notes that are like “We’ve been hard at work updating our app so you get a better experience, blah blah blah”. At the same time, indie devs will write, “We’re happy to introduce support for Apple’s latest innovations like Liquid Glass, transparent widgets and on-device Apple Fondational Model for a richer experience.” See the difference?

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:52:16 -0400

How long before iOS 26.1 beta 1? Asking for a friend.

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 06:45:08 -0400

I spent a few moments this morning reading user reactions to Apple Liquid Glass on r/ios on Reddit. 😳 Ouch. It’s messy. Maybe each major release of iOS brings this level of criticism, but I doubt it. A lot of people who upgraded ask how to return to iOS 18 or plan to leave the Apple ecosystem altogether. The latter is something easier said than done, but still, the sentiments seem really negative.

Now, let’s take a look at how things are going on Digg. 👀

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:48:02 -0400

It’s really fascinating how third-party apps adopt Apple’s Liquid Glass. For some apps, like Things, changes are minimal… but for Craft, it’s a godsend. Flighty seems to sit in the middle. Does it depend entirely on Liquid Glass, or is it an interpretation by the developer of how far to take this new visual metaphor? It’s probably mostly the latter.

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:44:47 -0400

Well, I’m thinking of upgrading my M4 Mac mini to macOS 26 Tahoe… I know, I know, I’m very critical of Apple Liquid Glass, especially what it does to the Mac… but now, my Mac on Sequoia feels… should I say it… outdated? 🫣

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:50:11 -0400

My wife truly is a typical Apple user. Usually, I’d encourage her to update all her devices to Apple’s latest OSes. But this year, I think she would resent me for it. 🫣

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:26:57 -0400

Today, Apple releases a slew of operating system updates, including Liquid Glass, an already controversial, divisive, and well-documented user-hostile unified visual language across all of their operating system. I’m pleased to announce the addition of a “Before & After” section in my now-famous website: “Where Apple’s Liquid Glass Crashes the User Experience”. Have a look and see how developers adopted Liquid Glass.

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 15:20:23 -0400

Here’s a really strange thing: for some apps, adopting Liquid Glass seems to be a step back (lower information density, too much spacing in some areas), while for others, it appears to do the opposite and enhances the app. That’s the case for Craft. I genuinely believe Craft with Liquid Glass is much better. Craft’s take on Liquid Glass is well-balanced and executed. Bravo.

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 07:18:45 -0400

Even if I wanted to order a new iPhone 17 Pro Max to replace my 15 Pro Max, since I also need to buy two new protective cases—one for everyday use and the other for use with my bike—the operation would cost nearly 2,500 Canadian dollars with taxes. I don’t have that money. 😥

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 18:45:13 -0400

“Liquid Glass is the software equivalent to the butterfly keyboard” - Jeff Johnson

😳

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 07:50:25 -0400

I can’t agree with John Gruber’s take on this dinner with Trump and tech company CEOs. Can you imagine if all tech CEOs refused to attend this dinner, abandoning Trump? How can they be so foolish as to think everything will be fine? Do you think Trump would then impose sanctions and tariffs on Meta, Google, Apple, and Amazon all at once? Trump’s invitations are traps that serve only his interests, nothing else. And if he can humiliate everyone, that’s just a bonus. Criticism should be directed at Trump and those CEOs, everyone. This whole situation is disgusting.

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 07:33:56 -0400

Among all the hands-on videos about the new iPhone 17 Pro, I didn’t see any tech pundits comment on the heat dissipation of the latest devices while handling them in their hands. I mean, just taking a bunch of photos and videos should have been enough. I can’t believe that they couldn’t feel it for a few minutes and reflect on their perception. They all miss the mark. Huh!

Impressive, But I'll Pass

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:32:34 -0400

Finished watching the Awe Dropping infomercial from Apple. Quick thoughts. Impressive video production quality as usual. Apple Watch personal stories were touching. iPhone Air (not iPhone 17 Air) looks impressive without too many compromises. This iPhone 17 Pro Orange colour looks gorgeous, can’t wait to see that in person. Am I getting tired of Apple Headquarters shots? The jury is still out on that one. The AirPods Pro 3 is much better than rumours were predicting. I liked the new voice-overs for the iPhone Air design showcase as well as the iPhone 17 Pro. Somewhat similar to Jony Ive’s tone. Unibody for the iPhone 17 Pro, a first. Many features announced today are also available to previous-generation devices (hypertension for Apple Watch Series 11 is also available to Series 10). Cool. Same price as last year’s? Apparently, for a double the starting memory size configuration. Not bad. Who said Apple is greedy? Yet, I’ll probably pass this year and wait for next year. Thanks to Tim Cook’s relationship with some of the US government representatives.

Going Apple TV-Only?

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:40:34 -0400

Based on our experience earlier this year with Apple TV as the only way to watch TV content, along with rising costs and an unstable service, we are seriously considering cutting our cable service and keeping only our Internet service. Even though the apps on Apple TV are far from perfect, they generally allow us to replace cable service. Rumors suggest that Apple is working on a new iteration of the Apple TV, which could make the timing even more favorable.

Why All This?

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:14:39 -0400

Read later services (Readwise, Pocket, Readwise, Inoreader, etc.), bookmarking apps and services (Anybox, Raindrop, etc.), downloading, summarizing, and tagging—whether used together or separately—the issue remains the same: I rarely revisit content. Content quickly becomes outdated and loses relevance. This pattern reflects a common challenge in digital content management. Despite the ease of saving and organizing information for future reference, the practical use of these saved digital tidbits often diminishes over time. As new information emerges and contexts change, what once seemed valuable or interesting can fade into obscurity, making the effort of saving feel less worthwhile. This raises questions about the effectiveness of these tools and whether they truly serve my long-term informational needs.

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 19:53:17 -0400

It’s really, I mean REALLY hard to get excited for tomorrow’s Apple announcements. It’s definitely the most leaked-ahead event.

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:59:19 -0400

Will Apple ever fix this? How do you clean this mess?

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:24:40 -0400

While testing MyMind and reading this article, I discovered the existence of Recall. 😳😅

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 06:38:54 -0400

While I’m testing and experimenting with MyMind, I realize that there is a lot happening these days in the apps and services space for reading and processing information. Besides the traditional read-later services that have existed for years, we now have AI-powered summarizers available through various platforms, including apps, websites, APIs, and browsers. The experience also differs between desktop and mobile devices. It’s hard to ever settle on a digital toolset and workflows.

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 21:25:20 -0400

I don’t see many developers sharing details, such as screenshots of their apps updated for Liquid Glass, except in a few cases. Is it still too soon? Is this a result of a silent pushback? Or a bit of both?

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 19:28:58 -0400

Josh Ginter in Sunday Edition 09-07-25 about MyMind:

I am obsessed with this app. It is unlike any other app on my devices. It uses AI in unique ways, has limitations that I wish it didn’t but which make good sense, and looks as beautiful as Things or Day One or Ulysses or Craft. I want to save everything in my life to MyMind — quotes, links, screenshots, thoughts, highlights, books — and I want to use the app all day long. I truly haven’t felt this way about an app in a long, long time.

It’s far from the first time that I read about MyMind, but I never experienced it. With Ginter’s words, I couldn’t help myself and opened a free account. It’s very early, but I like what I’m seeing. It’s not cheap, and I’m not sure there is a place in my digital toolset. I will see.

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 15:10:34 -0400

With Liquid Glass, Apple really missed the huge opportunity to revisit the Mac beachball. So flat. So sad.

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 13:22:39 -0400

Home sweet home. I’m back and working from my M4 Mac mini running macOS 15.6.1. Feels good to be out of this Liquid Glass turmoil. I’ll probably wai a long time before upgrading my Mac mini.

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:05:47 -0400

I spent two hours today experimenting with Riverside.fm to see if this solution could replace ScreenFlow. So far, the experience is good, but I will need to try again at home with my M4 Mac mini and my usual recording setup.

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:06:50 -0400

Remember Apple Clips? Adobe Premiere for iPhone is coming soon… Was Clips another waste of time by Apple?

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 11:01:02 -0400

It seems that the browser war is heating up with Atlassian buying the Browser Company and all other AI startups working on building their own AI-browser, the future conduits to the next web.

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:27:12 -0400

What is more depressing than spending the day inside Microsoft’s productivity suite, on Windows?

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:34:00 -0400

I just submitted one of my comments about Google and Apple deals to Techmeme, and it got picked up. Am I famous now? I’ve been following Techmeme more closely in the last few weeks; it’s a strange but informative place to be.

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 18:32:55 -0400

Apple seems to be closer to repeating with Google what they do for search, but this time with AI. I would prefer Apple to do search, too, and I understand the challenge in offering LLMs that have a chance to compete, at the perception level, at least.

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:43:59 -0400

To everyone who is afraid of losing their job because of generative artificial intelligence (or one of its variations), now is the right time to ask yourself: am I giving my best at work? Don’t give your employer any reasons or desire to replace you with AI.

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:50:02 -0400

Generative AI is making us suspicious of everything online.

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 17:42:14 -0400

Recent additions and improvements by Inoreader for podcast listeners and YouTube content consumption are game changer for me. It will take some time to process that and see how I adapt to this. Of course, AI is not far.

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:02:02 -0400

When all apps look pretty much the same, there is no fun, no distinctiveness. Looking at you, Apple and your stock apps with whateverOS 26.

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 16:39:58 -0400

What are the mistakes Apple, under Tim Cook’s leadership, did since 2011? I’m working on something, your input will help define what I’m working on.

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 08:19:09 -0400

Thought of the day: writing with AI is not writing, it’s something else. Eventually, there will be a word for it, but meanwhile, let’s not call this writing. Looking at you, Tiago Forte.

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 07:44:15 -0400

ooh.directory appears to be dead, already. It didn’t last long. But the guy behind it is still active.

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 08:19:24 -0400

When posting a new photo on Glass, I always look at my previous posts on my profile page to see my previous posts. I like to create a nice visual rhythm in my feeds for those who follow me.

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:05:24 -0400

Can’t wait to see Apple Liquid Glass on a Pro Display XDR. 👀😳🫣

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 22:17:21 -0400

Currently, I’m testing and experimenting with Inoreader’s Email Digests. I like what I’m seeing. But it’s not cheap.

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 17:36:12 -0400

With my new job, I get to use a Windows 11 laptop. It’s not a powerhouse, but it is decent—except when it’s not plugged in. As a Mac user at home, I take for granted the speed and battery life that an Apple Silicon Mac offers. It’s night and day. I don’t notice any difference when using the Mac on battery; I never hear the fan because there isn’t one. It’s night and day. We should always remember that.

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:27:06 -0400

iOS 7 > Liquid Glass. There, I said it.

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 07:35:31 -0400

I began my writing project for the Apple Journal review. For this project, I will try a different approach¹. I started experimenting with the Perplexity Comet browser to survey past reviews. I use genAI to create quick summaries of previous articles. I save text highlights in Inoreader for the most interesting past reviews. I use Craft to compile all my knowledge and copy-paste the genAI summaries. However, I’m unsure where this will lead.

Dare I say ‘modern approach’? ↩︎

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 17:33:18 -0400

I’ve been using Apple Journal this summer to record my experience at a chalet by a small, beautiful lake. It’s really an inspiring place. Now that I fully experienced Apple Journal, and Apple’s vision of personal journaling, it’s probably time for me to put together a write-up. Spoiler alert: Apple Journal is full of paper cuts.

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 09:12:06 -0400

Here is a strange issue in Photomator: during photo editing, an .XMP file is created, which likely contains the editing steps applied to the photo. Additionally, a Photomator native file is also generated. Some of these files are very small, while others are quite large. For example, one file is less than 300 KB, while another is nearly 120 MB. Despite using the same editing process, the file sizes vary significantly. These files aren’t package files, it’s impossible to peek inside them. This is strange.

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 08:35:50 -0400

As a blogger and someone curious about many topics, I often feel I miss opportunities to become an expert in certain fields. Generative AI is one example. It gained public attention in the fall of 2022. At that time, when generative AI started to gather attention in the public, I should have recognized this important moment. I should have taken the chance to gather knowledge and organize it like a true researcher. I’m very analytical in general. I ask good questions. I have the tools and the motivation to do this work. Now, it feels overwhelming to catch up.

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 08:57:23 -0400

I’m spending a lot of time online and on my computer each week for my blogs, probably around 10 to 25 hours. I wonder how skilled I could become if I dedicated those hours to learning a new field like psychology or music.

Something Is Wrong

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 07:52:51 -0400

We’re getting close to the end of August and moving into September, which means Apple’s usual rush of new product launches. We already know quite a bit about Apple’s upcoming iPhone. We also know that Apple’s unifying Liquid Glass is likely to cause major issues when it encounters hundreds of millions of devices. We can probably expect Apple to be in damage control again. And I’ll probably have to explain why Apple did this to my friends and colleagues.

Usually, around this time of year, I would have one or two articles ready to publish about all this. But not this year. I won’t upgrade to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, even though I normally would every two iPhone generations. I’m voting with my dollars by skipping this year, because I disagree with Tim Cook’s (and Apple’s) stance on the orange clown.

Something is wrong.

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 08:14:02 -0400

Out of curiosity, are you considering getting more RAM with your next computer to run local LLMs in the future?

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 21:56:50 -0400

If you have digital assets on GitHub, if your software dev workflows depend on GitHub, you might want to read this. Should we trust Microsoft, now?

AI as a Complementary Tool

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 20:23:15 -0400

One of my rules for using generative AI is to avoid starting a creative project with AI prompts. Today, someone at the office challenged this rule, arguing that beginning with AI can effectively kick-start the creative journey. While that may be true, I prefer to keep the human touch at the center and use AI as a complement to the process. Starting with AI risks making us lazy in the long run.

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 15:07:42 -0400

Fun fact: I keep a log (or a journal) of everything I do in a day at work. I’ve been doing this for decades. I always used digital tools for that but the guy who gave me the inspiration for doing this when I started my career was doing the same but on paper. I thought Incould improve his process. I did.

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:56:45 -0400

When creating backlinks in apps like Craft, if there is no automatic suggestions based on current document’s content, as the number of documents grows, it becomes mostly impossible to select related documents to potentially link to.

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 17:02:04 -0400

I began to unpublish several posts from numericcitizen.me, mainly those imported from Substack. It’s fascinating how quickly content can become irrelevant in our rapidly changing world.

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:28:25 -0400

Learning to use Confluence when you already know a lot about Notion feels like a major step back. 🥴

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 18:38:40 -0400

If Liquid Glass is about unifying all Apple’s platforms, why is it so toned down on the Mac? Asking for a friend.

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 18:43:31 -0400

Do you remember the SETI program? I think this is what it was called. Anyway, it was about providing or contributing personal computing resources to help find extraterrestrial life from background noises or signals coming from space. You would install an app on your computer and when you weren’t using it, its processing power was diverted to the app for computing purposes. Now, fast forward to 2025: could something similar be done e for running LLMs on personal computers? This could then generate usage credits applicable to the AI provider.

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:39:58 -0400

I am curious to explore other providers of generative artificial intelligence services. I am a paying subscriber to ChatGPT, but I haven’t seriously explored other alternatives yet, though I plan to do so. I fear missing things out if I ever leave OpenAI behind. I tested Perplexity, but I don’t believe in their business model. I think Claude from Anthropic seems to be the most interesting candidate. They have an iPhone and iPad app, just like OpenAI. From now on, I will systematically query both ChatGPT and Claude for my research needs and compare their performance.

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 18:21:39 -0400

I started documenting before-and-after comparisons of different betas of Apple Liquid Glass. Search for “beforeandafter” in the document to locate those comparisons. Honestly, things are improving. That wasn’t expected.

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:25:26 -0400

Discovered a fun Easter egg in iPadOS 26 beta6 Preview.app. It’s documented as exhibit #50 right here.

A Strange & Frustrating Mac App Store Issue

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:02:44 -0400

Here’s a strange and frustrating issue with the Mac App Store on macOS Tahoe: I cannot re-download an app after testing it through TestFlight. This first occurred with Craft, which I tested this summer. When the version I was testing became official, I tried to download it, but the download froze at the end. Quitting the Mac App Store and rebooting my machine did not resolve the problem. Now, I am facing the same issue with Reeder. I tested the beta a few months ago, only to discover that the developer removed the build from TestFlight. When I went to the Mac App Store to download the official version, the download froze again and never completed. Now I’m unable to use an app for which I’m paying for. Submitted a feedback to Apple. Beta6 doesn’t fix the issue. I’m really hoping for a fix soon. See the behavior here.

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 18:24:04 -0400

Am I starting to like Liquid Glass for the good and the bad things? Like they say: with beta6, it might be growing on me.

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 09:49:55 -0400

People are excited with generative AI and this is legitimate but this excitement overshadow a question we should ask more often about genAI (and about any new tech trends): what do we lose in return? My guess is that we lose a lot but we’re not sure what exactly. When we start to learn about the losses through experience and studies, we will question, hopefully, our use of AI in general. That’s my hope.

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 18:34:40 -0400

In my opinion, the best place for Liquid Glass is on the Apple Watch, because the overall graphic content is much more standardized and controlled. You rarely get weird backgrounds under UI elements.

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 17:31:40 -0400

Updated my “Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned” page with more up-to-date info.

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 20:08:05 -0400

I see a big increase in subscribers to my blog on Ghost since Ghost 6 was released this week. I don’t know if that will last, but hey, I’ll take it!

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:58:49 -0400

Looking at the latest dev diary video from The Realmac software company, Elements CMS is progressing well, in my opinion. I can’t wait to try it out on Who Is Numeric Citizen website. But before that, I’ll have some more work to do, particularly on the highlights section that will be broken up in a few subsections. Stay tuned.

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 12:26:41 -0400

Yesterday I showed my iPhone running iOS 26 to my son. I was scrolling through my notifications on the lock screen. The first thing he said was: woah… that is so… much harder to read.

Not cool. Not impressed. Just harder to read. He is 21. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:42:17 -0400

Please Apple, do me a favor, and ship beta5 today because I want to see the light but not through this Liquid Glass.

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 21:32:41 -0400

Mornings are great for these scenes.

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 21:06:21 -0400

I wrote these articles on Medium under the Numeric Citizen Journey in the last year and I wonder how different my readership would have been if I wrote these articles on Substack. Substack isn’t having a great time these days…

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 08:59:30 -0400

Here’s the latest edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. About this edition: “Amid Apple Intelligence delays, Apple still makes money, a lot of it. Doomsayers will have to wait. This edition isn’t AI-news free. Sorry."

Bye Bye (Again) Medium

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 08:25:00 -0400

My Medium membership is up for renewal on August 17th. I returned to Medium last year to share a special set of articles about my potential career pivot to freelancing. I wrote over a dozen articles on this topic, believing Medium was a suitable platform for personal and career-focused content. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Despite following all the SEO tricks, I earned only $1.64 in revenue, which I won’t receive since the minimum payout is $10. 😳 I expected my earnings to at least cover the cost of my Medium membership, but that didn’t happen. I also intended to read more content on the platform, but I didn’t. I thought I would gain more followers, but that didn’t occur either. I understand now that I need to move on¹, ².

Goodbye, Medium. It was one of my numerous experiments³. I’ll keep my account active but won’t write or share anything further.

The vibe on Medium feels strange. The presence of generative AI often lingers in my mind while reading content there. ↩︎
I aim to focus my creative energy on the right things; doing less often leads to a more sustainable and enjoyable journey. ↩︎
Write.as, Substack were other experiments, too. ↩︎

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:38:31 -0400

Some are doing vibe coding but me, I’m having a good vibe because of the view. 😬😜

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 18:42:08 -0400

Using an external display with iPadOS 26 beta4 is still very problematic, especially when invoking the Control Center, the Notifications Center and dragging windows from the iPad to the external display.

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 16:49:53 -0400

Still no clear effects of Apple Intelligence delays on Apple’s bottom line, apparently. Apple is not doomed, just yet.

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 12:01:57 -0400

Om Malik’s analysis on recent corporate memo from Zuckerberg at Meta:

There is about 25 percent genuine strategic content, the rest is aspirational marketing and corporate positioning. For instance, infrastructure commitments and device strategy show the seriousness of the effort. However, claims about superintelligence being “in sight” are inflated for competitive reasons.

Me: This is how a tech bubble is inflated, until it blows up. Wait for it.

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 22:21:15 -0400

Referring to an earlier post today, I think I know why I’m publishing less often long articles. Building each newsletter edition takes quite some time and is rather disruptive-I’m constantly on the lookout to find new and interesting stuff to put into each ephemeral scrapbook. Learning to use Elements proved to be more demanding that I thought (but it was worth it!). And more recently, maintaining my visual catalog of Liquid Glass failures also requires some dedication, thank you, Apple.

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:31:45 -0400

Got this a few times already, is this legit?

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 13:09:34 -0400

It has been a long time since I published a long article on numericcitizen.me. Aside from my newsletter, in-depth articles have become rare. It seems that I am only able to produce short texts. Should I be worried about that?

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 17:38:40 -0400

Liquid Glass disillusioned here: Dear Apple, if an app constantly needs to darken or lighten the background or adjust control transparency for the user interface to be barely usable, perhaps this indicates a flawed approach to user interface design? 😵‍💫

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:59:50 -0400

I’m a lucky guy.

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:28:25 -0400

Windows PC is a powerful platform for gaming, with high frame rate, gorgeous graphics and animation, and so on and on… so why is a modern pro laptop running the latest OS, Windows 11, still struggles when resizing windows? It’s 2025. But, hey, we have AI everywhere, right? 🤷🏻‍♂️😒

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:20:22 -0400

As much as I have issues with Liquid Glass on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, I kind of like it a lot on watchOS. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 11:02:50 -0400

Something I just learned this morning about Micro.blog:

Do cross the streams! Bluesky starter packs now available to follow within Micro.blog. Here’s one in Micro.blog on the web with people who post about books. No batch follow yet, but a fun way to discover new users. An experiment that we’ll refine. You can search for a Bluesky pack URL to open it.

manton https://www.manton.org/2024/11/18/do-cross-the.html

Starter Packs are great to quickly browse and see who might be interesting to follow… but following the whole starter pack is a no-go for me. The way I understand it is that you are following all the pack members in one hop. I prefer to pick and choose.

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 10:51:28 -0400

As reported from MacRumors: A new button for camera-related functionality coming to the iPhone 17 Pro? Will they fix or improve the Camera Control? I hope they work on that, too, just like when the iterated on the haptic engine in the early days of the iPhone.

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 18:18:37 -0400

Two apps. Tapestry on the left, a beta that supports Liquid Glass. Micro.blog on the right, still not supporting Liquid Glass. Look at the elements spacing and content areas. This is the future that awaits us.

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:17:48 -0400

OneNote, an app made by Microsoft, running on Windows 11, an OS made by Microsoft, doesn’t support text selection by double clicking on a word and dragging across, word-by-word. It’s 2025, for god’s sake. But we have AI everywhere, there’s that. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:01:26 -0400

At beta 4, my general sentiment toward Apple Liquid Glass is generally worse than it was with iOS 7, back in 2013. 😵‍💫

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 17:58:34 -0400

I wonder if Apple has a “disable Liquid Glass” kill switch at their disposal just in case things turn awful before September launch so they can get more time refining or scrapping Liquid Glass altogether until next year? What would be left in os26 then?

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 07:10:49 -0400

I’ve been trying Claude AI recently and beyond the answers I get to my prompts, I really like the output style, much more than OpenAI. By order of preference, it goes like this: Claude, Perplexity then OpenAI.

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:15:54 -0400

Today is beta4 day, and if this catalog of Liquid Glass failures is any indication, it either a lost cause or beta4 might be the turning point.

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:29:28 -0400

I’ve been using the Digg beta for a few weeks, and I have mixed feelings about it. I appreciate its design and the way users curate links and content. However, I worry that it might become as toxic as Reddit once it opens to everyone. Just this morning, I participated in a thread where some users were posting angry comments—albeit mildly—toward someone who disagreed with the majority. The argument is simple: Reddit is a toxic place and people want an alternative. Digg came up trying to be different but some people think that under the surface, it will become as toxic as Reddit. Boom. I wonder if the Internet can ever be a place for debating.

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 21:13:11 -0400

Updated this living catalog of design flaws while using and experimenting with Apple Liquid Glass. I reworked the exhibit heading section with tags. Currently, sporting 26 exhibits and counting.

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 20:52:55 -0400

I’m testing the Comet browser with Perplexity integrated, though I’m not entirely sure what that means, yet. It took me less than 30 seconds to summarize a 23:40 minute video, as shown in this screenshot. If millions of people do the same, video creators will likely see a significant drop in view counts. And millions of people will probably save a lot of time watching a video that could have been a one-paragraph blog post. 🤦🏻‍♂️

The Apple Intelligence Story Nobody Wants to Talk About

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 07:31:12 -0400

When I read the news about Apple Intelligence, it is most often related to the perception that Apple is way behind their competitors in the field of artificial intelligence¹. It is rarely about what sets Apple Intelligence apart from its competitors: privacy protection. It’s as if this is not important to the majority of users or the tech press. However, it is an important differentiating factor that I believe will work in Apple’s favor in the long term. Fortunately, some articles highlight this fact, such as this article from 9to5Mac.

One could argue, including myself, that it’s not entirely true when you step back and see the whole pictures. People tend to compare to ChatGPT conversational interaction model. Apple do use a lot of AI technologies in their operating systems and has been doing so for many years. Apple is not good at addressing this perception problem. ↩︎

Who Knew This Was Still a Challenge These Days

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 19:05:13 -0400

I took a trip earlier this year, and my sister, a seasoned amateur photographer, asked when she could see my photos. Even if I’m on Glass and Pixelfed, I’m sure those two platforms aren’t what she would like to use to browse my photos. To makes things more complicated, I do use iCloud Photos where I could share an album but also depend on file-based organization for RAW photos. I need a place to combine my best photos and share as a website that could be put together quickly and easily while having a great design and look. One possible solution is to use Fastmail Files, which will allow me to upload files easily and build the static website automagically. More on that soon.

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 11:41:35 -0400

I just discovered that you can have more than one newsletter on Ghost. Maybe I could use it to restart my Photo Legend Series?

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 08:24:06 -0400

Jesper on the upcoming iPhone 17 Air:

So, while I don’t necessarily agree with the consequences of the inexorable march towards new frontiers in terms of super-slimness that no one asked for, the ergonomic benefits of a larger display in a “small”-ish footprint are interesting enough that pursuing it may be necessary to avoid a relative brick.

I think Apple is doing the iPhone 17 Air because they wanted to make the iPhone Fold first.

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:24:15 -0400

It’s been a while but recent news and trends about AI-based bots trying to ruin the life of psychologically vulnerable people triggered an update to my /nope page.

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:55:58 -0400

Wondering if Digg could be a place for blogging beyond doing link posts… 🤔

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 20:38:14 -0400

I’m really liking my experience with Realmac Software’s Elements to build my new landing page. I’m not an expert at website design but with Elements, I feel empowered. The learning curve is not the easiest one but following all the videos they publish on their YouTube channel plus visiting their forum helps a lot.

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:50:59 -0400

How depressing this is. These are filtered Google News results with the keyword “ChatGPT”. Look at some headlines… Now, consider this quote.

“AI will not replace humans, but those who use AI will replace those who don’t.” – Ginni Rometty

Bye Bye Grammarly?

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 08:14:13 -0400

I received a reminder this morning about my upcoming Grammarly renewal. After reviewing past invoices, I decided to cancel my subscription on a whim. It’s an expensive service. As I’m planning some changes on other areas of my digital presence, I’ll reallocate the money to that instead.

For the next new weeks, my subscription ends on August 14th, I’ll be turning off Grammarly and see how things goes. I might use AI service from Raycast, ChatGPT or even Apple Intelligence Writing Tools to compensate. I do use the free version of LanguageTool, too. I’ll report my conclusions in due time.

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:43:50 -0400

The upcoming CMS feature in Realmac Software Elements is sooooo cool, flexible and powerful. Even RSS feeds are supported! You can see that in action in their latest Dev Diary video.

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:11:16 -0400

One simple thing that is missing from iPadOS 26: CMD-Q to quit an application. Other things that need work: the CMD-TAB switcher is not glassified and lacks contrats with the background view. Same comment goes for the Spotlight search field which can be really hard to see. Oh and here’s the thing: if you happen to work both on the Mac and an iPad: you kind expect that both platforms behave the same way. As an example, I want Spotlight on iPad to be the same as on the Mac by offering the four search modes.

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:39:43 -0400

On iPadOS 26, you can resize the Settings windows as you like. I wish we could do the same on the Mac!

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:28:03 -0400

Well, using iPadOS 26 beta3, it seems that I can’t use my iPad in «clamshell» mode while hooked to an external display… really?

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:16:43 -0400

Currently starting my week-end long experiment with an 2024 M4 iPad Pro running iPadOS 26 with an external display. This feels so different and yet familiar to the… Mac? The iPad? I’m not sure, just yet. Expect more posts in the coming days.

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:36:13 -0400

I often repeat this thought in my head when I’m in challenging times: “everything around me has been done by people not smarter than me.”. It’s inspired by Steve Jobs’ words from an interview he did in the early 1990s, where he was reflecting on how empowering it is to realize that the world is built by people just like us — and that we can reshape it too.

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 22:30:11 -0400

Here’s a thought: I would like to ask people of all ages, specifically those between 16 and 70, how they feel about Apple Liquid Glass. Do younger individuals prefer the original version, while older ones favor the toned-down version? I suspect this might be the case.

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:08:08 -0400

Next weekend when going to the chalet, I’ll bring my iPad, Magic Keyboard and my LG UltraFine 4K monitor so that I can experiment with iPadOS 26 with an external monitor. The last time I tried this was with iPadOS 18 with Stage Manager. It didn’t work well. Can’t wait to see the difference.

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 21:32:33 -0400

I see encouraging signs with today’s releases of “whateverOS beta3”¹. But there is still much work to be done as shown in exhibit #9.

iOS 26 beta3, iPadOS 26 beta3, macOS Tahoe beta 3. ↩︎

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 16:59:38 -0400

Maybe Apple could provide a Low, Medium and High settings for Liquid Glass and most people would probably be happy with it.

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:09:13 -0400

It’s one of those Monday that will take a hard time to get started. 😅 I had such a great weekend. Let’s get this done.

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 07:08:19 -0400

With the addition of the traffic lights buttons on iPadOS 26, it’s now easier to spot which window is active because inactive windows has their traffic light buttons grayed with three little dots as seen on this screenshot.

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 21:46:07 -0400

Cloudflare Is Blocking AI Crawlers by Default

Last year, internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare launched tools enabling its customers to block AI scrapers. Today the company has taken its fight against permissionless scraping several steps further. It has switched to blocking AI crawlers by default for its customers and is moving forward with a Pay Per Crawl program that lets customers charge AI companies to scrape their websites.

I paid a visit to my Cloudflare dashboard and I saw the option to turn on the blocking of AI bots. I’m just not sure that I want to silence myself from LLM training. What if everyone does the same?

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 12:33:27 -0400

Do you think that a few years from now, Liquid Glass will age well? Was this even a consideration by Apple’s designers when they put that up together?

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 11:31:04 -0400

I want to like Apple’s vision of their newest OS incarnations, but I find it hard at this point. I’m hoping that beta3 will change and help improve some of my feelings.

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 08:39:48 -0400

I wonder what’s going on with Daniel Eran Dilger. It’s been close to five years without posting on his blog: Roughly Drafted. His Twitter account is now private. Nothing to see on LinkedIn either. 🧐

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 20:44:49 -0400

My view tonight. 😍

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 11:57:43 -0400

I realize that I should use Inoreader’s ability to generate a RSS feed from a folder and subscribe to this feed in Reeder instead of subscribing to individual feeds in Reeder. This would make Inoreader the source of truth. I’ll work on that this weekend.

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 10:42:13 -0400

It appears that not only Liquid Glass breaks readability in many cases, but information density too is affected, something that I care even more. What comes after the iPhone 15 Pro Max to support this new UI paradigm? 🤦🏻‍♂️

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 09:23:15 -0400

This is the new readability standards from Apple, a trillion dollars tech company. Here’s a screenshot of two Finder windows. Which one is active? Why is the tab of the inactive window darker than the active one? Why can I barely distinguish the tab of the active window? And those “floating over the content” controls in the top portion, are just, weird and out of this place.

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 12:26:09 -0400

For the first time in twenty years, I don’t have any business-related apps on my mobile phone, except one for 2FA. No email, no instant messaging, no documents, nothing! I feel some sort of hard-to-describe relief.

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 08:21:54 -0400

Journal on macOS Tahoe feels unfinished, barely a proof of concept to me. Who’s designing this at Apple? It feels it was put together the day before WWDC. Too many things to list here. Next betas can’t come soon enough, and I’m really curious to see how much improvements we’re going to see from beta2 to beta 3 and beyond.

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 06:57:52 -0400

Matt Birchler in Liquid glass one month later

If I could sum it up briefly, I’d say that liquid glass is highly dependent on the content it’s covering to determine how delightful it is as a UI. That’s a real challenge to overcome and it’s a big reason why we tend to see these highly-transparent interface designs get more and more opaque in time. The highs are very high in my book, but there are still plenty of “yikes” moments that I wish weren’t there and I hope get improved by the fall.

This makes me think that iOS 26 is really the new iOS 7 moment in Apple history. I also agree with Matt’s critique and observations. I don’t think that a UI is good when you have to meet a certain context in order to make it look good. A great UI is good most if not all the time.

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 21:02:48 -0400

I’m not sure why and what Americans will celebrate tomorrow.

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:27:22 -0400

I’ve Got Better Things To Do Than This, and Yet

At the point when you have to blur the content area to make the UI stand out from it, how can you possibly argue that it gets out of the way? It makes no sense.

He puts words on something I couldn’t name myself.

What, You Have a Blog? Really?

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 21:39:55 -0400

I overheard people at the office talking about their weekend activities. I wasn’t in the conversation, but I’m always prepared for those. I never talk about my writing hobby or the many websites I maintain. Most people would find this strange. They’d say things like, “What, you have a blog? Really?” Yes, that’s right. I prefer to skip all that and talk about a walk in the park, in the forest, and maybe about photography. Blogging is like people collecting stamps back in the day. Sad.

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:32:01 -0400

According to MacRumors: New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

That is interesting. I want Apple to be funky on this one with a unique design proposition. Obviously they are going after the Chromebook market here, if rumors are true.

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:48:01 -0400

Having to immerse myself in a different digital ecosystem, specifically Microsoft’s, helps me appreciate the strengths of both Apple and Microsoft. Does this mean I should consider switching to Android? I’ll leave that for you to guess. 🤭

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:45:09 -0400

One of the fun things when starting a new job with a new set of digital tools is to rethink old habits and change what was broken. Information classifications and tasks management are seeing a big rethink which is, of course, highly tied to Microsoft 365 tools (To Do, OneNote, Outlook and their tied integration).

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:03:38 -0400

Under macOS Tahoe, I decided to remove any menu items that have a Control Center equivalent. Is this the start of a trend? I hope developers will add support for Control Center when it ships.

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 08:44:52 -0400

This article points to an interesting prospect about the future of the Mac menu bar usage: we could see a possible migration of Mac utilities from menu bar items to the Control Center, thanks to the introduction of third-party Control Center applets. Provided developers add support for these, we will probably see a reduction on menu bar items, freeing much space in the menu bar. This might explain why Apple added the menu bar transparent mode.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 17:58:09 -0400

I’m starting to like Windows 11 and Office 365 more than I expected. Who knew? OneNote is a solid note-taking app, and Outlook Tasks is also solid.

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:48:54 -0400

My new Windows PC laptop at the office makes me realize that the best Office 365 experience (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, OneNote) is on a PC, not on a Mac, which will always be a second citizen for Microsoft.

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:55:15 -0400

With this year’s Apple OS releases, all Apple apps appear to have a similar look. Is this expected? Where’s the fun? Does everything need to be identical to be more approachable?

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:02:50 -0400

I’m happy that, in Canada, we don’t have Apple Pay (yet?) because otherwise we would be flooded by ads in the Wallet app. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:58:02 -0400

☝🏻 Glass > Liquid Glass.

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 10:23:56 -0400

Never take your Mac for granted. Did my first day at my new job and got my new Windows laptop. Quite a beefy one for that mather: 32 GB of RAM, 500 GB of NVMe SSD and an i5 Intel CPU, large display. Yet, running Windows 11, this thing can be so slow and battery life never gets past 1.5 hours. Less than two hours!!! What is this HPE Probook? About 25% of CPU is spend on security-related processes… AT ALL THE FUCKIN time!

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 21:37:51 -0400

How many options and switches do we have today in Settings.app, on all platforms, because Apple had to step back… as a recent example, on macOS, we now have “Menu Bar \ Show Menu Bar Background” so that we can get our dear and readable menu bar… Settings is getting bloated with options that are the consequences of Apple’s indecision in UI design.

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 18:37:13 -0400

I can confirm that beta2 doesn’t bring much fixes, on the iPad, at least. In fact, it might be worse than beta1. Investigating… 😐😑

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 18:14:42 -0400

Too stupid to wait, upgrading my iPhone 15 Pro Max to beta 2. 🫣

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 20:43:52 -0400

Today, I tested my LG UltraFine 4K monitor on my wife’s Windows 11 laptop, but the monitor wouldn’t power up, and the Windows Device Manager also failed to recognize it. This means I’ll probably need a USB hub to go with my future work laptop if I want to use that monitor. I’ll probably buy a new monitor specially for my work laptop, since the company will be paying for it.

Micro.blog Question Challenge

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 14:48:39 -0400

Jim Mitchell, on his blog:

As is customary after posting my own, I’m extending the challenge to Numeric Citizen (@numericcitizen) and David Johnson (@crossingthethreshold) to answer the same questions:

Here are my answers!

Why did you start a blog in the first place? It was when Apple had iWeb, part of MobileMe. It was a family thing only. iWeb died, so did my blog. Eventually, I returned to blogging on Blogger, now part of Google, while developing iPhone apps in 2009. It lasted until 2013. Then it all died. I returned to blogging in 2015, using WordPress, then migrated to Ghost and Micro.blog; both serve different purposes. The rest is history.
Have you blogged on other platforms before? Yes, all in all, I experimented with iWeb, Blogger, WordPress, Micro.blog, Write.as, Substack, Medium. Am I missing one? Oh yeah, Scribble.pages! Sorry, Vincent!
Why did you choose Micro.blog? Back in 2018, when it launched. Initially, I wasn’t sure about it and viewed it as an experiment (I shared some thoughts about this). I went all in during COVID. Couldn’t be happier.
Do you write your posts directly in the editor or in another application? It depends. Most of the time, I wrote on the web editor, but with recent updates to the Mac app, I do it more and more on the Mac app. Oh, MarsEdit is also one app that I use, from time to time.
When do you feel most inspired to write? All the time, mainly in the mornings when my head is still pristine (can’t tell if this is something we can write!)
Do you publish immediately after writing or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft? Most of the time, I write and then publish, especially on Micro.blog. For longer posts, I let it simmer for a while.
What’s your favorite post on your blog? So hard to tell because what I write is so short. The whole thing is what I’m most proud of: having the time and the gut to think and write about anything away from big platforms, it’s something to be proud of IMO.
Any future plans for your blog? Since last year, I decided to focus more on what I already have. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. So, Micro.blog forever! For now. I recently launched “Who Is Numeric Citizen?” website with the idea to replace another website built using Craft. 🤭

Thanks for calling me out on that, @jimmitchell ! How about @abc ? Will he catch the call?

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 09:28:31 -0400

I’m eagerly anticipating the release of beta 2 of iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 from Apple this week. I’m particularly interested in seeing how much the Liquid Glass feature will be toned down, if at all. I won’t lose faith until the public beta is available.

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 08:33:43 -0400

I prefer Apple to build a partnership with Perplexity instead of buying them outright. By partnering with them, Perplexity would join ChaptGPT as a third-party source of AI, helping Apple remain AI agnostic. If they buy Perplexity, they would close the loop, which is bad in the long term for them. I want Apple to remain open and bring as many AI partners as possible.

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 07:50:58 -0400

Unpopular opinion: The Browser Company should have made Dia a part of the Arc Browser. I don’t see the need for a new paradigm to achieve what Dia is trying to do as a stand-alone app. Plus, how come a browser company rely on someone else’s browser engine to do its thing? My understanding is that Dia is built on Chromium, just like the Arc Browser.

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 09:11:58 -0400

It’s funny how I treat my online assets like my websites. I think of these like software or apps. That is why I maintain change logs for them, just like app release notes. You can find one here, and one there. It’s fun.

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 08:59:46 -0400

Is this a plain website? Is this a digital garden? Is this a landing page? No, it’s "Who Is Numeric Citizen?" A newly launched personal landing page where you can learn about him and his creative journey. Learn all the details (what, why, how) by visiting the website! I’ll meet you there.

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 19:37:31 -0400

Today, I placed my order to have my face processed through Iconfactory’s pixelated portrait service. I’m eager to see what they come up with. Maybe I’ll update my avatar that I’ve been using for so many years?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:59:36 -0400

I mentioned earlier this week that I began exploring alternatives to Mailbrew. Digest seems to be a similar service. It appears to be a clone of Mailbrew. The thing is, it looks like abandonware, too.

Directly from... Raycast!

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 13:59:46 -0400

Heeeeeeere’s Johnny!! Just kidding, I’m testing a blog post from Raycast. Sounds cool, right? Yes, it is!

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:25:58 -0400

Because of iPadOS 26, I can see a future where I could get rid of my Macs and focus on the iPad as the main computer beside my iPhone. Of course, I would probably switch to a larger size if that was the case. Using an iPad with an external monitor now makes much more sense and no longer a gimmicky thing.

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:41:47 -0400

It seems I overlooked that Inoreader can’t send email summaries of RSS feeds on the Pro plan; an Enterprise plan is necessary. That’s disappointing. I’ll search for alternatives to replace Mailbrew, then. 🤔

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:34:08 -0400

Well, I’m going to drop Mailbrew because of the lack of updates to the service in recent years. I’ll try to replace that with Inoreader, a service I already depend on. Otherwise, I might give a look at Digest.

I'm Already Feeling The Upcoming Loss

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:24:17 -0400

The last time I used a Windows PC was with Windows 10 sometimes around 2020. Since then, Windows 11 came out with a few major releases along with it. I’ll have to relearn so many small things to flex my muscles memory. Also, and it’s probably the biggest lost: so many small utilities like Raycast, CleanShot X, Paste, PopClip and so many more that were making me much more productive are gone with Windows 11. Am I going to survive?

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 11:36:42 -0400

So, now that we have Liquid Glass on all Apple operating systems, who lost the most of its personality? The Mac or the iPad?

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:35:32 -0400

Invoking the notifications center with iPadOS 26 while using an external display will blank out the external display and bring the notifications on the iPad screen only. I’m not sure this is the final behaviour. I don’t like it at all.

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:18:14 -0400

Testing iPadOS 26 with external display right now and boy this release makes the iPad THE computer we were all waiting for. Well, maybe not everybody… works really great so far.

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:00:29 -0400

Starting with my new job next week, I won’t be able to use LucidChart anymore and that makes me sad. LucidChart is such a pleasure to use and has been supporting my creativity for a few years until this week. The next best thing is Apple Freeform, but I won’t have access to this either. Hello Microsoft Visio. 🙄

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 11:20:02 -0400

From 2009 to 2013, I was learning building iPhone apps as a hobbyist developer and created a few apps sold on the App Store¹. This is how I learned Objective-C. It was before Swift, the iPad and Catalyst. Fast-forward to today, I wonder how my learning experience would have been if generative AI was around.

I made about $5000 doing so. Not bad. ↩︎

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 09:03:41 -0400

One of Liquid Glass’s foundational principles is to prioritize user content, at least to my knowledge. However, my experience so far has been the opposite: Liquid Glass is often “in your face” and takes center stage.

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 08:46:08 -0400

There are many positive and some less favorable aspects in Apple’s first betas and Liquid Glass. I’m eager to see how much Apple will improve them before the official release. Will they remain stubborn, or will they show openness and make meaningful adjustments? How much can they change without appearing to compromise their design principles?

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 07:58:56 -0400

Where can I find the videos of an interviewer pressing Apple executives about their strained relationship with the developer community? There is no one to be found, actually. Even Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal avoids this topic. It was a conference for developers! Instead, everyone focused on questions about Apple Intelligence, Siri, and Liquid Glass. Is this a lack of courage, laziness or simply being afraid not to be able to talk to Apple execs in the future? 🤔

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 12:55:24 -0400

It appears that Apple’s Freeform didn’t get any attention in this year updates… am I missing something? Still a stunning app, though.

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 12:50:02 -0400

I’m happy to see real windows coming to iPadOS 26 but with it comes manual windows management. Opening an app does open it full screen, but resizing is required and sometimes the resizing is guided by constant centering of the window until it is moved elsewhere. Hard to describe but it adds interaction complexity.

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 07:43:43 -0400

Look at the Finder’s window top. 😵‍💫 Not exactly the best overall visual effects. As in the real world, seeing through glass can lead to weird things, just like here. BTW, CleanShot X edit window top bar isn’t working on macOS Tahoe beta1. Beware.

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 07:30:50 -0400

In macOS Tahoe beta1 Finder, some app icons exhibit gray inset (Things icon for example in this screenshot). Weird. Speaking of the Finder, things feels janky in beta1.

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 07:21:49 -0400

I’m curious about people’s appreciation level of Apple Liquid Glass by age group. Younger people probably don’t care or like it because it’s flashy but as they will get older they might change their mind because of the lack of readability. And by then Apple will probably be back with a more opaque design. 🤭

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:03:16 -0400

The size of the OS install on iPadOS 26 was 2x bigger than on M2 MacBook Air. Surprising. Update: it’s about 2 GB less.

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 16:53:10 -0400

Since I have two Macs (M4 Mac mini + M2 MacBook Air), I think I’m going to install macOS Tahoe on my MBA just to kick the tires and see how good or bad things are… I hope it’s better than on my iPad.

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 15:43:03 -0400

My days of using Notion for work are counted. I started using Notion in 2023, but I realize that I should have started well before that. Sadly, I won’t be allowed to use such “non-standard” tool at my next job. The standard is: Microsoft 365 + Confluence. 🥴

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 09:28:47 -0400

I’m officially starting a new job in less than two weeks. As I clean up my belongings at my current employer, I’m amazed by how much content I’ve gathered and created over the past seven years. Most of it, about 80%, is now worthless.

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 07:11:49 -0400

While the iPadOS 26 beta 1 is very buggy, after watching this video, I’m very tempted to install macOS Tahoe beta1 on my M2 MacBook Air. Would love to get feedback about stability compared to iPadOS.

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 21:19:03 -0400

Liquid Glass current state in beta1 is challenging the definition of content readability. I’m seriously hoping that this will improve before final release later this fall.

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 07:25:12 -0400

Well, iPadOS 26 beta 1 is rather buggy and feels more unfinished than expected.

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:31:17 -0400

Apple is so careful about accessibility in general, I find it surprising that they come out with something like Liquid Glass which seems to break many usability rules like legibility. 👀😵‍💫

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 06:29:37 -0400

A lot of developers might be pissed off by Apple and not willing to invest the required resources to adopt the new UI… but I want to make it clear to all developers: I’ll reconsider my app usage based on those who don’t adopt the new UI. Nothing is permanent in this world. #wwdc25

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 07:44:24 -0400

Sadly, I’ll be on the road tomorrow during the WWDC Keynote. I’ll probably put the event stream on my phone and listen to the audio only while driving. My colleague will learn how passionate someone can be about Apple. 🤭

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 20:13:16 -0400

HyperCard was such a novelty when it launched. It was something so “out of this place”. I spent so many hours with HyperCard, trying to find use cases for it, just so I could experience the stack metaphor. Thanks Bill. RIP.

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 13:43:45 -0400

Listening to the Vergecast right now and oh boy, Apple is losing the mind share of so many people right now… developers (been lioke this for a few years now), tech pundits (for what it’s worth) and… ordinary users (partially, thanks to AI stuff).

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:06:36 -0400

Wow, MacRumors is posting a new article for each individual leak, coming from today’s rather lengthy Gurman report about next week’s announcements. I mean, come on, guys! Do a single write up and we’re ok with it!

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:33:50 -0400

Due to some important professional changes, I canceled my Fantastical subscription. It’s a great app that I would recommend anytime, but my current situation no longer justifies the expense. I’ll share more info about all this soon.

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:35:13 -0400

I’m not a gamer. I’m not the typical guy who freaks about Nintendo. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Kind of tired of those posts about the DS2. 🙄

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 07:04:39 -0400

Physicality: the new age of UI

Overall, one can imagine a rounding and softening of the interface through translucent materials looking pretty great.

There are many thoughtful ideas in this post and I hope Apple will come up with something similar.

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 21:26:20 -0400

According to Gruber, with some extrapolation, The Mac could be the one to lose the most with this upcoming Apple UI design unification:

The last thing MacOS needs is more transparency/translucency than it already has.

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 07:34:48 -0400

The timing is right, and it’s a clever blog post that explains why Inoreader is a great read-later solution, without mentioning or referring to Pocket. Following the announcement of Pocket demise, people are looking at alternatives and rarely Inoreader get mentioned. With this blog post, they make their case. I do use Inoreader as a read-later service, too. It’s quite capable.

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:13:52 -0400

Acquired. 🤩 cc @BasicAppleGuy@mastodon.social

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:57:07 -0400

« Apple Readies WWDC Stream on YouTube Ahead of Keynote Next Week » — MacRumors

Remember when people were reporting banners being put on display at the Moscone Center and the Internet went wild simply at the look of the banner content?

Sat, 31 May 2025 22:12:31 -0400

Are people just discovering that Apple is a corporation, a big one, part of a capitalist system? Really? It’s sad. It is what it is. Empires come and go. That’s not always fun to watch, but it is what it is.

Fri, 30 May 2025 16:41:03 -0400

Close to a personal turning point… I find this to be both exciting and unsettling. I’ll probably share more very soon. 🤞🏻

Fri, 30 May 2025 07:38:31 -0400

Since coming back from vacation, my morning routine is simple and is always the same: wake up, make coffee, open up the Mac, read Micro.blog timeline, update the current issue of The Ephemeral Scrapbook, do some photo-processing work, tweak my secret work-in-progress-soon-to-be-revealed website with Elements, and read some news before having breakfast.

Wed, 28 May 2025 17:40:45 -0400

iPhone 26, iPhone 26 Air, iPhone 26 Pro, iPhone 26 Pro Max, then. I called it first.

Mon, 26 May 2025 20:23:26 -0400

Follow-up to my previous post: I’ll be returning the Ubiquiti G6 Instant camera. It’s a really nice designed device, very Apple-like. But I can’t justify replacing my Dream Router with the Dream Router 7 only to add Wifi 7 and support for Ubiquiti Project. Too bad.

Mon, 26 May 2025 19:09:22 -0400

Ordered and received an Ubiquiti G6 Instant surveillance camera only to discover that UniFi Protect which is required to manage and use that camera isn’t supported on my UniFi Dream Router from 2020. 🙁 I would need to replace my router with a Dream Router 7 if I want to keep the camera. But replacing my router would probably require replacing my two network extenders, too. 😔

Mon, 26 May 2025 08:02:34 -0400

Asking for a summarized review of reviews of a product like the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 with Perplexity pro prompt is super cool to get the gist of a product quality and capabilities (here are the results¹). We live in exciting times, even if challenging.

I’m not sure if you can open that link, though. ↩︎

Mon, 26 May 2025 07:36:48 -0400

After reading John Siracusa’s articles about Apple current issues and possible remediations this morning (1, 2), I wish I had enough time at my disposal to create timetogotim.org¹, a website promoting the need for a change of leadership at Apple.

The domain name is available! ↩︎

Sun, 25 May 2025 12:36:15 -0400

If Apple’s ‘Solarium UI’ is the UI unification of all Apple platforms, which platform will give up the most of its personality the most? 👀🤔

Sun, 25 May 2025 10:10:06 -0400

Will Apple’s Solarium UI refresh make us forget about Apple Intelligence and Siri’s lackluster performance or App Store litigation or developers mounting disdain for Apple or Tim Cook questionable leadership in the age of AI?

Sun, 25 May 2025 07:43:27 -0400

Catching up recent Micro.blog updates and I really like the new AI-generated categories feature. Coupled with filters, it’s a great way to organize posts not only for me but for the readers. It’s tempting to add many categories, but it could make my blog homepage a little bit crowded. 😅

Sat, 24 May 2025 03:01:38 -0400

I think we over estimate Jony Ive design capabilities in general if you consider that design is also how it works. We have plenty of examples with bad design choices after Jobs death. Ports removal in a pro laptop, butterfly keyboard are just of them.

Fri, 23 May 2025 13:34:39 -0400

I’m getting ready to pack my things and offload 559 photos from my Nikon Zf to my MacBook Air for in-flight processing with Photomator (8 hours, mind you). It should be fun to relive my just-completed trip.

Wed, 21 May 2025 07:29:09 -0400

Reading a lunch menu in Spanish with Apple Translate. First experience with live translation. Pretty cool and useful. I know this has been available on the other platform for a long time but using in a real situation is handy. No need for an English menu.

Tue, 20 May 2025 16:09:40 -0400

Who’s rooting for adding or integrating Apple Intelligence models into their apps? Apple Intelligence is not well regarded, not many is going to rush to add this to their apps after WWDC2025.

Mon, 19 May 2025 06:23:57 -0400

Travel update: I’m currently in Valencia, Spain, still figuring out if we will go off the ship today for a walk in a city that we already visited back in 2017. One idea would be to revisit some places but with this idea of trying different photo takes with more modern photo gear (was using an iPhone 7, Nikon D80 back then if I remember correctly).

Thu, 15 May 2025 07:48:30 -0400

Currently in Catalina, Sicile. Rainy day. Brought my camera with me but got no inspiration to take photos, except that one which is in line with the current weather.

Tue, 13 May 2025 05:42:28 -0400

It’s 2025 and I’m still fascinated by the lack of efficiency of barcode or QRcode reading equipments at airports or train stations which greatly reduce the flow of people trying to catch their flight or train.

Fri, 09 May 2025 08:43:42 -0400

I simply don’t understand the value proposition of the rumoured Apple homeOS. I mean, most people got a smartphone in their hands which is always connected. If you happen to have HomeKit devices in your home, everything is close at hand with the Home app. We don’t need a specialized tablet to change lights and look at the doorbell camera, right? Are we?

Fri, 09 May 2025 07:32:57 -0400

Last day of work before a two-weeks vacation where I’ll spend some time visiting Rome, Pompeii, Ibiza, Valencia, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Taormina, Valletta and Palma; places that I’m eagerly waiting to visit! 😀

Thu, 08 May 2025 06:42:28 -0400

Apparently, Microsoft released updated Surface devices. Not much buzz about them, even with this questionable CoPilot+ moniker and branding. I don’t see them a lot in my professional life either.

Wed, 07 May 2025 22:00:39 -0400

Here’s an interesting idea from Parker Ortolani: portable memory format so that we can move our ChatGPT memory across generative AI service providers. THAT would be innovative. I think generative AI is so profound that preventing lock in would be seen as a positive sign of good will from the tech world, something we are missing these days.

On Managing Digital Good Purchases

Wed, 07 May 2025 21:21:38 -0400

I just spent some time trying to find the payment provider for a specific app that charged me the wrong amount (paddle.net, which I won’t name). I realized I used different emails for different apps, so my purchases are scattered across those addresses. It’s a mess and hard to manage. The Apple App Store has many questionable rules, but having one place to manage purchases and subscriptions is invaluable.

Wed, 07 May 2025 21:15:57 -0400

Apple App Store rules are challenged in the US and so many other places around the world, except in Canada. Will we keep the original version of the App Store with all the constraints forever?

Wed, 07 May 2025 13:40:11 -0400

Apple, Safari and AI: Eddy Cue is the guy who convinced Steve Jobs to do an iPad mini. AI replacing Search seems a nobrainer to me in the near term. It’s already happening for me.

Tue, 06 May 2025 21:26:46 -0400

Astute comment by @mattbirchler on iPad multitasking. Having to keep an app open like Final Cut Pro to export a long video doesn’t make sense in today’s world. We need to be able to switch to other apps while this export is happening and doing its magic. An addition to the Entitlements.plist to allow long-running tasks won’t cut the deal.

Five Years Ago - Confinement

Tue, 06 May 2025 16:49:29 -0400

Five years ago. COVID was hitting hard after two months of confinement. Distant memories already. Hard to believe. I still wear emotional injuries from that time. It wasn’t easy, and nothing really returned to normal since then. With current geopolitical events, things seems different and somewhat worse to some degree. Difficult times, indeed.

Tue, 06 May 2025 07:51:12 -0400

Since Apple bought Pixelmator, here’s what happened so far: No new features. No new subscription. No more release notes. Enjoy the silence. Couldn’t be more excited about the future of Photomator and Pixelmator. 😒

Sun, 04 May 2025 11:45:51 -0400

You know your country is in deep turmoil and trouble when the president isn’t sure if it has to respect the constitution. Lawers are working on it, he says. Think about it. WTF is this clown?

Sun, 04 May 2025 08:48:02 -0400

I’m playing around with Realmac software Elements these days, and I’m working on a new website (to replace an existing one). One of the most difficult tasks is to select the right fonts for headers and body. So hard to choose from all those fonts. Google Fonts website is a great tool to help me achieve that.

Bring What Device on My Next Trip?

Fri, 02 May 2025 12:41:13 -0400

I’m going for a trip in southern Europe at the end of next week for two weeks. I’ll visit Italy and Spain from a cruise ship and the many stops that are planned. I’m still undecided as to what device should I bring: my iPad or my MacBook Air? The former is highly portable and much lighter, but the latter would allow me to spend more time learning Elements during flight time. I may be overestimating how much free time I’ll have to use these things… 🥴🤷🏻‍♂️

Thinking Outside

Fri, 02 May 2025 12:35:09 -0400

Thinking right now: people love to consume content the closest to their platform of choice. People on Substack wants to consume content over there, people on Medium, the same, on Medium. That’s why the idea of manually cross-posting my newsletter to Substack often comes back haunting me. This newsletter is currently only available from Ghost (and RSS + email, of course).

Thu, 01 May 2025 17:30:37 -0400

I’m surprised that no YouTuber or tech pundits talking about the iPhone 17 Air didn’t look at what it is like if you put two iPhone 17 Air dummies on top of each other to see how thick this would feel in the hands because, I really think that is going to be close to the foldable iPhone.

Thu, 01 May 2025 11:28:40 -0400

Phrases of the week on my news timeline: “Apple loses to…”, “Apple must pay…”, “Apple will challenge…”, “Apple disagree with…”.

Dear Apple: maybe you’re doing something wrong? 🤔

Thu, 01 May 2025 09:13:01 -0400

It’s cool to use iPhone Mirroring on the train because of the space constraint… but I find the experience a bit a hit or miss. Sometimes the Mac refuses to connect to the iPhone, or I need to unlock the iPhone or the iPhone is already in use… highly unpredictable… but when it works, it’s really great and handy.

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:13:58 -0400

Cancelling my Ivory subscription to make room for the Bluesky version later this year. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Incoming: AI subscription fatigue...

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:50:13 -0400

ChatGPT. ChatGPT APIs. Notion AI. Inoreader Intelligence Reports. Raycast AI. Perplexity AI. I may have forgotten a few others¹.

In bold: those I’m currently subscribing. ↩︎

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 08:30:57 -0400

The iPhone 17 Air looks wonderful – but that’s not why Apple is making it

That is my theory too: Apple will make the iPhone 17 Air because it is a mandatory step to the foldable iPhone.

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:10:24 -0400

I’m excited about the next two days as I will be traveling by train from Montreal to Quebec City. I enjoy train travel between those two cities because it’s relaxing, the scenery is usually beautiful, and the weather should be nice. I appreciate the opportunity to embrace modern technology; I’ll be able to work remotely from my laptop, with my iPhone’s 5G connection to stay productive while on the move.

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:14:32 -0400

How is it possible that the « new » Meta AI app already got reviews many of not most of them dating back to three years ago? What am I missing here? Not that I want to try it, mind you. 🤔

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:45:41 -0400

Yesterday during Canada’s election night, Radio-Canada (French channel) had the best interactive board I’ve ever seen, albeit a bit laggy at times. I don’t know if it was purpose built or if it was based on a commercial solution, but it was impressive. It’s the first time the TV host didn’t struggle with the UI and interaction features. Tap-to-dismiss and a breadcrumb at the bottom made navigation a breeze, apparently. I wish I could have a short video showing it in action.

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 17:32:06 -0400

I don’t know when the trend started, but companies like IBM are starting to use gen AI to automatically offer translated technical documentation from English to… whatever language. I encountered quite a few funny errors today. Thankfully, we can ask for the original at the click of a button. Still work to be gone for this to be on-par with human-made texts.

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 20:36:33 -0400

I have to get myself ready to leave the ARC Browser behind and come back to Safari. It’s obvious that it is becoming abandoned. I will miss the left sidebar.

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 15:44:06 -0400

Here’s a video for Micro.blog users who want to learn more about ways to interact with the social web from Micro.blog. I hope you enjoy and learn something new today. cc @manton

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 11:20:37 -0400

I’m currently recording a YouTube video for Micro.blog users to demonstrate how you can interact with the social web from Micro.blog. Expect the video to be published soon. Feel free to say “hi”, you’re on camera!

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 09:31:32 -0400

David Spark on Nano texture displays:

I can’t help but wonder if Apple will eventually bring Nano-texture to the iPhone. Given how often people use their phones in direct sunlight, it could help. Regardless, for those who need a high-end, anti-reflective display, Apple’s Nano-texture glass is the best I’ve seen, and far superior to any screen treatment or film I’ve tried.

If nano texture display ever come to the iPhone, I would buy it in a heartbeat even if I didn’t for my M4 iPad Pro (too expansive).

Simply THE Best

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 09:13:47 -0400

Just spent 10 minutes on Glass, just browsing and glancing at other people’s work, and I was blown away by the quality of photos that you can find there. I discovered many great photographers this morning that will brighten my view of the world. I would argue that Glass is probably THE best and most successful photo-sharing service of all that I experienced in my life.

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 07:46:56 -0400

Realmac Software Elements is going to be a powerful blogging tool. This video shows a few upcoming features for bloggers. Currently in beta, Elements should ship in coming months. Can’t wait.

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 07:03:24 -0400

I don’t care who is managing Apple’s robotic team, but I do have one question: why does Apple need a robotic team in the first place?

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:58:19 -0400

It’s now possible to change the default username provided by Ghost’s Fediverse support. Currently, it is @index@numericcitizen.me, but I’m unsure what to replace @index with. 👀

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 15:31:49 -0400

I had plenty of time this weekend, but I must admit that I didn’t accomplish much of what I intended to work on. Sigh. 😒

My Next YouTube Video About Micro.blog

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 10:09:40 -0400

I finally found the subject and inspiration for my next YouTube video: how people can interact with Micro.blog users. In it, I’ll explain how posts can be cross-posted to other platforms and how people can reply to them, keeping the discussion ongoing even from seemingly different platforms.

My Current Incomplete and Troubled Bucket List

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 08:12:23 -0400

While revisiting my writing projects pipeline, I found this unfinished blog post. It’s a bucket list. It was inspired by Manton Reece’s Revisiting 43 Things blog post. Recent comments in italic.

Rent a country house for the whole summer, outside Canada — I would have been in the US, but this plan is on hold, because of Trump’s America.
Get my house renovated — Completed!
Do another trip with my two sons — TBD.
Return to California to see the new Apple headquarters — This plan is on hold, because of Trump’s America.
Visit Chicago — This plan is on hold, because of Trump’s America.
See the launch of a rocket from Space X — Fuck Elon Musk.
Return to Iceland — Most probable.

Given the current political environment, I must carefully reconsider each item on this list and remove the ones that will not happen.

Dear ChatGPT, Describe Me Based on All Our Chats

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:01:02 -0400

“👋 I’m a tech veteran by trade, creative by heart. With 30+ years in IT — from data centers to cloud, storage, and security — I help businesses build smarter, more resilient infrastructures. But when the day job ends, my creative side kicks in.

I’m a lifelong Apple fan, blogger, photographer, and content creator who loves blending tech with design. Whether I’m exploring the latest in cybersecurity, testing new apps, or writing about digital privacy, I bring a thoughtful eye and a creative edge.

I believe staying curious — and staying creative — is the best way to thrive in a tech-driven world.”

Not bad.

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:47:03 -0400

One thing that I really appreciate about ChatGPT is their native macOS app. It would be too easy for them to do like so many developers these days and offer the “good enough” solution.

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:53:36 -0400

Shared something really personal today on my Ko-fi page. Available to my dear supporters (yes, I have a few!)

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:09:24 -0400

Apple was blindsided by GenAI and way too busy on Apple Vision Pro. It will take a major shift to regain momentum on AI-related initiatives.

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 06:32:54 -0400

Today I’m getting a brand new 15" M4 MacBook Air at work to replace my aging 2017 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. I won’t miss the Intel world, but I’ll somewhat miss the Touch Bar. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 07:04:29 -0400

Connection isn’t just personal. It’s political.

A healthy democracy requires relationships, trust, physical presence, and shared stakes. If we don’t have anyone in our lives who voted differently than we did, if the only time we talk to our neighbors is when we have something to complain about (if we even bother), if we haven’t been in a room with strangers in months trying to solve a real problem without a mute button or a string of emojis—then we are actively making it easier to divide. Easier to manipulate. Easier to radicalize. Easier to rule.

We collectively dropped the ball. I honestly don’t know what to do and where to start to undo things. I feel alone on my island crying and shouting how wrong and off everything is right now.

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 07:51:44 -0400

I wish Ghost would expand their support for what are called “social accounts.” Given our current situation, I find this approach short-sighted. I wish Mastodon and Bluesky received more attention for this type of configuration.

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 20:52:51 -0400

Still about the iOS 19 mockup, the redesigned Tabbar is so much better. 😍

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 20:38:32 -0400

There is a lot to like about some of the iOS 19 redesign mockups, but the “rounder” app icons is certainly not one of them. 🤢

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:56:24 -0400

Gumroad is going open source!? Are they ok is it a last-resort move? They have a detailed roadmap, though.

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 13:46:10 -0400

That’s a useful website for Markdown lovers: Online Markdown.

Must Have Features in a Read Later Service

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 07:30:47 -0400

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

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

Inoreader check them all.

Can you say Chaps?

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 06:36:10 -0400

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.

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:13:44 -0400

Each time I select a few emails in Outlook at the office and then move them into a folder I think of Severance’s employees working on their computer to gather numbers and drop them in a bucket. Every. Single. Time. And now you’ll probably do, too. You’re welcome.

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 08:26:12 -0400

Looking at iOS 18.5 and I find that Apple is slow at iterating on AI. Nothing really new in AI. No mention of model improvements. Only a few things like turning off Mail automatic classification. I would have expected a much faster pace.

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:54:57 -0400

When are we going to stop referring to Musk as the richest man in the world. First, we don’t care as much as it sounds. Second, he’s probably the poorest man in the world if anything.

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:08:55 -0400

I’m again tempted by an Oura ring. One big showstopper: the mandatory annual subscription. 😒

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 17:34:13 -0400

It’s the time of the year when iOS feels the most stable. I’m liking iOS 18.4.

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 10:56:16 -0400

Apple users looking to improve their security posture? Here’s a guide that I wrote and shared recently.

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 21:22:59 -0400

Gurman: Jon Prosser’s iOS 19 Mockups ‘Aren’t Representative’ of Redesign - MacRumors

To be honest, Prosser’s video gives a very limited peak at iOS 19 redesign. More than 3 min 30 sec of introduction followed by a sponsor segment then followed by a short discussion about four limited mockups. Not his best work.

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:50:19 -0400

From my point of view, with recent security breach from the government members, more signs point to being much closer to a dictatorship than we are willing to admit. Many cabinet members are using Signal on purpose because they don’t want scrutiny, they don’t think they owe anything to the American people.

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:41:13 -0400

WWDC25: Still entirely online? No in-person labs or sessions? Only the keynote to be live? Is that it? Oh, and this glassy font, I’m not too fond of that.

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:33:19 -0400

So AirPods Max will get new audio features. The fact that only the USB-C model will support this is utterly frustrating, and I wish someone will sue Apple for that. Reason? When Apple launched the USB-C model last year, I don’t recall them saying there were upcoming features that wouldn’t apply to the Lightning port model. It looked like the only difference was the charging port. It appears that’s not the case, or Apple is trying to limit the features artificially to the new model.

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 18:59:34 -0400

Notion Mail is Gmail with a different coat of paint. Prove me wrong.

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 18:38:08 -0400

Today, I’ve been to an Apple Store in Ottawa, Canada. My daughter in law bought a M4 MacBook Air. I even forgot to check the new blue Air! I wasn’t expecting this: I’m no longer excited to go visit an Apple Store. Times are changing.

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 09:21:27 -0400

My content creator ecosystem got updated today. Enjoy and I hope you find some inspiration in my digital tools selection.

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:27:00 -0400

I’ve been using Apple Invites app for a family-related event in early May. It’s a rather nice app for a family entrenched into Apple’s wallen garden. But a majority of people don’t understand that they need to visit the invite link then accept or refuse, instead a majority of invitees will reply to the message by saying “I’m going”… which is not enough… something is broken.

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:31:46 -0400

If you screenshot a post on Reddit on your iPhone, you get a warning telling you that sharing the post gives better results…. Yeah, of course, but for who are they advocating here? 🤔 spoiler: not the users.

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:19:35 -0400

I believe that for the first time in five or six years, not changing my digital presence is a positive thing. This feeling is especially strong since I resolved my email issues with Fastmail. Now, everything fits perfectly and meets most of my digital needs. It feels like time has stopped.

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:47:05 -0400

My transition from HEY Mail to Fastmail is likely the best digital move I’ve ever made, and I wish I had done it sooner. It’s truly a blessing. ICYMI: the migration process is available here.

That Question That Keeps Coming Back

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 08:06:44 -0400

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?

A Canadian Discovered the iPad Fold Prototype!

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 21:02:32 -0400

BREAKING NEWS: a foldable iPad prototype was found on a table… at an IKEA store in Canada. The prototype was turned on and was running a special version of macOS Touch™. Tim Cook wants it back, but the guy who found set two conditions: you must resign because of Apple Intelligence fiasco, but before you must ask Trump to remove tariffs against Canada. Canadians can be nasty, too.

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 18:08:11 -0400

I’m starting to get excited about the rumored redesign of iOS 19 because I love visionOS UI. Will current apps adopt the new iOS 19 visual language automatically, or will they need to be recompiled for iOS 19 in order to do so? How long Apple will support the pre-iOS 19 UI changes?

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 07:43:09 -0400

I spotted a great game on Steam a few months ago, Tiny Glade, and I was ready to buy it because of a promotion taking off 20% off the price until I found out that it doesn’t run on Macs! Too bad because that’s exactly the type of games that I like!

Questioning Apple Intelligence Improvements

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 17:20:23 -0400

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!

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:28:05 -0400

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.

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:59:49 -0400

Om Malik on Apple in today’s world:

Apple has become a complex entity that can’t seem to ever have enough resources to provide the real Apple experience. What you get is “good enough.” And most of the time, I think it is enough – because what others have on the market is worse.

Much worse.

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 06:48:06 -0400

Gruber:

“Tim Cook should have already held a meeting like that to address and rectify this Siri and Apple Intelligence debacle.”

We may not know for sure whether such a meeting will occur or has already occurred. I believe it won’t happen for one simple reason: Tim Cook is not focused on products.

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:23:38 -0400

Remember when many tech pundits (and ordinary users, too) were saying that Apple wasn’t really good at services? How about this updated version: Apple isn’t really good at AI.

Tim Has to Go - Part Deux

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:59:41 -0400

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

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:43:02 -0400

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

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:33:54 -0400

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

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 07:20:55 -0400

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

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:29:56 -0400

I don’t know how to feel about the rumored visual redesign of Apple’s upcoming OSes summer releases… I’m still traumatized by the iOS 7 redesign. Not sure what I’m talking about? Here’s a reminder. What I do know is that I like visionOS visuals quite a lot and having that trickled down to the iPhone would be cool. Unifying macOS look and feel with mobile OSes? Not so sure. I also don’t want gamification of these OSes. I know that a younger generation is slowly taking over, and that is fine, but…

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 10:04:39 -0400

For me, Siri evolution, or the lack of evolution, is so tied to Tim Cook’s tenure. A lack of decisiveness from him and his close team led to resources spoiling on the Titan project and to some degree to the maligned Apple Vision Pro. Not all is lost and I agree with this post from Basic Apple Guy, but time is running out and this is another red flag for Tim Cook.

The Unexpected Challenge of Moving a Custom Domain From iCloud+ to Fastmail

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 08:54:09 -0400

Did you know that you can use iCloud+ with a custom email domain? Yep, that’s right. This is what I was doing for hello @ numericcitizen.me until this week when I started my migration to Fastmail. But there is one challenge that I didn’t expect: I wanted to bring this custom email to Fastmail, too. Custom email domains with iCloud+ is managed only on the iCloud website.

Having Apple Advanced Data Protection (ADP) is cool and nice but can make managing iCloud+ Custom domains a pain. As a reminder, to use ADP, you must turn off iCloud web access. I’m not really sure why. As soon as this is turned off, you can no longer manage your custom email domains that you might have configured for use with iCloud+. To complete my migration to Fastmail, so that I could write and respond from that custom email address from Fastmail, I first had to remove that domain from iCloud+, but it’s only possible on the iCloud website. To do that, ADP must be turned off. Once done, you can re-enable iCloud website access, then remove the custom email domain. After some cleaning up of Apple-related DNS records, you can re-enable ADP and disable iCloud website. Only then I can go on Fastmail Settings and configure my custom email domain.

Now you know.

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:56:13 -0400

Breaking news: Intelligent Siri delayed. Is it time to sue Apple for all those who bought the “Built for Apple Intelligence” cool aid?

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 08:34:57 -0400

Now that my migration from HEY Mail to Fastmail is essentially completed, I started writing an article about the whys, the hows and the gotchas. That’s the type of article that I love to put together. It will take time, but it will be well worth my time. My goals are to help others quit HEY Mail because it’s a great way to send a message to their owners. I’ll use the Fastmail referral program to get some form of potential compensation to pay for the service (I hope). While you wait for that article, I’ll share my referral link here and tell you this: if you are on the fence, trust me, Fastmail is really good.

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 07:33:34 -0400

And just like that, AI summaries arrives in Inoreader and they are called Inoreader Intelligence! While you can’t ask to generate summaries automatically for a specific RSS feed (yet?), the addition of manually triggered customizable summaries is super handy.

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:41:54 -0400

From time to time, while scrolling through my Micro.blog timeline, I’ll pause, read a particular post, peak at someone’s profile and previous posts, remember that this guy exists and wonder why in the first place I was following him or her. Then I sometimes hit the unfollow. Why do I think this is some sort of failure ?

Migration to Fastmail Going FAST

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:34:14 -0400

Spent a few hours in Fastmail to get it ready to fully replace my HEY Mail subscription. Got my new email domain name set up in Cloudflare. The Screener functionality that I liked in HEY is now fully operational and is based on a Contacts Group. The Paper Trail is also set up and based on another Contacts group. Basically, if an email uses a contact not in the Screener, it will be moved in The Screener label. The same happens for the Paper trail. If I want a specific email to go to the Paper Trail, the contact is created and added to the right contacts group. One email account (Gmail) has been configured for Fastmail to pull content from it (no need to use email forwarding, so everything is configured from Fastmail. My Gmail account is a low-volume account so that I can tweak things before connecting my primary email accounts (both are Apple-provided).

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:39:03 -0400

I’m not sure if I’ll actually need to set up a paid subscription to Fastmail, maybe paying for one month will be needed to fully evaluate the capabilities, though, but from my current experiment with this service so far, I must say that I really like what I’m seeing. It’s certainly fast.

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:09:25 -0400

While browsing Substack yesterday and this morning, I stumbled upon a writer from Ukraine that I’m eager to follow. Isn’t it surprising that I can’t subscribe to his content via an RSS feed? I’m quite impressed by how this platform is so tightly controlled. It’s too bad.

Emails Shuffle

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 07:52:31 -0400

I’m making progress in cleaning up my email mess. I closed my Yahoo Mail account, which I only used for Flickr when the authentication backend moved from Flickr to Yahoo¹. I closed two Gmail accounts: one of the two was used when I was developing iPhone apps between 2009 and 2013. This means I have three fewer email redirections for HEY Mail. Most of my newsletter subscriptions are now redirected to Inoreader, which is another dependency removed from HEY Mail.

So, what’s left in HEY Mail? Two email redirections: one .me email account¹ and my primary iCloud mail account. These are my biggest email accounts. Of course, I also have my HEY Mail account that I use in a few dozen places. That’s the last part to move out. The question is: which email account should I use instead of my HEY Mail? Is this where Fastmail comes into play? Or should I merge them into one of my Apple-hosted mail accounts? If I choose the latter, I don’t see the point of using Fastmail unless I want to replicate the Paper Trail functionality of HEY Mail. Even then, Apple’s latest updates to Mail offer something similar. I should probably try the latest betas on my Mac and see how well it performs. Stay tuned for the next update on my emails shuffle.

I also officially closed my Flickr account. ↩︎ ↩︎

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:30:33 -0400

There is something so satisfying in closing online accounts and deleting data. It’s really hard to explain. This process only happens when moving things around (like moving from one email provider to another).

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 16:23:53 -0400

I think I found a viable way to replace Readwise with Craft¹. The fun thing is that I found this while recording my next video. It’s possible because of a recently launched browser extension that saves an article into Craft. More details in my upcoming video. Here’s a sneak peek.

I cancelled my Readwise subscription today. ↩︎

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 11:33:23 -0400

I logged into my Substack account today because I’m working on something and I couldn’t believe how different it is from a few years ago. I don’t even recognize it anymore. Are they trying to become another LinkedIn or Facebook? Or maybe they’re chasing TikTok or YouTube? What is going on?

If Only I Had Gen AI Back in the Day

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 11:17:10 -0400

I acquired the skill of programming in Objective-C and developed iPhone applications between 2009 and 2013. Since I had learned programming concepts during my Computer Science degree, I didn’t have to begin from scratch. However, with the advent of generative AI, I can’t help but wonder how my learning experience would have unfolded differently. I think that it would have been significantly expedited while exploring creating different apps beyond the one I was developing.

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 09:01:30 -0400

Another pricey subscription cancelled: Timing.app. After the initial excitement to learn about how I spend my time on my computer, I think it’s time to conclude: I spend a lot of time on a computer for doing a lot of different things. There is a cheaper alternative called Currentkey, that I plan to test in the near future, though.

Bye Bye Readwise?

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 12:48:49 -0400

Just got a reminder to close my Readwise account, probably because the subscription renewal is coming soon. That’s not a cheap one. Beyond serving as a repo for text highlights from Micro.blog and Inoreader, I don’t really have a meaningful use for it. I don’t use the Readwise Reader either. I export highlights into Bear from time to time as markdown files. I almost never search them. Sometimes I’ll read a few highlights with amusement or nostalgia, but nothing more. Why am I doing all this, then? 🧐🤷🏻‍♂️

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:14:34 -0400

More than ever, the USA is isolated. More than ever, I’m convinced that the US government is siding with Putin.

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 16:09:23 -0400

Even if US gave 100 billions dollars to support Ukraine, that’s nothing to the price Ukraine is paying… it doesn’t give the right to Trump and his clowns to act like they did. They are the ones who are lying to the public. They are the ones who act on bad faith by conducting sneaky negotiations behind closed doors without Ukraine. Not only that, but they are the ones who you shouldn’t trust. Wonder who is bringing us closer to WWIII, that is the US, not Ukraine.

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 15:23:28 -0400

Fuck Trump, Fuck Vance and fuck their clique. Ukraine, we support you, you are not alone! The US is the one who’s acting like a bully, period. What a disgrace.

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:03:45 -0400

Is Apple about to get another “Apple Silicon moment” with the C1 modem in the iPhone 16e? I think so. A 24% power consumption reduction for the same performance level is significant in my book.

Beyond ChatGPT And OpenAI

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 07:46:46 -0400

I’m a frequent user of generative AI, primarily for my work, but also to assist with my activities as a blogger and content creator. I subscribe to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and mainly limit my generative AI use to this service. I realize that OpenAI is becoming my new Apple, as I prefer to concentrate on one service to maximize the benefits of my subscription. I appreciate what they offer, including their services and apps.

However, OpenAI is not the only option, and I should explore other services as well. I don’t want to use Meta’s or Google’s offerings. What else is available? Perplexity? I started using it this morning and I like their offerings, but I’m still on a free plan. Do you have any suggestions besides Perplexity? What about Claude? I’m curious about their respective market shares.

Testing OpenAI Deep Research

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:18:26 -0400

I’m currently testing OpenAI Deep Research on two very specific subjects. So far, I’m quite impressed, not only about the end-results but also with the progress status report during the researching phase. It’s a great way to start looking into specific domains, and it gives many hints as to what to look for. Coupled with OpenAI Canvas, this is a powerful tool for a writer like me.

What a great time to be alive to test those things and see how I can take advantage of all this to be a better human.

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 07:52:05 -0400

Thought of the moment: eliminating the cease in the foldable iPhone is certainly a differentiating factor, but reducing the thickness of any upcoming foldable iPhone is another one, and the solution might reside in the upcoming iPhone 17 Air. All addressed challenge to make the iPhone 17 Air as thin as possible, it’s a step forward to a thinner foldable iPhone.

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 08:22:50 -0400

More than ever I think that social networks are the worst place to have a sound conversation about politics especially in today’s heated world. I felt in the trap yesterday, had to unfollow someone so that I can stay sane. Will I ever learn?

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:41:23 -0400

Best call from Apple. They had no choice but to leave, otherwise their credibility would have been questioned.

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:19:53 -0400

I headed to the office this morning and brought both my iPad Pro and my MacBook Pro. I had to install the latest updates on my MBP, so I started working on my iPad with an external monitor. I’m pretty sure I’ll be using that setup for the rest of the day. I’m being pretty patient with iPadOS paper cuts.

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 12:40:01 -0400

I find it amusing that Apple releases a new iPhone member with Tim Cook and keep pitching Apple Intelligence as a breakthrough. Are VPs at Apple aware that Apple Intelligence is far behind everybody else and that it still in early beta? Do the engineering teams ever get poked by VPs as to where they are in their journey to bring real generative AI to Apple users? 🤭

Paying Attention

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:40:48 -0400

I’m likely spending an excessive amount of time reading the news through various channels and sources. However, given the numerous events unfolding right now that will significantly shape our lives over the next few decades, I believe it’s crucial to pay close attention to them. Regardless of the method, one day, these events will undoubtedly have a clear and immediate impact on me and my loved ones.

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:53:25 -0400

What? HP is buying Humane remains? HP? The leader in generative AI looking for a modern, lightweight and nifty dedicated AI device to hum along their AI backend services? Silicon Valley is hard to decipher at times.

Mostly Unexcited

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 17:49:21 -0400

Tomorrow, Apple is introducing a new family member. It’s not expected to be a new HomePod with a screen, nor a lower-priced version of the Apple Vision Pro. It’s rather a low-but-wisely-priced iPhone. It’s the next iPhone trick to keep the money printing machine humming. The only thing that I’m curious about is the future cellular modem benchmarks. Supposedly made by Apple to eventually kick out Qualcomm, this modem will be under the microscope of many to see how it performs.

The other thing maybe that we could see at the same time: the next round of betas for iOS 18.4 and Apple Intelligence. But I’m not holding my breath for that one. I prefer to set my expectations very low, near zero actually, just to be sure.

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:43:10 -0400

Witnessing, albeit from a distance, the daily dismantling of the United States is quite a spectacle. I never imagined I would witness this.

Musing About Journaling Goals

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:08:03 -0400

I maintain a daily journal at work where I jot down the day’s highlights. I write about what went well, the current challenges I’m facing, and any opportunities to do something different. I also note the clients I spoke to and the reasons behind it. I’ve been doing this for a while now, but I never refer to the journal once it’s written. It’s just a dump of my thoughts.

I wonder why I’m doing this. I think the act of writing it down is the ultimate goal, not the end results. It’s the same with my personal journal. I rarely write in it, but I do occasionally. I rarely, if ever, refer to it. Why is that?

Now, let’s talk about blogging. Why is all that? Is there a pattern here?

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:57:49 -0400

I don’t care if Reddit offers a paywall option for Subreddits. Unless I’m missing something: I could create and built a community over there and at some point ask for a paid subscription, right? What is the difference then compared with Substack or Ghost?

How Do You Feel About That?

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 08:18:29 -0400

I don’t know how many Americans will read this post, but I feel the need to get the message out by amplifying this post from a Ukrainian soldier. How do you feel about Trump wanting to talk to the enemy, because this is exactly what he is? I find the link with 9/11 especially right on. The only difference, there as been hundreds if not thousands of 9/11 in Ukraine since February 2022. And it goes on, and on, and on. Wake the fuck up.

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:29 -0400

I wrote this about Apple’s Aperture more than five years ago. Now we have something to talk about.

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 09:06:49 -0400

After skipping a week, here is the latest edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. This edition is the one shared from Craft as a published document. The Ghost web-hosted version is coming later today.

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 18:41:35 -0400

Putin and Trump negotiating the end of the war (or something that looks like it) without Ukraine is like a couple who is about to divorce, but the husband is negotiating with a not-so-random guy, leaving his wife aside, how to split the couple’s assets. This is beyond ridiculous and utterly outrageous.

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 15:24:59 -0400

I can’t count the number of times I wish I had maintained an archive of all my screenshots over the years, even going back to the earliest days when we could take screenshots of screens. 🤦🏻‍♂️😔

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 15:13:14 -0400

I’m not too fond of text quotes shared as beautiful pictures (coming from Readwise, for example), especially if they don’t come with ALT text description. They look pretty, though. Here’s an example. I don’t like them because they hinder content indexing in some ways.

Netflix vs Apple: Who's the Dumbest?

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 14:37:47 -0400

While Netflix is sorry for making their product too convenient by showing up on Apple TV app for a few hours to a few users, Apple is making Apple TV app available anywhere, including Android more recently. Netflix seems run by stupid guys. Apple? I prefer not to answer that one. It’s tricky and complicated when looking at the big picture (pun intended).

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:20:29 -0400

As reported by Engadget and many others:

According to researchers, anyone who knows where to look can spray digital graffiti on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website. Two web development experts said the site doesn’t seem to be hosted on government servers and that the database it pulls from can be modified by those who locate it. At the time of writing, a message reading “these ‘experts’ left their database open - roro” is still visible on the DOGE site.

Thanks, I feel much more confident now.

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:49:20 -0400

In these troubled times, the worst is to depend on social networks for anything.

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:50:27 -0400

The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple: Should I write a take 2 to this piece published in 2020? I think so.

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:34:32 -0400

First, Tim gives his money to this orange clown and dictator and assist the presidential circus inauguration and now Apple resumes advertising on X? This is not the Apple that I want. 😡

It's Time to Vote With My Money

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 07:40:20 -0400

DHH at 37 Signals praising Musk for his business (and now) government spending management is yet another red flag and a no-go for me. I won’t link to this post. I’m going to vote with my money and cancel my HEY Mail subscription this fall when my subscription is expiring. If Musk buys ChatGPT, I’ll again vote with my money and cancel my ChatGPT subscription in due time. As Trump is imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, I’ll vote with my money and cancel my yearly business trip to the US this fall. Some of these changes are a pain to implement but resisting is never an easy thing.

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:47:06 -0400

There is something that I wish was different with blogs hosted on WordPress: commenting and liking. I never comment on those blogs because I don’t like Gravatar or I don’t want to create a WordPress.com account just to write a comment. Again this morning, I clicked on “Like” on a blog post and for some reason, my email prefix was displayed, and I don’t remember having a Gravatar account still active. In fact, it didn’t have one, after some checks. I prefer to log in using something like my Mastodon-friendly identity or Sign in with Apple. I want the blog to give me more choices than their own authentication service (and I don’t want to use my Google account, nor Facebook login). In fact, I want an identity provider that doesn’t build a social graph or bases his business model on where I’m headed on the web.

Am I alone with this thinking?

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 09:09:54 -0400

Just finished some subscriptions cleaning on YouTube. I was following way too many channels, many of which are dead. I came to do this this morning because I was looking for low-volume channels to add to Reeder. Low volume streams are the best to add to an app like Reeder. The sum of low volume content channels eventually lead to high-volume content to look at.

And the Winner Is...

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 10:24:04 -0400

Three apps, three different designs. On the left, Tapestry, in the middle Reeder (new), on the right Reeder (old). For me, the winner is the new Reeder which offers a much cleaner design. I’ll keep an eye on Tapestry, but I don’t see how its design could change much.

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:32:58 -0400

I detest the feeling of discovering that I’ve shared a photo more than once. I yearn for a foolproof method to distinguish between the photos that have been posted and those that haven’t. I’m not always using the same method or same device for posting photos online.

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:04:46 -0400

With a secret request by the UK government for a backdoor in iCloud, can you imagine if it was to be granted and then later down the line something like what’s happening in the US is taking over the government and institutions happen? It is hard to comprehend what is happening every day these days.

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 13:13:48 -0400

I’ve been experiencing crashes in the Mac App Store and iOS App Store in recent times like never before. Right after an app update finishes, the store quit unexpectedly or just by looking at the list of available updates. Surprising.

Non-Optimized for the iPad

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 20:50:03 -0400

Apple told the developers that building an iPad was a matter of clicking a checkbox (more or less). Now, why is Apple Sports, Apple Journal and more recently, Apple Invites are not optimized for the iPad? 🤨🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:42:36 -0400

Quite positive experience with Apple Invites so far. I feel they move the needle and bring a much more enjoyable experience compared to other similar offerings. Nice user interface visual language. It feels new and very Apple. I like it. Is it something that preclude what is coming up with iOS 19?

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:06:31 -0400

Using ChatGPT to analyze anonymized resumes¹ and match them with a set of requirements is quite an impressive experience. I’m mind blown.

It’s mandatory for privacy protection. ↩︎

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 20:55:03 -0400

Apparently, the EU get porn apps, but we get Apple Intelligence. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 11:11:58 -0400

For once, I’m really proud of him, of us. This is Canada’s Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Justin Trudeau, announcing retaliatory actions against the White House absurd and unjustified tariffs. The first four minutes entirely reflect who we are. So well said and quite moving, actually. 🇨🇦 💪🏻

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 09:32:31 -0400

In my latest edition of The Ephemeral Scrapbook: “Got a keyboard. I took a break because of work. I’m skipping DeepSeek. The iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra. Who wins? Marking the start of a dark era.”

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 08:58:10 -0400

As a Canadian who will face unjust tariffs thanks to the small clique of rich and famous people in the White House, I will reconsider each of my subscriptions that originate from the United States, including Apple One. It starts now.

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 11:57:30 -0400

I understand that people, particularly my colleagues, are using ChatGPT much more than they are willing to admit, as evidenced by my conversations with a few of them this morning.

Where Tapestry and Reeder Fail

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 09:39:43 -0400

Thought on the morning: I think that apps like Tapestry and Reeder¹ are failing at one thing: a single timeline where content converge is enough. It isn’t. I came to realize that the world is complex and requires many angles of content consumption. Another problem is the diversity in feed velocity. If one feed takes over the timeline, it’s crash the whole thing. Until they add multi-timelines and find a way to moderate high-volume feeds, I’ll refrain from adding these apps into my daily routine.

Update #1: I stand corrected by one of the founders of the Iconfactory: you can have multiple timelines within the app and switch across them at will. As a backup of Tapestry on Kickstarter, I should have known better. Sorry about that one.

The new generation, not the old one. ↩︎

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:16:15 -0400

Great article from Adam Engst comparing Grammarly to Apple Intelligence Writing tools. It’s ironic that a third-party software brings better integration, less friction to the writing experience than Apple’s first-party offering.

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 10:26:09 -0400

I think that every single day that I’m working on a Mac I tell myself: “What a joy is this working with this”.

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 21:23:24 -0400

An upcoming version of Craft will incorporate an embedded DeepSeek R1 model to enable fully disconnected prompts answering. I’m not aware of other apps which include LLM. Beta is expected this week to a few early birds willing to test. I’m wondering how well will we be able to query our Craft content. It’s a potentially exciting twist.

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 21:07:16 -0400

Today, I decided to let go a few writing ideas from my “idea pipeline.” I realized that sometimes, the words we choose not to write are just as significant as the ones we do.

In Support of Greg Morris' Micro Social App

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 23:09:56 -0400

I just realized that my face was on a few screenshots of Micro Social, an app currently being developed by Greg Morris. He shared an article today on his blog where he talks about the timeline feature. That’s cool. What is even cooler is that I decided to support him with a $1 a month subscription via his “Buy me a coffee” page. Can’t wait to test this myself.

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:07:28 -0400

We are solely responsible for the concentration of power in the hands of a few large tech companies. As individuals, we granted all that power to these megacorporations, which, at one point, were not yet large corporations. Thinking otherwise is ludicrous. Laws are a band-aid, we, the individual by our own choices must take back that power. We need to undo the last 15 years to some degree of equilibrium.

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 12:30:42 -0400

DeekSeek being open source, some people might wish that open source wasn’t a thing. But it is! 😂 #deepseek

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:58:15 -0400

DeekSeek or DeepSink? It might be ugly today on the markets. #deepseek

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:05:23 -0400

I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about our respective hobbies as content creators. He’s quite into YouTube, while I’m more into writing. At one point, we discussed the importance of being transparent with our employers about our hobbies. Since we share our content publicly, we should consider informing our HR department, at least according to him. I’m not entirely convinced about this, though. Nobody really knows about what I’m doing online with my blogs and YouTube channel. According to my friend, it might be a positive thing that my HR department is aware of what I’m doing because this puts me in a different class of employee, even my boss should know.

I’m still contemplating whether this is a requirement or not. After all, my hobbies don’t negatively affect my job, so why should I discuss my personal pursuits when I’m not working?

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 19:05:05 -0400

I love the Severance Apple TV+ series and I thought I understood most of it, but this episode of ScreenCrush tells me that I didn’t at all. I’m probably too old for this, but I love the vibe of Severance. I’ll probably have to rewatch season one. Oh well…

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 08:53:57 -0400

So I launched my personal website in French yesterday by writing a very short post on my Facebook account. Many people visited the blog for sure, and got one message via Messenger from a guy that I barely know. A few of my closest friends wrote to me, those I selected to a get a peek before the “official” launch. It’s fun to connect without all the usual noise.

On a different note, I spend 2 minutes looking at my Facebook timeline and boy this is junk. I don’t understand why people are still paying attention to Facebook. What a cancer.

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 08:27:58 -0400

Artists, stop marketing on social media. Just be yourself. Show your work. Share your ideas. Meet new people. Think in public. Have fun. The rest will follow.
Andy Adams 📸 (@flakphoto.bsky.social) https://bsky.app/profile/flakphoto.news/post/3lgk243ners2m

I hate the idea of depending on social media for everything.

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 14:52:41 -0400

I understand those out there who didn’t vote for Trump decided not to pay attention to what is coming in the next four years, because it will be a pain to watch, but I think this is a mistake, a real big one. People not only should care, but they should continue voicing their outrage and concerns to send a clear message of “resistance”. All people’s voices are important. All the time.

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 14:47:20 -0400

Tim Cook might be the biggest public figure of Apple, but for this publicity stunt for Severance where he is visiting “Lumon Industries” headquarters, I wish it was Craig Federighi, instead. He would have done a better job.

Voting With My Money

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:23:42 -0400

Three reasons why I might not upgrade my iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, as expected.

If Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian goods. I'm questioning my support of an American company like Apple.
Because of Tim Cook's contribution to Donald Trump inauguration which is in contradiction to many Apple values and Tim Cook's personal stance on some social issues.
If Apple makes a single change to their support for DEI program, following Trump's executive orders.

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:27:27 -0400

One of my past colleague is now a system administrator of a few IBM Z Series mainframes¹. He is 58 and is the youngest of the team managing this stuff, the other team members are 62 and 72(!). It’s very hard to find people who knows about CICS, IDMS, Ctrl-M, all running on mainframes these days. I started my IT career on an IBM TN3270 connected to a mainframe running MVS. Good memories.

Yep, the world still runs mainframes. ↩︎

Use Disable Delete - Bye

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:27:42 -0400

I tend to disable my accounts instead of deleting them permanently. It’s the case with Facebook and Twitter. This weekend, I’m going to say goodbye to Twitter for real by deleting it. I imported my tweets archive a long time ago, thanks to Micro.blog’s import capabilities. I’m not sure why I kept it for so long… because when I see someone who’s sharing something on X, I simply ignore that. Oh well. Time to move on for real this time.

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 13:27:50 -0400

The popular RSS feeds consolidator and reader, Inoreader, released version 6 of their browser extension, available on Chrome, Edge, Firefox… but not on Safari. Grrr. Another reason to use the ARC Browser.

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 22:08:00 -0400

Got my new Keychron K2 HE mechanical keyboard today. It’s so nice, cool, different, unique. I’m loving it, so far. My wife told be: wow, it looks like a Commodore 64 keyboard! She couldn’t be more right!

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 13:30:11 -0400

OMFG! Not going to the US until after this clown is out! Fuck him!

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 21:31:06 -0400

Or, Instead of All This—

No one will ever control our own identities on third-party platforms. You relinquish control over your identity when you choose to present yourself on one of these platforms. You can be rate-limited for posting too much. You can be suspended by a bot that determines your behavior is bot-like. The platform can pivot at any time from one thing to another. The entire platform could shut down. You have no control, and jumping from one to another will only mean that you have to do it all again later.

Or, instead of all this, you could learn how to make a damn website.

But, asking for my wife here¹, once you’ve got your little HTML island right in the middle of the digital ocean, how do you get noticed? How do you build a business, even the smallest one, from this island?

For real, i had a serious debate about all this today with her. ↩︎

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 18:46:58 -0400

Eighteen months ago, in July 2023, I wrote an article about migrating from Instagram to Pixelfed. It was well received, but something is happening right now for sure, if this graph from Plausible Analytics is any indication. People are massively looking at Pixelfed as an alternative, and I think it’s a good sign.

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 16:39:48 -0400

I initially thought Micro.one would be a suitable platform for my new French blog, but after spending the entire weekend experimenting with it, I’ve already realized that I miss two essential features from the full Micro.blog experience: personal notes and support for newsletters. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 15:49:51 -0400

So, Trump restored TikTok? What an achievement, and he is still not in the Office. I can’t wait for the next four years. #not

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 15:46:07 -0400

Here is a funny one: the Get Info box for an exported image from Apple Photos. The image was indeed touched up with Apple Intelligence’s Cleanup tool. 🤫

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 14:23:36 -0400

The first thing to do when visiting a new coffee shop after ordering and sitting at your place? Connecting to Wi-Fi and testing its speed. Only after you can taste the coffee. That is my way of living. ☕👨🏻‍💻

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 12:58:19 -0400

Ghost 6 to include ActivityPub, later this year. I can’t wait for that, and I’m even happier of having left WordPress last year for Ghost. There is still a lot of work to be done, for sure, but I’m patient for that one.

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 12:44:13 -0400

“Blogging or not? A game caught my attention. A personal letter to Zuck. I like poems. Pixelfed, Pixelfed, Pixelfed! Apple is clever about Severance. I bought a keyboard. And so much more.” - The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-02 is out! The email version coming later today.

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 23:47:24 -0400

TikTok is a modern digital plague. Good riddance. To those who were depending solely on it, it’s a lesson: diversity is the key.

Dear, Will You Read My Blog?

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 16:10:46 -0400

Me: “My new French blog is nearly ready to go live. Will you read it?"

Her: “Well, yeah, sure, but how will I know there is something new to read?"

Me: “Well, you just have to go to the website, just like you read the news."

Her: “Mmm, but it’s not the same. I have to remember the website’s address. Can you send notifications instead?"

Me: “Well, I’m not sure this would fit the idea of a blog, but you just need to save it as a bookmark. Also, I can show you a great RSS reader?"

Her: “🤔"

Me: “It’s an app where you can read blog posts. There are many great ones for your iPhone or iPad."

Her: “Well, yeah, but I must remember to open it just to see if something is new?"

Me: “Yes, exactly, just like when you open up your favourite news website or when you just tap on the Facebook icon on your iPad…"

Her: “🤨"

Me: “If there was a weekly newsletter, would it be ok for you to read it?"

Her: “That would be better, for sure, but… you know… I already get so many emails!"

Me: “M’ok, but my hosting service doesn’t provide a newsletter feature. Maybe I could just tell you: there is something new on my blog that you might find interesting because I wrote a story about you."

Her: “👩🏻‍💻"

The challenges a blogger may face can be unpredictable.

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 08:27:29 -0400

Raycast Focus is nice until you realize that it doesn’t integrate with macOS Focus modes and can’t start an automation like a shortcut to turn off other things so that we can really be focusing. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 08:28:33 -0400

I don’t support any peace plan projects for Ukraine until Russia is defeated or on their knees. Here is why (Bluesky post).

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:56:12 -0400

I’m at the office today, first time in 2025. I’m one of those who is fortunate enough to work for a company that doesn’t care too much about who’s in and out of the downtown office, they care about the results and how efficient we are to get those. I find it rather sad that the discussions around people returning to the office or not never or seldomly revolve around the idea that working from home might be one of the ways to combat climate change by limiting those in and out and commute time to go to the office. We don’t learn or we’re afraid of accepting that we need to change, for real this time.

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:27:55 -0400

Pixelfed finally gets the attention from the public. The release of their mobile app and the general negative sentiment toward Meta’s offerings are two key factors here. I hope they can keep up with the load.

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 13:41:03 -0400

Using ChatGPT latest feature: scheduled tasks, you can schedule a daily summarization of an RSS feed content each morning. That’s cool and actually useful.

Micro.one is the seed for something bigger

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 21:40:25 -0400

Today, I think I finally found a real use case for Micro.one. I bought my domain and set up my account. It was rather quick and easy. If I had let Micro.one set up my domain name for me, it would have been even easier.

I think the ingredients of Micro.one are all there for an accessible solution for those who want to get out of Meta or other silos and start owning their little space on the web, free of tracking, free of ads, and built on open software technologies. Of course, Micro.one isn’t the only service of its kind. But it does offer the right feature set to be an open and federated web citizen.

I feel an overwhelming desire to explore and savor this type of web content even further. I believe that sharing my passion for this subject matter could potentially ignite a similar level of enthusiasm in those around me. Even if it doesn’t, if people are genuinely curious enough to inquire about the reasons behind my enthusiasm, it’s a positive development, potentially marking the beginning of something more substantial. After all, who knows what the future holds?

I’ll share more in the near future.

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:24:58 -0400

That is why not only ads are infecting everything online, the data brokers behind them is an even worst idea. Data Broker Hack Exposes Location Info From Millions of iPhone Users - MacRumors

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 14:18:51 -0400

Meta Is Blocking Links to Decentralized Instagram Competitor Pixelfed
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/13/meta-pixelfed-links
Daring Fireball https://mastodon.social/@daringfireball/113822379708720515

Meta is acting more and more like Russia.

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 08:59:48 -0400

I’m seeing more and more online stores using Shop.app for shipment tracking. It’s great to have a consolidated view of all the shipments (better than Parcel? Or what used to be Delivery?). I wish Apple would go further in that space, even including buying receipts to be standardized and electronics-only.

The Medium Mirage

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 08:05:05 -0400

Medium seems to suffer from another problem: AI-generated content and fake account for fake engagement to generate revenues. According to their recent article (Paywall might be enforced to read this), many accounts under the Partner Program were suspended recently to stop this fraud.

I’ve returned to Medium last fall (read my comments about the reading and writing experience over there) and found that content quality has gone down compared to what we used to read there. The revenue program is much less generous than it used to be. I published 18 stories since my return and earned less than a dollar! We don’t know how these revenues are calculated, but it is a bit insulting or at least discouraging. At this rate, I won’t recover the Partner Program subscription cost in the first year which makes my presence there questionable. This should have been a no-cost journey which it’s not. Still seven months to go…

Putting Something Out There

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:23:27 -0400

I’m about to start a recording session for my next video about Craft and the PARA method. I wonder: why am I doing this? Is it because it might help Craft users to better take advantage of the app features? Is it because I just like being in a creative process? Is it because I love working on the Mac using different apps together to put something out there? Is it all the reasons above? Or is it simply because it provides a subtle reminder of being human is being creative and putting something out there? Maybe I’m asking myself too many questions.

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 12:46:12 -0400

The first edition of 2025 of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter is out. I’m curious if some of you look into these. Let me know.

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 15:36:11 -0400

I’m always positively surprised to read my Bluesky replies here on Micro.blog. I mean, this is the modern and open where that we should continue to promote and defend. For me, and I wish it was the case for more people, it is priceless, but the value is not as tangible as I would like.

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 12:32:23 -0400

Since moving into our temporary apartment, we’ve been relying entirely on the Apple TV for our “TV content” consumption. One takeaway is the realization that more than ever the TV experience is utterly fragmented, hence de proliferation of “TV” apps.

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 09:04:55 -0400

Can you figure out what’s this? It’s a macro photo of an old maple syrup bottle where we could see those crystals forming at the bottom. Shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Fascinating.

Update: for some reason, the original post didn’t include the actual image.

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 22:57:25 -0400

Starting Up… RealMac software Elements beta. I paid for it, to show support for the team. I have three websites that I want to build with this thing eventually. Stay tuned. It’s a 2025 and beyond adventure¹.

I always need something new to try and experiment with. ↩︎

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 15:30:12 -0400

Why do I have the impression that we talk too much about facts checking and not enough (far not enough) about algorithm-based timelines, reality and people manipulation through these algorithms? Who’s checking Facebook or Meta in general?

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:18:16 -0400

After finding an old document in Notion where my text highlights from Matter were saved, I was curious about Matter, the reader-later service that I once used a while back before trying Omnivore. Their website still refers to “Twitter”, not “X”, their last post on their X account dates back to 2023. I cannot find a Mastodon account. KI can’t find a changelog either. Is this thing still alive?

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 16:22:58 -0400

Dear David (aka DHH), I fully disagree with you, and your blog post, again.

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 14:39:32 -0400

How long before we see something like this on LinkedIn “Prompt Engineer with 15 years of experience”?

Who's Right? Apple Intelligence or Grammarly

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 08:19:50 -0400

While working on the next edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter, I wanted to proofread and rewrite some text portions. I first started with Apple Intelligence Writing Tools then pasted the results into Craft. Grammarly instantly took the ball and verified the pasted text, highlighting everything wrong that needed some attention. Is Apple Writing Tools sloppy or Grammarly too picky? Writing in English is not an easy thing for me to do. And it’s not easy for generative AI either, apparently. From what I understand, Grammarly tries to be less wordy and is very iterative in its text proofing execution.

Here is the final tweaked version:

1️⃣ First and foremost, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling new year. I genuinely hope you find success and happiness in your professional and personal endeavors. 2️⃣ Secondly, this marks the inaugural edition of this newsletter for 2025, and I’ve decided to introduce a few changes. Firstly, I’ve decided to eliminate the summary at the beginning of each newsletter. This section provided an overview of the number of blog posts, photos, and other content I’ve shared since the previous edition. While I appreciate the interest in these statistics, I believe it’s unnecessary to brag about them, and it takes a significant amount of time to maintain and update this information. I’ve also officially decided to retire the podcasts section from my newsletter. While I enjoy podcasts, I don’t find them particularly relevant to my current content creation schedule, and I believe it’s not worth dedicating time and resources to them.

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 16:16:40 -0400

The LG UltraFine 6K: this is such a nice-looking monitor. Perfect for a M4 Mac mini. Look at me, no bezels! 🤩

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 10:06:59 -0400

Returning to work this morning is really hard and cumbersome after two weeks of intense personal life. I really disconnected from work. So, I mostly forgot about my passwords, my pending items when I left back in late December. Is this what we call “work & life balance”?

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 09:57:16 -0400

Microsoft is putting the “Copilot” tag everywhere… even on Microsoft 365 which will become Microsoft 365 Copilot. It’s fascinating to see a company like to playing with the branding of its services.

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 08:40:44 -0400

Tips on Using LLMs (AI) Effectively for Text

the longer and more detailed you prompt, the higher quality the output will be (that was from Claude 3.5 Sonnet). But you start to run into diminishing returns, because if you are spending so much time writing a detailed prompt, couldn’t you write the email yourself? I think so.

We should give a name to this inflection point.

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 22:37:38 -0400

Dear Mr. Siegler, I don’t buy it either. This is beyond ridiculous. One question: who is stupid here, people looking to build relationships with AI bots or advertisers willing to pay for ads placement in this crappy digital world? 🤦🏻‍♂️

I’m Getting Old Apparently

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 18:12:49 -0400

I old enough to be one of those who witnessed the birth of MTV and music videos… but I rarely watch those these days… but today, I decided to spend some time watching what’s « hot ». A few observations are in order: video duration is short (less than 3 min), hyper-short scenes abuse (less than two seconds in duration), 4:3 screen ratio is strange (is this a thing now?)… I barely can stand this shit now. I’m getting old, I guess.

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 15:22:50 -0400

The cool thing about our new (and temporary) apartment is that, both my wife and me, have the feeling of being traveling somewhere in the world¹. We stay right beside a beautiful park with a lot of mature trees. I already see myself going out to do some photography. Too bad it’s winter time, though. 🤷🏻‍♂️

We often travel to places, rent an Airbnb for a week, so that we can feel being part of a small community. It’s really a nice feeling making the whole thing more bearable.

We are 1km from our house! ↩︎

Where The Social Web Fails

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 14:12:34 -0400

Dislike buttons on YouTube, or elsewhere for that matter, should come with a mandatory “here’s why I don’t like this” explanation text field. In this specific case, 2 people out of 18 didn’t like my video. Why? How can I improve myself if you don’t tell me what’s wrong? This is the part of social web that I feel doesn’t work.

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:58:08 -0400

My new home office for the next three months. Not bad at all.

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:02:55 -0400

And we’re finally settled in our temporary apartment. Now, it’s time to explore the surroundings, including marking coffee shops and restaurants that I plan to try over the course of the next three months. I started using Apple Maps Guides for this. Not super intuitive but it does the job. I shared the guide with my wife.

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 09:08:48 -0400

This article from 9to5Mac is a reminder that Apple Intelligence is not free.

as more Apple Intelligence features continue arriving, on-device storage is going to become more in-demand than ever before.

That’s why I went with the 512GB storage tier for my iPhone 15 Pro Max and 11-inch iPad Pro last year. Consider doing the same for your next upgrade.

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 13:14:35 -0400

My cellular service provider offers me, via their iPhone app, to convert from a physical SIM to an eSIM. Traveling abroad a few times a year and as a big fan of Airalo, I wonder if I should go all in with eSIM… thoughts?

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 09:17:50 -0400

Thought and sentiment of the moment: my sheer physical exhaustion makes my mental exhaustion more bearable.

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 14:33:11 -0400

I’m moving to a new (temporary) apartment in two days. It’s the first time in 17 years that I’m changing places. It’s crazy how much we gather over the years. We’re giving out a lot of stuff (also selling on FB Marketplace). It’s like spring-cleaning, right in the middle of winter!

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:05:30 -0400

Hello 2025! 🎉 Happy new year folks! So this is it, that was my very first post of 2025.

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:46:57 -0400

I have twice as many followers on Bluesky than on Mastodon. Don’t know how many followers on Micro.blog… because… Micro.blog. 🙃

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 14:48:54 -0400

Any Final Cut Pro users here? What advice would you give to someone who knows about Screenflow for recording his YouTube videos but is looking for something more powerful… mostly doing screen recording with my face as a médaillon…

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:48:23 -0400

I love this panel that Ghost presents after hitting “Publish and share”. That was the last edition for 2024.

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:03:42 -0400

Finished watching this video about a Macintosh IIfx computer full restore to working condition. This brings so many memories and contains some really cool tech stuff like this SCSI card emulator. Wow! I would love to see this in action in person.

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:25:03 -0400

Fun fact: I often play “Did You Know?” with my wife to let her know about special features on her Apple Watch, iPad or other tech devices. She doesn’t like to remember things and the fact that many things are hidden by default in the Apple ecosystem.

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:47:03 -0400

I still have three more articles to publish before the end of the year: one about Medium, the final edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook, and a review of my creative year.

On Header Images and Creative Liberty

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:43:36 -0400

Manuel Moreale link posting on the subject of header images on blog posts:

“I’ll go one step further Nelson, I have a growing hatred towards pointless images in blog posts in general, I don’t even care if they’re AI-generated or not. If they’re there as part of the content then by all means use them but if you’re just adding a stock image from unsplash to make the page “feel” more interesting then you’re just part of the broader problem that’s plaguing the web.”

Header images do add to the page load times, yes I do use AI-generated images from time to time, like in this post where I wanted to make a point, and I use many of my personal photos… like in this edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. Yes, I prefer header images on that specific blog because it is part of its visual theme. So then what? That’s MY corner of the web. I do what I find cool and creative and whatever.

I’m guessing he’s reading none of my blogs because of this, among other reasons?

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:29:32 -0400

In my family, relatives are purchasing Macs in bulk: three Mac mini computers and one MacBook Pro. I’m quite perplexed about the reasons behind this sudden surge in Mac purchases. 🤯

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 09:42:51 -0400

Meta blog post – Manu

I am not the biggest fan of meta blog posts, also called blogging about blogging. I do think they’re sometimes useful but they’re also quite uninspiring for me to read. And that’s why I try to stay away from the topic for the most part.

I find this statement surprising coming from the author behind the popular “People & Blog” series. Maybe I’m missing something here.

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:58:38 -0400

It’s the time of the year where I feel the best action is “mark all as read”… 🫤

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:45:52 -0400

A strange image of Steve walking in an open space area (probably in One Infinite Loop). The visual mood of this image triggers other possibilities.. like Steve walking in heaven… I think I’m either exhausted or too sensitive.

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:08:11 -0400

New Bluesky subscribers rush seems to be easing because I’m stuck at 153 followers for the last week!

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:53:37 -0400

In recent days I’ve been thinking and imagining what could be a useful and powerful WebClipper for Craft. I’ve built a shared document for that purpose. Have a look.

On iPhone 16 Pro Camera Control

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:37:22 -0400

I’ve played a bit with my wife’s iPhone 16 Pro Camera Control. I think it is cool but not practical. It is the best case of feature or functions overloading on a single control. I think it’s hard to compete against discrete on-screen camera controls because these are much quicker to invoke and the error rate is low. I don’t see the Camera Control to live for a long time as I can’t see a single way of improving it and fixing this usability issue.

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 09:59:13 -0400

Last work day of the year. It should be an easy one, mostly spent on writing a client proposal.

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 16:24:41 -0400

This is the last edition of the year of What’s Up with Micro.blog. I hope that you find it useful. cc @manton

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 14:58:00 -0400

Always fun to learn something about Micro.blog while recording the “What’s Up With Micro.blog” video. 🤭 Stay tuned for those who might be interested.

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 08:53:43 -0400

I’ve been playing with iA Presenter 1.4 again this morning. I like what I’m seeing with the share presentation online feature (example here). Now, I have to wonder: what is my use case for this? I always come down to this question when trying new features, new apps or new services.

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:33:57 -0400

Microsoft Teams for iPad is probably the buggiest app of all when used with an external display. So many weird UI behaviors. It might Apple’s fault, too.

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:22:41 -0400

Just bought Soulver 3 for iPad as a big fan of this app for the Mac. I cannot live without it on my iPad today while at work. Not cheap but so well done. I wish I couldd export a sheet into Excel with all the values and formulas transposed for me.

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 09:25:00 -0400

At the office today, the last time for 2024. It’s an iPad Pro-type-of-day. Currently using an external display with Stage Manager on and Apple Magic Keyboard. It feels a little bit cramped but it’s ok. After two minutes, I can already see display bugs when using an app on the external display. I’m looking at you, Micro.blog.

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 21:33:10 -0400

At one point, for Apple, it might become more economical and less damaging to leave the EU market behind. Is it indeed getting personal?

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:37:19 -0400

Look what we’ve got here. Can you tell what is happening here? 👀

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:56:50 -0400

I’m getting tired of hearing people invoke their ADHD syndrome for everything… I mean, come on… either it’s diagnosed and you take the pills or it’s an excuse…

Update #1: Sorry to look offensive to some of my readers. I should have been more precautious when sharing such a thought. I was referring to some people, a minority, who invoke symptoms of ADHD without the condition so they can be more easily excused of certain things. Those people exist and their attitude is causing prejudice to people who actually have some degree of ADHD.

Craft & Gumroad - A Match in Heaven?

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 08:41:49 -0400

I’be been trying to build a small business around Craft using Gumroad in the last 18 months. So far, it’s a hit or miss. I’m currently having paying 20 subscribers for The Craft Bible¹. I sold quite a few Craft templates, too. I have many more ideas for 2025 to continue to grow this offering. Yet, it won’t replace my day job.

I like Gumroad as a selling platform but also for writing articles and sharing them with my customers. This is not something that I planned on doing when I started, but I must admit that it’s fun to build a small community around an app like Craft, away from the public scrutiny of Reddit and Slack. Today, I shared a long op-ed article on my feelings about Craft. It’s a long piece that I took quite some time to write. I’m quite happy with the results. I can’t wait for user reactions and feedback.

I’m currently running a promotion until the end of December where new subscribers to The Craft Bible get a one-week trial. To my surprise, It is not attracting more subscriptions. I must be doing something wrong. ↩︎

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 22:39:54 -0400

Tonight, I watched the iPhone 4 leak documentary. I don’t want to spoil anything but there was an unexpected and unknown twist to this story. It’s a great documentary. It made me think twice about this era which I kind of miss, actually.

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 20:18:40 -0400

I don’t know why I’m paying for Ivory, I’m not often on Mastodon, much more often here and on Bluesky.

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 15:43:59 -0400

I’m still exploring ways to monetize my experience with Craft. After creating The Craft Bible, now it’s Craft Support Call. I don’t expect much from this, but I’m curious to see how it goes if I ever get one request.

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 14:58:38 -0400

So I finally got the iPad Magic Keyboard for my M4 iPad Pro. At first, I didn’t want to spend that amount of money on a freakin keyboard… but I’m a weak man and I did. While I love the added function keys row, the overall improvement, I’m not sure this keyboard is that magical.

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 11:42:43 -0400

When writing, I start in Craft and then export to Ulysses for final review and online posting. It works great, but I’m not always satisfied with Ulysses, which sometimes feels overwhelming. Enter iA Writer, an app that I remember using in its early days and that I liked for its simplicity. This blog post from Greg Morris reminds me of the perpetual questioning of my decision to settle on Ulysses.

This morning, I decided to download a trial of iA Writer. The first thing I checked was which publishing platforms it supports. To my surprise, it supports all the ones I depend on: Ghost, Micro.blog, and, to a lesser extent, Medium.

This blog post was written on my 15-inch M2 MacBook Air using iA Writer trial edition. Sadly, iA Writer couldn’t post as draft, so I had to manually copy and paste the content into a blank post on Micro.blog.

My Ulysses subscription ends on March 25th, 2025, but this publishing bug is a deal-breaker for now. Back to Ulysses.

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:20 -0400

A quick behind-the-scenes post: the same overall content, with two different apps. This is the “script” for this video. On the left, Mindnote Next, on the right, Zavala. This is sort of a cue card for use during video recording, the Mindnote version was much easier to read. Zavala’s version is more for documenting purposes. Even the outline view in Mindnote feels better.

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:05:27 -0400

My brother-in-law got a M4 Mac mini recently. The last time he used a Mac was with the Macintosh LC III, more than thirty years ago. One thing he still struggles with, then and now: the menu bar that changes when switching apps. The other thing: he doesn’t get the Stage Manager. He turned that off.

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 14:19:57 -0400

I often share photos about Apple, apparently¹.

Testing the new photo collections on Micro.blog. I like it. ↩︎

My Apple Intelligence Writing Tools Mixed Experience

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 08:51:18 -0400

My experience with Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools is mixed. One significant issue is the absence of a feature to compare the original text with the revised version. In contrast, Grammarly excels in this regard, as its suggestions are contextual. Additionally, the constant need to select text to “feed” the Writing Tools becomes tedious. Another challenge arises when using Writing Tools with markdown content or links. These get mangled in the revised version. Finally, speed is also an issue. Even for simple text to process, it can take quite some time to get a response.

For now, Grammarly remains my preferred writing assistant, and I have no intention of switching to Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools anytime soon.

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:02:31 -0400

Will we ever see some generative AI or AI-based features added to HEY Mail? 🧐

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 11:13:23 -0400

Adobe Lightroom for Mac is the best Mac app of the year? In light of Apple buying Pixelmator, I find this a bit surprising.

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:22:23 -0400

Image Playground is so underwhelming and pretty much useless for me. It’s barely a tech demo. All this for what?

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 08:34:39 -0400

I got an email from Ghost to participate in the ActivityPub beta for my blog. I’m not sure how my blog will be named in the fediverse, but I can imagine being able to get comments from people here on Micro.blog and having those comments appear at the bottom of my blog posts. Will see soon enough.

Photo Sharing, The Web and Museums

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 22:07:07 -0400

Here is a thought about recent tweaks to RSS importer on Micro.blog. For example, now it’s possible to import photos in the RSS feed published by Glass. With this, when I publish a photo on Glass, it gets posted on my blog too. The same photo on two platforms. As much as I like the POSSE principle for writing, it doesn’t fit well with my desire to share photos on special places, like a photo-dedicated service. Glass is such a special place, just like Pixelfed. What would be the point of having a single photo spread out on other platforms? I see places like Glass like museums. Pieces of art hanged on the wall of a museum are unique to this place. It makes the place unique. I’m still thinking about all this.

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:25:26 -0400

Those drone sightings stories in New Jersey are… troubling? How come authorities can’t figure out what they are? They are big drones yet too small objects for serious analysis? Where are they coming from? Who is operating them? What are the purposes of those low altitude sighting? 🤔

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 08:13:59 -0400

For all Craft users out there looking or already using Craft Collections, I made a video about that this past weekend. It’s a longer-than-usual one, but the subject is dense.

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 18:51:55 -0400

According to Tim Cook, the old Steve Jobs office at One Infinite Loop is still intact and reserved for Tim Cook so he can enter it and “connect with him”? I would die myself to have a chance to see this place.

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 18:47:48 -0400

I declare my year-long goal of resisting to join Threads to be accomplished.

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 09:38:26 -0400

It’s easier for me to discover (and like) a new photographer than discovering a new writer. Information absorption is faster in photography.

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 08:43:13 -0400

Special announcement: for Craft Docs users wishing for a 2025 calendar template, here you go.

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:01:01 -0400

Got one of my photos selected in the monthly theme, Decay, on Glass. I’m happy. 😊

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 11:46:21 -0400

I’m reading good comments about the new subscription from The Verge. I’m not a fan of their website design, but I do read their articles from time to time. I’m tempted to give it a try. Yet, “serving better ads” to subscribers is not exactly a turn on. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 16:48:02 -0400

Here’s the latest edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter! I hope you enjoy! Email version coming out soon! For those asking: it is entirely built using Craft Docs.

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:32:37 -0400

I’ve seen a drastic increase in new followers on my Bluesky account (+50%) in the last 3 weeks while no new followers on Mastodon in the last six months. 🧐🤨

I’m 90% of the time posting on both (from Micro.blog), like this post.

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 17:52:12 -0400

Today, I submitted my resume for a new job out of curiosity. The submission form included a section for adding websites, but I didn’t include any of my many sites. I often feel shy about sharing them in my professional life. I may be missing an opportunity to show some of my abilities, who knows.

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 13:55:10 -0400

Up until now, I was able to keep Micro.blog at the center of my blogging activities and my social networks presence but with Bluesky taking off, I can’t keep up with new follows… I follow people on Bluesky from Bluesky, not always from Micro.blog. Low friction probably explains this behaviour.

Selling to the Devil?

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 13:12:30 -0400

So I put my M1 Mac mini for sale this weekend on Facebook Marketplace. 🤢 Got an offer for 50% of my asking price. I said, no, nice try . Got a second offer from someone else with a slightly reduced priced. I said ok. I went poking his Facebook profile page just to see if I’m being scammed👀🤨🧐. From the buyer’s profile and posts I can infer the following: he believes in conspiracies, he is an anti-vaccine, he is a proud pro-Trump, and the icing on the cake: he is pro-Russian. 🤮

I came close to cancel the deal… but I didn’t. Just give the money and GTFO.

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 11:21:54 -0400

It’s been a while since the last edition of The Ephemeral Scrapbook edition. Here’s the latest one where I talk about Glass, Realmac Software Elements, Apple Intelligence, the iPad, Apple a many more digital tidbits. Coming up by email to subscribers later today. Hope you enjoy!

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 08:35:11 -0400

My newest photo series on Glass: Humans.

Migrating From M1 Mac mini to M4 Mac mini - A Flawless Migration

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 07:30:49 -0400

Got my M4 Mac mini yesterday and completed the migration off the old M1 Mac mini. The process took me about 2.5 hours, where about 1.25 hours for data migration only using the Apple Migration Assistant¹. Upon first login, I got only a handful of security-related popups, much less than I was expecting. Many apps like Microsoft OneDrive, Synology Drive client, worked perfectly with minimum reconfiguration, which was a pleasant surprise. A few app licenses to reconfigure and hop I’m ready to go!

This is the first time that I’m using a two-monitor setup at home (Apple Studio Display + LG UltraFine 4K). It’s quite a setup upgrade. Today will be my first full work day with this setup, I’ll report back later for more impressions.

I used a Thunderbolt 4 cable between the two machines. Actually transfer speed were between 100 MB/s & 600 MB/S, while being rated at more than 900 MB/s. ↩︎

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 19:19:32 -0400

Migration in progress … 😎

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 13:43:15 -0400

How does an app get updated on a weekly basis without any new features or apparent bug fixes? Exhibit A: Medium. Is someone trying to game the App Store?

Paying to Be a Beta Tester? Really?

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:45:06 -0400

Paying to be a beta tester: is this a new trend? Glass Series was available to patron subscribers only while being in beta testing. RealMac Software offers Elements in beta as a subscription but at a reduced price. Active beta testers are actually paying of their time to use a software still being debugged and refined. Isn’t that enough? I understand that building software is hard and requires resources… but paying to be a beta tester seems to cross a line here.

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 23:08:14 -0400

In preparation to receive the new M4 Mac mini which supports at least two screens¹, I decided to rework my desk setup and bring back the LG UltraFine 4K display on my desk. Once the migration from the old Mac mini is complete, I’ll be using a two-display setup. My Synology NAS was moved to a separate table to make some room for the LG display. My Elgao StreamDeck+ was relocated too, this time on the desk shelf.

Three displays, actually. ↩︎

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 22:46:52 -0400

I’ve been playing with Glass Series and I must say that I really like my experience with it so far. Series are like albums, like this example.

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 21:37:53 -0400

As I’m getting ready to receive my new M4 Mac mini¹, I’m starting to think that my decision to go with a 1TB model was not really future-proof and probably downright a mistake.

Remove unused apps, delete useless data (using Daisy Disk). ↩︎

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 12:06:08 -0400

If I’m less active here it might be because I’m more active on Bluesky. 😬 @numericciten.me

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 10:56:24 -0400

At Fort Lauderdale Airport: I was really impressed by the scanner they use at the security gates. The operator uses a big screen similar to a big iPad and uses touch gestures to tilt and rotate luggage in 3D, uses a slider to see slices of the bag’s internal content. Really cool.

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:36:39 -0400

Great use of Apple offline Maps in Miami. Works wonderfully well.

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:05:49 -0400

This is how he does it. Incredible the amount of BS being said in such a little crowd and so little time. All white and rich guys. 🤮

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:56:18 -0400

Many tech reviewers are discussing the unusual placement of the power button on the M4 Mac mini. However, none of them, to my knowledge, mention the size of the power light. It is much larger than before. Could this be annoying? Are Apple designers failing again? Is Apple doomed once more? These are serious questions. Why am I the only one asking them?

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:05:08 -0400

Bye bye Tot; I’m so in love with Raycast Notes!

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 17:16:30 -0400

Just finished the latest edition of The Ephemeral Scrapbook, edition 2024-43. Enjoy. Email version coming out soon to my dear subscribers!

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 09:38:35 -0400

Why can’t I get macOS 15.2 beta on my M2 MacBook Air running 15.1?

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 18:23:01 -0400

I find this fascinating that according to what I’m reading here and there, I never cross paths with Trump supporters. I didn’t make it on purpose, but it might be because my interests, my online vibes, only attract non-Trump supporters?

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 07:58:46 -0400

This year, as I explained in this article, I completed a migration from Adobe to Photomator. I rarely use Pixelmator Pro, but I’m a fan of Photomator. I hope this week’s news won’t make me regret my decision.

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 12:19:09 -0400

So, Apple is buying Pixelmator, the maker of my now beloved photo-editing app: Photomator. My fingers are crossed for Apple to not to fuck this up. But, business-wise, if they have FinalCul Pro, it makes sense they do it for photo-edition too. Next up: podcast-editing software?

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:41:40 -0400

ChatGPT Search is probably the final nail in the coffin for my usage of Google Search (and maybe Kagi Search too). Still testing and exploring the feature.

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 22:02:17 -0400

I genuinely believe that the Mac has never been in a better position to expand its success than it is this week. Well done, Apple.

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:59:22 -0400

Did anyone catch the pirate flag during the Mac mini announcement or on the mini website? 👀😉 I like this reference to Apple’s history.

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:13:59 -0400

One of the best Apple Ad in a long time. So cool.

Bye Bye Omnivore, It Was a Short Nice Run

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:28:29 -0400

Omnivore’s future is not looking good, following the announcement received by email yesterday night, by one of the founder himself. Omnivore was the best read-later service after Matter and Pocket, two services I didn’t really like or were too expansive. But now, with Omnivore’s future and slow demise, I’m getting fed up with those one-man-shop open-source projects. Pixelfed is another one that I’m getting tired of¹. So, I’m going to refocus on Inoreader for read-later functionality and text highlights. Following their recent redesign, which is actually much better than the previous iteration, I’m more than ever committing to Inoreader.

More of that Pixelfed fatigue in a later post. ↩︎

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 12:28:06 -0400

It the same fuckin mouse, but with USB-C port. Seriously?

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 07:23:07 -0400

For those using macOS 15.1 and have enabled Apple Intelligence, have you noticed a spike in your Mac CPU usage when requesting Apple Intelligence to proofread text? The longer the text, the more pronounced the spike. The CPU will reach 100% for a moment before slightly decreasing before receiving a response. Interestingly, I couldn’t identify an AI-related process associated with this spike. Instead, the kernel_task process is the one who consumes the CPU cycles. Apparently, Apple Intelligence runs in the kernel space.

Bye Bye 1Password, Hello Apple Passwords.

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 07:10:07 -0400

I’ve finally completed the arduous migration from 1Password and canceled my subscription. I didn’t encounter any issues with 1Password transitioning to an Electron-based application. While it was an excellent and overkill solution for managing my passwords and secrets, I generally prefer integrated solutions for fundamental products or features like password management. Is Apple Passwords the perfect solution? No, but it’s more than adequate for my needs. One positive outcome of this migration is an enhanced security posture, as I had to revisit many credentials and enable two-factor authentication for numerous services.

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 21:27:22 -0400

You know how everyone’s all excited about the next iPhone announcement? Well, for me, it’s the Mac, especially this year. This week is going to be super exciting for me. To celebrate, I’ve decided to put my thoughts on paper, just like someone keeps a journal, as the week unfolds. I can’t wait to share them with you all at the end of the week!

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 12:37:54 -0400

Bought a 10th generation iPad to my stepmother for her 80th birthday. She was using a second gen iPad Air. Great upgrade. Data transfer was seamless. Finding past Apple Account info and password wasn’t an easy task, though. Elderly people aren’t well equipped in managing those modern intricacies.

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 10:35:24 -0400

I’m in a writing lull. Not too many things worth writing about, I guess. So, I focus on photography.

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:23:59 -0400

The new M4 Mac mini: more mini than ever™

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 12:29:10 -0400

I’m still on the waiting list for Image Playground… more than a day after installing and requesting access. Seems longer than what people are saying… being from Canada might explain?

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 07:32:51 -0400

This morning, I’ve been experimenting with Apple Intelligence writing tools using a beta version of Ulysses. Initially, I’m torn between my feelings. The requirement to select specific text to activate the writing tools disrupts my writing flow. On the other hand, I find Grammarly’s continuous monitoring of my writing more preferable. I suspect Apple prefers the intentional nature of this feature over feeling constantly tracked.

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:10:06 -0400

Thought of the day for me: Apple Intelligence will take off with ChatGPT integration at the operating system level, in iOS 18.2 or later. Why? Become most people won’t see the difference and associate ChatGPT answers to Apple Intelligence / Siri¹. Of course, it will depend on the way this integration is presented to the user.

Something along the lines that many “ordinary people”, thinks that Apple is the one who makes all the apps in the App Store. ↩︎

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 17:18:15 -0400

Ubiquiti is out with a new… NAS? 👀 Too bad it’s a biggy, but bring a smaller form factor and I might be in.

On Using Notion AI

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:47:43 -0400

Today I decided to give a serious try to Notion AI to support my study of some Microsoft Azure materials. So far, I’m liking it a lot. Basic workflow goes like this: I visit the webpage, save it to Notion using a browser extension, then upon archival of the content, I ask Notion AI for a summary that is inserted at the beginning of the page. I read it then I read the actual original content. I’ll highlight some words or phrases and I might add some inline comments while reading. It’s a great study experience.

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 09:39:29 -0400

I love what Inoreader just released. Massive.

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:16:46 -0400

Thanks to the Elgato USB Hub for Stream Deck +, all my USB-A ports on my M1 Mac mini are now free, making it a USB-C-only connected device. I can now upgrade to the M4 Mac mini when it shows up this week!

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:07:40 -0400

Maybe Apple will announce a new product each day through a press release with a shipping date of Oct 23th, with a culmination point with the redesigned M4 Mac mini? I think it wouldn’t be the first time they did it this way.

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:38:19 -0400

New iPad mini: Apple Intelligence support, Apple Pencil Pro. New storage tiers. Oh, almost forgot: new colors. Meh.

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 21:39:50 -0400

I visited the Apple West 14th Street Apple Store this past weekend in New York City. As usual, the store was packed with people. However, one thing caught my attention: there was no one at the Apple Vision Pro tables. Despite being at the peak of their support, those devices felt quite lonely and unappealing. How long will Apple keep those devices for sale?

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 20:49:08 -0400

Seeing people use their iPhone camera to take pictures and videos of a show and I think there is no tweak or improvement that Apple can do to the camera control to beat on-screen controls. Apple brought a gimmicky feature to the iPhone.

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 13:20:50 -0400

Perfect day for a long road trip. I’m going to a music show close to New York City: Sting.

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 09:40:33 -0400

Playing with Spectre on the road while heading to New York. That was a 5 sec exposure.

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:55:12 -0400

I’m starting to warm up to Tapestry… I’ll expand my testing of it this week-end!

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 06:40:15 -0400

I can’t stand watching and listening to Musk for more than five minutes. He is such a bad speaker, really. I think he should let someone else talk for him, like one of his robots, it might be much better and bearable.

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 11:32:54 -0400

When I created my Ko-fi page, I said that I would be sharing more personal stories about me on it. Today, I just did. Plus, my supporters are getting a free perk. Want to become a supporter too? Thanks.

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 09:02:55 -0400

iPhone mirroring on macOS Sequoia is so handy. For example, getting a notification on my iPhone to approve a request in the MFA application is so handy.

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 21:16:01 -0400

I found a font that I like a lot: Dosis. This will be the official font for my future consulting company. I find it to be a mix of modernism and retro style. Easy to read. Singular.

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 09:09:23 -0400

I’m happy to share the newest edition of my Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. Email version coming out much later today.

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:59:46 -0400

WTF? 😳 A “social” network with AI-based-only followers? Really? Are we that desperate?

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 11:38:24 -0400

I have a love & hate relationship with the US as a country. Going to Las Vegas today for a four-day business trip falls in the “hate” part because I think we cannot have those Las Vegas cities any longer. This city is everything but real. I hate to see our resources spoiled like that.

My Five Minutes Experience With the Camera Control Button

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 19:47:03 -0400

I like the physical design, but it is too flush with the iPhone flat edge for my taste. It is easier to use with my thumb while the iPhone is in portrait mode. The required pressure to take a photo makes me shake¹ which is not always good when taking a photo in low light conditions. I kind of “Digg” the UI which feels organic just like for the Dynamic Island but using multi-purposes buttons requires some time to get used to and learn the numerous modes. Apple is still working off the half-pressure mode for taking pictures and I wonder how it will affect the general use… will it make it even harder to use?

Might be age-related issue, I know. ↩︎

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 10:01:40 -0400

More crowded than usual of course. 🤗

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 08:41:04 -0400

**Apple Watch backups** are not working, they never did. This is what I see on my iPhone now, two old backups, once probably worthless because of it ridiculous small size. Another proof: after unpairing my Series 6 this morning before going to the Apple Store to get a credit for it[^1], no sign of new backups in the Watch.app. Big fail Apple. We are at Series 10 / iOS 18 for fuck sake! [^1]: I'm upgrading to Series 10.

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:23:45 -0400

I plan to go to the Apple Store tomorrow and see the new stuff since I can’t make it today. Maybe I’ll get the Series 10 if the one I want is available. I’ll unpair and reset my Series 6 as I’ll get $75 credit for it.

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 19:43:21 -0400

I’m rather happy to skip the iPhone 16 this year. Next year, Apple Intelligence will be more broadly available and more mature, the iPhone 17 will gain more hardware to support Apple Intelligence the newest features, too. As a blogger, Apple Intelligence writing tools are very handy and a year from now, most if not all my go-to apps will gain support for these. On the photography side, I expect more meaningful upgrades to the cameras.

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:13:55 -0400

The iPhone 16 this year is so iterative in nature that many YouTube reviewers separated the review into two rather short parts: the unboxing (generally less than 10 min¹) and the general review (rarely more than 15 min).

Oh come on, ten minutes to unbox that thing and find out that there is no sticker in the box? Really? ↩︎

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 22:14:51 -0400

This is the default option for user profiles on... **LinkedIn**. Did you know that? Thoughts?

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:48:28 -0400

Apparently, a bunch of compromised old-school pagers exploded remotely in the middle east… what an horrific event (seriously)… THAT is real programmed obsolescence (less seriously).

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 07:25:41 -0400

Currently curating my Bluesky home feed to my liking. If someone on Bluesky didn’t post since last year, when Bluesky was red-hot, I unfollow. I’m using Bluesky lists to curate my best accounts and build a custom timeline with them. I did something similar back in the day for Twitter as documented here.

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 07:14:57 -0400

As a long-time Apple fan¹², I find it sad to see the downward trends surrounding Apple. It’s no longer anecdotal. Something is really going on. Apple is no longer the same under Tim Cook and since the Steve Jobs death. How could this be otherwise? Well, yeah. That’s life. Anger, ennui, boredom are just a few things that I’m noticing more and more. This super megacorp is printing money, investors are happy, but meanwhile, something is slowly rotting that will eventually trigger Apple to transform itself. Eventually.

Fanboy? ↩︎
Since 1982. ↩︎

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:54:59 -0400

More or less random thought: Maybe Apple won’t return to live events until Tim Cook leaves the company. When COVID hit, it may have provided some relief for Apple, as it spared Cook from direct comparisons to Jobs’ performances at live events. We all know that Cook isn’t the showman Steve Jobs was.

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:00:10 -0400

The fact that apparently Microsoft is not using an Intel CPU for their Cloud PC instances says a lot about Intel’s future.

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:52:12 -0400

If I were in charge of IT infrastructure at Apple, I would be more than happy to have a phased deployment of Apple Intelligence. This staged deployment mode allows for better control over resource allocation, performance tweaking based on demand. It is the right time to establish the baseline metrics that will help further larger-scale deployment later in the deployment schedule. People find that Apple is behind, but I say it is more of a realistic approach that makes a lot of sense from a user experience perspective.

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 12:20:16 -0400

My general sentiment towards iOS 18 is rather vastly positive but improvements come at the cost of complexity. More than ever, we need to « manage » our devices to get them work as we want them to work.

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 15:52:20 -0400

iOS 18, iPadOS 18 are coming out tomorrow. That’s cool. But you know what is even cooler? This GPT that can answer your questions about those releases. Try “What’s new in iMessage?”

You’re welcomed.

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 15:36:01 -0400

This is the second edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook, edition 2024-36. Email version coming out later today.

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 06:43:47 -0400

I’ve been spending more time on Bluesky in recent days, since the Apple Event. I like the feel and of this service. It’s fast, there are no ads, features-wise it’s rich and useful.

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 19:01:28 -0400

I’m torn between the Apple Watch Series 10 in silver and Jet Black. The silver finish enhances the screen’s visibility, while the Jet Black option blends the screen seamlessly into the casing. Waiting for Sept 20 before making my final call, after visiting the Apple Store and hoping for in-store stock.

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 18:56:05 -0400

I’m going to watch the whole debate tonight. Even as a Canadian, I think it’s important to get direct reading values instead of going through social / news networks to help me forge my opinion. If I were an American, I would vote for Harris, without a doubt, but I want to see more of her tonight, to get a better idea of what she really stands for. Hoping for civility and clarity.

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 18:04:16 -0400

I’m feeling a bit odd about having an iPhone that’s no longer available (15 Pro Max). It was a great phone, but it only lasted about a year. Yeah, I know, still a great phone.

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 08:42:42 -0400

Apple might have something else to improve in the next AirPods Max beyond USB-C connectivity and noise cancellation. Just sayin.

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 06:55:48 -0400

It just occurred to me that Apple (and other “gatekeepers”) are getting a bit of their own medicine with the DMA. Developers in the App Store have always had to live with unclear and changing rules, as well as the risk that Apple will effectively shut down your business with an absolute rejection. Suddenly the bully is being bullied, with changing rules and unclear guidelines — and they don't like it.
Drew McCormack https://mastodon.cloud/@drewmccormack/113106933929326824

Well said.

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 17:06:51 -0400

M4 Mac mini: Deep black, please.

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 17:04:57 -0400

Eight years, really? Time flies.

Dear Apple, Think Differently, Again.

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 14:32:53 -0400

Tomorrow is Apple keynote. I want to be surprised. I want something different. I want to see Apple push harder, differently. I want this “one more thing”. I want to see Apple think outside the box. I want them to show the way, the right way. I want them to not be afraid, and do it differently. I want them to stop looking at their past successes. Think like the underdog. Think Differently, again.

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 10:00:54 -0400

Job title of the day¹ “SaaS Content Writer”. 👀🤦🏻‍♂️

Found on Medium. ↩︎

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 08:21:06 -0400

The first edition of my third-generation newsletter “The Ephemeral Scrapbook”, edition 2024-35, is out! Email version coming out later today! Consider becoming a supporter on my Ko-fi page. 🙏🏻

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 07:23:20 -0400

I returned to Medium with enthusiasm but was disappointed by the clickbaity titles that we can find. For example, I read an article titled “iPhone 16 Pro Max Unveils New Features That Left Me Stunned!” only to discover that the author was excited about a potential new photo mode with the telephoto lens (macrophotography) without citing sources for the rumors. The author speculated on the revolutionary nature of the device without testing it. It raises questions about the possible involvement of generative AI in crafting this story. Oh, and the other article: “Why I Stopped Upgrading to the New iPhone Every Year (And You Should Too)”… I can’t wait to let someone tell me what to do. 👀🤷🏻

Compare this to my latest post about the M4 Mac mini: “The M4 Mac mini Will Be My Best Mac Ever”. I speak for myself only in the title.

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 15:45:13 -0400

I did a test login to my Twitter / X account. It still works, but didn’t post anything. Scrolled my timeline for a few minutes. 👀🫣 What. The. Actual. Fuck. Is. This. Place. Now? Super random and controversial content appearing. This place has become the Internet dumpster.

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 14:00:14 -0400

Today, I’m again giving a serious try to iA Presenter. I want to love this app. It is so different from any other presentation app. I’m working on a YouTube video explaining concepts around Craft Objects.

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 08:55:00 -0400

My newest Craft video, this time for beginners: what should you do when you are just starting using Craft? I chose to organize these actions into five categories.

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:30:09 -0400

I have one thought regarding apps like Reeder (the new one) and Tapestry. I fail to see any comments regarding the inherent limit of those apps. How do they fare when you are adding a few dozens of sources, some with high volume of posts? Merging those feeds into a single timeline make the latter rather overwhelming to consume.

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:23:59 -0400

Today, I had no choice but to request the use of a Cloud PC by Microsoft for using a crappy app: Visio. I like this idea of renting a PC instance in the cloud, though.

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:37:04 -0400

How writing can help you solve problems - Eric Gregorich

Writing is thinking.

So true.

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 08:03:42 -0400

“On your birthday, only do what you like the most and fuck the rest.” — Numeric Citizen

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 17:14:39 -0400

Craft developers aren’t shy of sharing teasers and opening a private beta for Craft Objects and Style. While we all wait for any official release, I made this video today.

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 19:29:10 -0400

I find myself preferring to listen to podcasts via Apple Podcasts web interface instead of the native app on Mac. It feels lighter.

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 10:34:08 -0400

This is the final edition of the Creative Summary newsletter, which will be renamed “The Ephemeral Scrapbook Newsletter.” Over the past two weeks, the author has shared 20 posts, 12 photos, and one podcast episode, but no YouTube videos. The author feels conflicted about using Facebook and have rediscovered Medium, where they plan to publish more articles.

The newsletter also includes discoveries from MG Siegler, highlights from the iPhone Photography Awards, and insights on Apple’s upcoming event. The author is considering freelancing and will document the journey on Medium. He discusses app recommendations and express concerns over AI in photography and deepfakes.

Footnote: this summary was generated using ChatGPT as an experiment.

Hello Again, Facebook!

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 14:36:50 -0400

Today, I posted something on Facebook; and honestly, it felt weird. I can’t remember exactly when I last wrote on Facebook. I also had this symptom of missing out on things from my old colleagues and friends just by glancing at my timeline for a few minutes. It felt heavy. My post was about telling my “Facebook friends” about the two sites where I share my photos online: Glass and Pixelfed. I don’t know if people will take time off their busy lives to visit or even bookmark the sites. I shouldn’t care about that. Those who pay attention might even notice a link to my digital hub, where I share all my other sites. Because I’m curious, I’ll return back to Facebook in a few days to see if I got some comments. I’ll report back here in any case.

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 21:00:14 -0400

Yesterday I went to see the 2024 World Press photography exposition. On our way out, there was a guestbook where I wrote: “I am speechless… but full of images… thank you to the photographers for their courage, without you, we would be in unbearable darkness.” I was troubled by the powerful images I saw.

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 11:20:58 -0400

I always found this picture of Steve Jobs in his home office very fascinating. It’s too bad that we cannot read all the book titles. But there are two pieces of equipment that I wonder what they are. On is something that looks like a Mac Pro but the size of the computer is too small, even though Steve is using a big Apple display (30"?). Next to this is a bigger vertical device which would be a UPS, but also looks like an external GPU (but that wasn’t a thing at that time). Oh and in the left segment of the bookshelf, there are many small bottles of liquid drops. What were they for?

Update #1: This post made it to the Hacker News site.

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:55:10 -0400

To me, this animated Apple logo is a clear visual reference to Apple Intelligence¹. Expect to hear a lot about it when Apple shows off their new iPhones.

Even if the service will slowly be rolled out over the course of the next 12 to 18 months. ↩︎

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 09:09:20 -0400

A great morning read from Medium: the State of Medium. Here is something that I came across:

“I think the fragmentation creates interesting options for people." - Medium CEO

I like where they are going.

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:42:07 -0400

Today is a day at the office which means an iPad-only day to take notes. I love those days. The iPad is such a great device for this use case.

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 17:59:54 -0400

I’ve been playing with Substack in recent days and boy this platform is different now compared to its initial launch. I’m not coming to write there but I do want to read more content there, a few times a week.

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 13:35:21 -0400

Today I experimented Slack Lists to track messages for which I want to make sure to get a response. It’s pretty useful. But I still don’t really like Slack in general🤦🏻‍♂️. The included screenshot is not from my own list but a template provided by Slack, just to give you an example.

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 07:00:04 -0400

This morning, I submitted an article to a Medium publication. The subject is about considering going freelance. It’s been a long time since I have done this. Back in 2020 when I was much more active on Medium, submitting articles to Medium publications was the only way to get noticed and hope to make a few dollars along the way.

I'll Never Buy a GM Car in My Life

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:05:30 -0400

GM didn’t want to carry CarPlay (and Android Auto!) in their cars because they were dimmed as unsafe. Was GM in fact hoping to open up these, instead, but why? Apple didn’t want to open their platform. Now we have a better idea as to why. In other news, GM is laying off hundreds of software engineers. I guess GM learned that doing software is hard. Well, fuck them.

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 17:10:44 -0400

After Maps, now Podcasts. Apple is opening up more and more to the web. Why?

Side node: I cancelled my Pocket Cast subscription (due for renewal in about 11 months 🙄).

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:50:14 -0400

Bye bye Apple frames shortcut¹, hello Shareshot!

Currently not working under iOS 18 beta. ↩︎

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:36:08 -0400

I’m currently testing a new blog post editor on Micro.blog. On the surface, everything looks familiar. The preview button behaviour is the one that surprised me the most as it replaces the blog post content with the preview, unlike before where the preview was underneath. Not having “auto-save” functionality is still a bit troubling to me, in 2024, though.

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:09:20 -0400

I think Apple should bring back the iPod to the iPhone in the form of a virtual device within the Music app. Imagine if each year, Apple would release a new design of its virtual iPod¹. This would add some coolness factor for those who have known and used the iPod.

The first model could be a re-release of the iPod Classic, complete with a virtual click wheel! ↩︎

Hard Times Are Sometimes Needed

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:36:55 -0400

When things go wrong at work, when numbers don’t add up to meet high sales expectations, only then people starts to question things. It’s only in these harder days that we can really start to find new ways, reimagine how we do business. Those hard times are sometimes necessary for a company to evolve.

Looking at you Apple¹.

I’m also referring to the company I work for presently. ↩︎

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 09:33:34 -0400

Forbidden Fruit

Independent developers work for the entire sale, but Apple doesn’t even work for their cut. In many ways, just being on the App Store is incredibly frustrating. We’re paying for pain while Apple gets paid for just relaxing.

People are frustrated with Apple’s behavior regarding the App Store, leading them to make exaggerated claims. While one may disagree with Apple’s policies, stating that the company is simply relaxing is an overreaction.

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 06:33:05 -0400

Forbidden Fruit

Apple used to fight for their lives, but now they barely have to work to make insane amounts of money.

Oversimplifying statement.

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:45:09 -0400

Forbidden Fruit

At some point Apple should ask who is in better need of that money. I know they won’t, but I’d like to think we live in a world where they could. They don’t need more money. They don’t even need the money they have

Capitalism 101: Ask the shareholders.

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:11:33 -0400

Forbidden Fruit

Apple was a better company when they were an underdog.

Me too, but are we being a bit nostalic here?

If Apple Were Consistently Listening

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 12:11:53 -0400

Recently some people complained about Apple’s latest ad in the « The Underdogs » series to be offensive, and Apple « promptly » said sorry and removed the ad.

If only Apple showed a similar attitude towards developers who are more than fed up with their App Store practices and voiced their complaints so many times in so many ways… many people are noticing and find this shit show exhausting and damaging.

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 09:54:50 -0400

@mcelhearn @davemark Related:
"We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.” - Ursula K. LeGuin
dennyhenke@social.coop https://social.coop/users/dennyhenke/statuses/112955011591344016

I still believe in this. We can (and should) make Apple change course.

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 16:59:51 -0400

The United States announces a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine, at the same time as the latter carries out a significant incursion into Russian territory, an unprecedented gesture that could give a new dynamic to this protracted conflict. The signal from the United States is clear: we continue to believe that Ukraine is only defending itself.

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 07:02:49 -0400

The Ukrainian forces have been advancing deep into Russia, in the Kursk oblast, for the past few days, destroying the Russian army on the roads while advancing, without much resistance. They have now progressed approximately 30 kilometers past the Ukrainian border.

This is a major development in this insane war.

Surprisingly, it is not widely covered in the news here in Canada. The Ukrainian army is establishing currency exchange facilities in the near future. I don’t see how Russia is going to “fix” this without a bloodshed, again. Putin must be a little bit upset, I guess. Or maybe not.

The Mac Mini Needs a Redesign

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 13:08:54 -0400

Rumors suggest a “finally” moment, with Apple on the verge of completing the redesign of the newest generation of the Mac mini, this time featuring an M4 chip. This could result in the smallest Mac ever.

The current Mac mini design dates back to 2010, when Apple was still using more power-hungry and larger Intel chips. The only change over the years has been the back portion to accommodate a variety of port offerings. When Apple transitioned to Apple Silicon chips, right after the Apple Silicon Dev Kit was made available, I expected a redesign and saw the Dev Kit as a transitional step, simply because the chip is smaller, more power-efficient, and requires much less cooling. To me, this was the right time to do so. However, they did not.

If you look inside an M1 Mac mini, thanks to this teardown guide from iFixit you can see that there is some empty space. Coupled with what Apple can do with the M4 iPad Pro, and the environmental pressure to be more efficient in resource consumption (power, materials, etc.), it is clear that the Mac mini must be rethought from the ground up. Will Apple go with an external PSU for this? I don’t expect this to be the case.

One more thing: I’ve been a satisfied user of the M1 Mac mini since 2020, but I’m increasingly considering an upgrade, either to the Mac Studio or a more powerful Mac mini. I’ll be sure to pay close attention to my options.

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 08:46:47 -0400

Thought of the day: Watch out democrats, Trump and Vance aren’t just weirdos. They are disfigured fascists.

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 18:34:42 -0400

When I read the Threads app data privacy fact sheet on the App Store yesterday night and read a few « reviews », I quickly came back to earth and decided (again) to not join Threads. Time to focus on what I already have.

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:14:24 -0400

What the “can’t do real work on an iPad” narrative is really about

people like me do want a Mac for getting all of our stuff done, but Apple doesn’t make exactly the Mac we want, so we lust after the iPad and lament how it doesn’t get the job done for us. If the Mac we wanted existed, we’d buy that and not have nearly as much to say about iPadOS.

I think Matt is nailing it. Apple doesn’t want to make an iPad run macOS, fine, but are they as much vocal against making a Mac touch-friendly? I don’t think so. Mike Gurman wrote this past week-end that one Mac will see a major redesign in the next 12 months. Could this be to introduce touch support?

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 07:43:15 -0400

Cookie banners show everything that’s wrong with the EU

It makes it hard to cheer for even much-needed antitrust action, like the Digital Markets Act. Because if the EU can screw up something as basic as cookie banners this bad, and prove so incapable and uninterested in re-calibrating its approach, what hope is there for the thornier issues?

A shit show in the making.

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 07:39:38 -0400

Next Apple Watch SE Could Be Made From Plastic

Apple used to sell a plastic ‌iPhone‌ 5c, for example, and it came in vibrant blue, yellow, pink, and green colors. Plastic would also better differentiate the ‌Apple Watch SE‌ from the standard Apple Watch models as the current ‌Apple Watch SE‌ is basically a modified version of the aluminum Apple Watch without the latest features.

I wonder if Apple could use 3D printing for the SE plastic case. There are rumors that Apple might use 3D printing in building devices. That could be it.

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 22:01:12 -0400

At the very least, I could reserve my username on Instagram and Threads, just in case. While maintaining strong principles is important, being open-minded and reasonable can also be valuable. May the night be beneficial. 😒

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:11:13 -0400

Something really BIG is coming to Craft: Objects. Thoughts?

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 08:01:43 -0400

The latest edition of my weekly creative summary is out! This is a jam pack one. Email version coming out soon to subscribers! Pass editions available here.

On ARM Laptops, Windows And... The Usual Stuff Needed With Windows...

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 09:43:27 -0400

I always enjoy MKBHD’s videos, and this one about the Microsoft Surface ARM laptop is no exception. His views are well-balanced and feel honest. Now, about this specific lap, supposedly being fast with long battery life, great built quality and… a touch screen, certainly feels like a leap beyond Apple’s offerings, but… it’s running Windows. And that, is the problem. I wouldn’t buy one of these for the simple reason that running Windows required running a bunch of security-related software to keep it secure. How much processing power these apps takes out of the base configuration? Certainly a few percentage points, but for me, it’s ruining the whole thing. And that, MKBHD don’t mention anything about it.

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:35:16 -0400

When one of my colleagues presents me with a text produced by ChatGPT (or any other comparable tools), I am sometimes astonished by what I read, but what interests me much more is the initial prompt that allowed the content to be produced. It helps put the results into context.

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 16:38:03 -0400

Apple results: big increase in services, big increase in iPad sales, increase in Mac sales, wearables sales in decline (AVP doesn’t move the needle, Watch in need of a reboot), China in decline. That’s pretty much it.

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:01:40 -0400

I’d like to try non-Apple mechanical keyboards because they look cool and they got stylish design but the problem with those third-party keyboards like Lofree is the lack of non-English language support.

Memories

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:29:44 -0400

Today is my mother’s 91st birthday. She passed away 18 months ago, but the memories of her remain vivid. This morning, my iPhone suggested a video memory highlighting cherished moments with her, which nearly brought me to tears. Time may have flown by, but my affection for her endures, even though I wasn’t that close to her, not has much as I would have liked. One of my last photos of her. 😔

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 18:13:15 -0400

I believe it could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months for Apple Intelligence to make its way to Canada and support the French Canadian language. (This text was originally written by me than processed by Apple Intelligence to make it more friendly). #appleintelligence

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 17:14:05 -0400

I am installing iPadOS 18.1 beta 1 on my iPad Pro right now because… just for text proofreading¹ and summarizing, it’s worth it. Most of my creative hobby happens to be done in English. Also, changing the device region (not the Apple ID region) to US is not a big deal. Finally, I don’t talk too often to Siri on my iPad (which I do in French on my iPhone, though).

Soon: bye bye Grammarly Premium. ↩︎

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:28:35 -0400

So iOS 18.1 is a thing, after all. Well, as I live in Canada, I’m not going to set the region to English US on my phone¹. I rather wait and see other devs and YouTubers delve into this beta of Apple Intelligence and see how it goes. That should be fun and interesting.

Update: changing the region of the device doesn’t do much except for date formatting, temperature metric and dollars amount formatting. Oh, and if you set one device (iPad) to use one region, the other device (iPhone) will also use the same region. Why?

I’m not sure what would be the consequences of doing so, besides the Date, Time and Currency settings being changed. ↩︎

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:26:59 -0400

Is today’s world (AI models training, security, etc.), I wonder if site owners are well equipped with robots.txt as the only way to control who’s in and who’s out when it comes to deciding free and massive content consumption on their site.

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 08:01:39 -0400

I had a bug in one of my IFTTT applets that usually gets each post I share and stores it on Day One. The applet hasn’t run since July 7th, but I only found out today. Sadly, the IFTTT RSS feed service doesn’t keep a pointer of the last successful import. I’m not sure what to do to recover the posts that weren’t saved. 🤔😒

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 06:58:07 -0400

Jeff Perry on Reddit deal with Google for content access exclusivity in indexing their content: The Enshittification of Search Continues

This could set a precedent for other sites like Hacker News and Pinterest to start searching for the highest bidder to make their content exclusive on another search engine. Eventually other sites might do the same in hopes to thwart the serial scraping of their content for AI models to learn from and make a few bucks in the process. It is just another byproduct of the Enshittification of the web.

Troubling, indeed. Emphasis is mine.

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:54:52 -0400

Seriously considering closing my Reddit account. It’s not worth it. And their corporate attitude don’t align with my values.

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:32:44 -0400

In iOS 18 beta 4, look at user ratings in the App Dtore and the choice Apple made for the star’s gray shades… it’s very hard to spot how many actual stars were given out of the five. Is this on purpose? 👀🧐

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 08:52:18 -0400

It’s 8:45 AM. The joy of running beta software. 😱👀

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 18:23:58 -0400

👋🏻 I’m a little bit late, but hey, here is the newest edition of my weekly creative summary newsletter. The email edition is coming up later today. 😅

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:24:56 -0400

Today I made a template. Who knows, it might be useful to some big company.

“We will release {insert product or service name here} over the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment,” {insert company name here} said in a statement to {Insert news agency name here}.

You are welcome.

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 12:16:48 -0400

Today’s CrowdStrike update is probably the most expensive update of all time in IT history. Will we really learn from it? Some big players probably will but in general, I doubt it. #crowdstrike

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 09:17:09 -0400

In a meeting this morning at the office, I was quick to point out that those running Macs were just fine (we’re a Microsoft shop with a few weird guys like me promoting the Mac). I got booed. I guess people in IT are masochist. #crowdstrike 🤷🏻‍♂️

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 06:45:05 -0400

Apparently, a social network like X does not promote posts containing links to external websites. While this policy may be frustrating¹, there are possible responses to this practice to consider. If someone shares a post with a link to X, you could choose not to open the link². Encouraging others to adopt a similar stance can be an effective way to voice your opinion and influence the platform’s practices through your engagement, or lack thereof.³

It is! ↩︎
this is what I systematically do. ↩︎
It’s a way of saying: fuck them all! ↩︎

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 06:30:20 -0400

The AT&T Data Breach Shows Why RCS Can’t Be Trusted and the Downside of Apple Adding Support for It in iOS 18

Eddy Cue doesn’t lose many arguments but he lost that one. All of the effort spent pushing Apple to support RCS would have been better spent pushing Apple to ship iMessage for Android. And without a supported iMessage client for Android, that role ought to go to WhatsApp, not RCS. WhatsApp is free, secure, and works equally well on all phones.

I think Apple made a big mistake by not shipping iMessage for Android.

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:36:12 -0400

Today’s positive post: I’m happy to have installed iOS 18 beta 3 on my phone. A few bugs here and there and glitches but nothing earth chattering. 🤗

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 11:17:55 -0400

Tomorrow I’m going to the Apple Store for an Apple Vision Pro demonstration. For some reasons, I’m not that excited for this. And I’m a big Apple fan. I was excited for the AVP when it came out, but like everyone else, the hype is no longer there. Apple is still working to find THE killer app or use case for this. And, something is broken with Apple these days…

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:09:10 -0400

In today’s positive post, it’s about Inoreader filtering capabilities. Without them, cutting out the noise from feeds from AppleInsider or MacRumors just to name a few obvious abusers would be impossible. These feeds are usually filled with ads disguised as posts. Filtering keywords include: Amazon, Deal, Rebate, Gift, Discount, Prime, Amazon. You get the idea.

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 17:19:22 -0400

Taboola + Apple News? No thanks

Apple’s decision to strike a deal with Taboola is shocking and off-brand — so much so that I have started to question the company’s long-term commitment to good customer experience, including its commitment to privacy. As it chases more and more revenue to appease Wall Street, it’s clear Apple will become one of those companies that prioritize shareholders over paying customers and their experience.

I hate ads. I hate ads. This is a sad day. That is not cool at all. How can Apple brags about protecting user privacy (see that ad on YouTube?) and al while serving ads through an external ads network? More than ever, Apple is becoming like everyone else and IS profiling its users, for money. I’m starting to hate Tim Cook’s Apple. As soon as I see a change in News, I’ll cancel my subscription to Apple One.

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:42:39 -0400

If Apple were to design a new router, the resulting device would likely resemble this one from Ubiquiti. The box has a similar aesthetic to Apple’s iconic networking hardware.

Apple Is Telling Half the Story

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:35:59 -0400

There is something incomplete in how Apple is portraying Safari as a way to stay private when surfing the web. The ad is certainly visually striking, with surveillance cameras flying over people as they browse the web on their non-iPhone devices. It’s a compelling analogy. It reminds me of another Apple ad where a person is in a similar situation, being watched and followed by a group of people who want to know their online whereabouts.

But you know, Apple is mum about its deal with Google as being the default search engine in Safari. The last time I checked, Google isn’t the type of privacy-protection company you might think they are.

Trying to Find Comforting Thoughts

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 07:02:39 -0400

Manuel Moreale reflecting on one hundred people who took the time to sign his guestbook (I did):

It’s the number of people who have taken a few minutes out of their busy lives to write something on my guestbook. One hundred doesn’t seem a lot in the grand scheme of things, especially on the web. If you have one hundred followers you might as well have zero. One hundred views on a YouTube video? That’s nothing. You need at least one hundred thousand to be part of the conversation. And yet, I find one hundred signatures in a guestbook to be a lot. Can you imagine having one hundred people in front of you, all saying something to you, one after the other? It would feel overwhelming.

I often think about this. Just like Manuel, I have a blog, a YouTube channel, a podcast (sort of). Globally, my follower counts are very low (even lower than Manuel’s) when looked through the Internet scale lens, but if those people were in front of me, in the same room, that would be quite something else. I find this thought to be comforting.

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 20:57:11 -0400

I 🥰 the new design of Photos in iPadOS 18. Probably the most controversial opinion about iPadOS this year.

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 20:40:37 -0400

So, iPadOS 18 beta3: nothing obvious, really. Feels snappy. Less buggy than expected. Some rough edges, of course. Autocorrect seems way better. Finally. Tempted by iOS 18 now. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

But Techies Will Be Happy

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 07:04:30 -0400

Google Chrome, Along With Other Popular Chromium Browsers, Grants System Monitoring Privileges to *.google.com Domains

But speaking of the DMA, Chromium is, far and away, the most popular browser engine that the DMA compels Apple to allow on iOS. There are legitimate reasons to wish that Apple allowed third-party browser engines on iOS. But there are also legitimate reasons why Apple doesn’t allow them. Chrome really is bad. Better to let the market decide than let clueless regulators decide.

I’m on the side of Gruber here. Governments are usually not very good at tech. We should always be on the doubters side when they want to regulate. Opening up the iPhone will make it weaker than today, not better. I would even argue that the vast majority of users will lose more than they gain. But some techies will be happy.

Yep, Fucking Guns

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 21:15:16 -0400

Great take by Gruber on this week sad but highly predictable events. The US is a sick country. Sidenote: on my last few trips, all Americans that I met told me after presenting themselves as Americans: “I know, we’re one of those stupid Americans…”. I reserve this thought mostly to Trump supporters which I never met personally, thanks god.

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:24:39 -0400

People are so quick to say “I don’t want him to win but I also don’t want him to die” as if there’s some prize for not wishing death on someone who does more than wish us dead. If someone in power actively attempts to do unthinkable damage to the world and people around you, just a reminder: you get absolutely nothing in exchange for kindness toward them.
Louie Mantia, Jr. https://pdx.social/@louie/112784769642210687

Some food for thoughts.

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 11:02:16 -0400

I support LGBTQ+ cause. I read MacStories story about Threads murky management of controversial posts. My personal take is simplicistic: stop using Meta platforms. I do understand that for some people to be heard, they want to be on Meta’s platforms, though.

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 10:36:01 -0400

My current view: in-flight infotainment screen where we can see the flight timeline. Easily spot when meals are served. First time that I’m seeing this. I find this really cool and probably helps answer many questions from people. Side note: I’d love to see Apple build a FlightPlay user experience (CarPlay equivalent).

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 06:07:50 -0400

Brought a book with me for vacation. Didn’t read it as I always find better things to do. Typical me. 🤷🏻‍♂️🙄

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 05:05:49 -0400

Finally booked my Apple Vision Pro demo session for this coming week. I’m not buying this thing but I can’t wait to try it out. Side note: during my vacation in Croatia, we went to see a museum in Split where we were handed Meta Quest headset. The experience was interesting but the visual quality left to be desired.

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 09:25:03 -0400

An ATM in Montenegro shows a warning asking the admin user to login to activate Windows. 😱🤪

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 12:24:37 -0400

It’s been a few days since my last travel update, but a more pressing matter has been monopolizing my spare time: writing a heartfelt message for my son, who is turning 20 this September. This task holds greater significance because my message, along with others, will be compiled into a printed book as a special gift for him.

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 15:18:37 -0400

Our current view in Dubrovnik port, Croatia. That’s the moon that I love! 😍

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 01:19:11 -0400

Slowly but surely heading to Dubrovnik, Croatia, by the sea. 🤗 what a wonderful morning, isn’t?

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 12:51:59 -0400

A summer taste of Croatia. 🤗

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 15:55:50 -0400

We met a couple in their thirties, from Dallas Texas, this evening at the cruise opening diner. Eventually, near the end of the diner, politics came up in the discussions. Nowadays, it’s a tricky subject and we don’t force it outselves. We quickly discovered that they were anti-Trump and very caution about the Democrats too. It’s refreshing to meet people coming from those areas of the US that shares some of our views about the US, politics and general values. I’m French Canadian, mind you.

Travel update #13: Bye Bye Split, Let’s Do Another Cruise to Dubrovnik!

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 15:50:24 -0400

Today was our last day in Split, Croatia. We strolled through the streets of Split once again and had breakfast at the “Bepa” restaurant, which is accessible from one of the public squares. Once again, we ate very well. However, the prices for food are even higher than we expected. We’re coming to the conclusion that traveling in Croatia is almost as expensive as traveling in countries like Italy!

Today also marks the beginning of a short cruise that will allow us to visit the islands of Korčula and Mljet before arriving in Dubrovnik, our last stop before returning to Canada. We still have many beautiful things to discover, fortunately. I don’t know if it’s a good sign or not, but the early experiences from the beginning of our trip already feel distant.

Travel update #12: Visiting Hvar, Bisevo, Vis Islands, Croatia

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 11:56:30 -0400

Once again, with a bit of delay, I’m sharing a new update on my trip to Croatia. Yesterday, the day was primarily spent on the waters in front of the city of Split. We took a small speedboat cruise to visit three beautiful large islands. The tour lasted more than ten hours. We also passed through the popular Blue Lagoon and visited a cave located on the island of Bisevo, where the turquoise water offers a surreal setting. It was absolutely magnificent. We had a mini lunch in Hvar and spent two lovely hours there, strolling and enjoying this beautiful place. A fishing village welcomed us. Fishing is still practiced there, but tourism is by far the largest economic activity. The architecture of the buildings is similar to what is found throughout the Croatian coast, with light stone buildings and terracotta-tiled roofs in shades of orange. This is also similar to what you find in Italy, by the way. We had a quite bumpy return to the coast as the sea was much more agitated than in early morning. It was quite an experience. Thankfully, the boat operator was experimented.

Regarding food, restaurant offerings mostly consist of grilled dishes, mainly fish and meat. Tuna salads, Niçoise, and Greek salads are also on the menu. Some restaurants feature typical Croatian dishes like goulashes. The sale of ice cream and gelato is very common in southern villages, where it’s warmer. I succumbed a few times, actually. The brightness on clear days here is absolutely perfect, just like everywhere on the Côte d’Azur.

We are halfway through our stay in this beautiful country. Tomorrow, we will embark on a small cruise for a few days to visit other islands, ultimately leading us to our final destination: Dubrovnik, where we will spend a few days. I’m really looking forward to it.

Travel update #11: From Sibenik to Split, Croatia

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 12:45:07 -0400

Yesterday, I didn’t have time to write the daily update because it was a transition day by car to our next destination: Split in Croatia. Of course, we took advantage of our route to stop in Trogir to visit and have lunch there. It was our last stop by car as we had to leave it at the airport in the suburbs of Trogir. From now on, we will take a boat. More details to come on that.

Our journey continued to Split, taking a taxi via Uber. The trip took a little over half an hour. Once there, we went to drop off our luggage at our apartment and took some time to explore the surroundings. What a strange but beautiful urban environment. Our apartment is located inside the old palace of Split. Accessing it is not easy as there are winding corridors and numerous stairs to climb. We felt like we were living within the walls of a medina like those found in Morocco. It’s lovely.

I took advantage of the late afternoon light to take some photos. What a beautiful city. I already know that I won’t have enough time to see everything and try to capture photos that are off the beaten path. I’ll do my best, and it will serve as an excuse to wish to return someday.

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 09:51:14 -0400

Biden is losing much more by staying than by leaving. His career legacy will be: he lost because he didn’t want to let it go. For whom? For what? A real leader would just step back.

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:21:37 -0400

Observation of the day: because of the trees, we can hear the wind. Travelling has great influence on my spirit.

Travel update #10: Sibenik Take #2, Croatia

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:12:13 -0400

Once again, what a beautiful day we had in Sibenik. The main objective today was to visit the three forts of the city, which offer a splendid view of the town and the islands off the coast. The weather was magnificent even though storm cells were threatening the region. Fortunately, we were spared from rain and lightning!

We visited the three forts, which were overall interesting but are mainly worth visiting for the views they offer. We took advantage of the occasion to have a picnic at lunchtime while the wind was blowing moderately across the area. It was pleasant to hear the wind rustling through the trees, mostly mature pines.

After visiting the forts, we descended back into the city, this time making sure to choose a parking spot on the west side of town so we could walk along the long promenade by the docks. We ended up in the old part of the city to revisit and complete our tour from yesterday, which was merely a preview. This time, I had the good camera in hand, and I took the opportunity to capture new perspectives different from those taken yesterday.

We were back at the apartment around 6:30 PM to freshen up before heading out to a small neighboring village of Vodice, i.e., Tribunj. I can’t wait to see this little village.

I can’t wait to share some of my best pictures.

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 08:21:18 -0400

My next trip to the US is to see a Sting show in New York in October. After that, I’m not planning to visit the US for at least five years. I refuse to visit totalitarian states. Fuck #Trump. Fuck those who supports this buffoon and clown.

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:06:36 -0400

The “joy” of trying to be iPad-only while traveling. Hitting “try again” fixes the issue but it’s a recurring one. I’m just browsing a folder containing images stored on the iPad itself for god’s sake! 🤬

On My Writing Style As a Traveler

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 02:46:15 -0400

As you probably know, I’ve been writing and sharing my travel notes since the beginning of my trip to Croatia. I’m proud of maintaining the regularity to post each day, but not as proud of my writing itself. I can’t quite describe the quality of my writing, but when I read it back, it feels rather superficial. Why do I feel this way?

Well, my writing tends to list the places I visited and whether I liked them. But I almost always fail to explain why I loved visiting them. Take yesterday’s travel update, for example: I wrote that I fell in love with Sibenik and shared a photo of banners adorned with children’s drawings. What exactly resonated with me in this place? What were my emotions when I entered the narrow streets of the village and first saw the banners everywhere? It was surprising—the children’s drawings added a contrast to the old buildings’ walls, giving the city a sense of humanity. And you know what? It was the children’s festival! It’s a great way to celebrate humanity.

Part of my problem is that I’m not a native English speaker, but a French speaker. I don’t have the same level of vocabulary to describe feelings or physical places. I’m wondering if I could first write a version of my travel update in French and then ask ChatGPT to translate it into English. For today’s travel update, that’s what I’m going to do. We’ll see how it comes out this time. Let me know if you notice a difference.

Disclaimer: this text was first written in English (yes, in English!) and I asked ChatGPT to improve to the writing. It made a big difference, trust me, but I still have this feeling of owning the ideas and the final results.

Travel update #9: Krka National Park & Sibenik, Croatia

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 16:05:51 -0400

It’s been a day with ups and downs. We left the apartment at around 10:30 AM in direction of the Krka National Park, 45-minute drive to see some other waterfalls and translucide lakes. The first part of the visit was really nice because it was like a repeat of the other visit to the national park that we visited earlier in the week with great waterfalls and gorgeous lakes with transparent blue water. Unlike the first national park, this time, it was much more crowded to a point of being unpleasant at some point because we had to wait for people to finish their selfies. 🤨

We left to see another part of the park where a bigger waterfall was expected and was located further in the park, but we couldn’t locate it and wasted our time waiting for the bus to get us back to the parking lot. The last stop was to visit a secluded church rather hard to locate on the maps. We eventually ended up at the entrance and couldn’t buy any tickets to visit the area but a priest did let us anyway visit the monastery and the areas with a little smile on his face. It was a welcomed gesture.

Next up, we had to return to the apartment to exchange my pair of glasses otherwise I would have been enable to drive at night when coming back to the apartment. For dinner, we decided to go to Sibenik, a great little village near Vodice. Oh boy I instantly fell in love with it. I didn’t have my main camera so I was left with my iPhone to take as many pictures as I could. We decided to come back tomorrow and this time, I’ll bring my other big camera. I can’t wait for this.

Travel update #8: Kornati Islands, Croatia

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 13:33:17 -0400

Here’s today’s travel update. What a wonderful day we had, thanks to this day-cruise around the Kornati Islands, starting from Vodice’s port at 9 AM. We had lunch at around 11:30 AM, right before a 3-hour stop at one of the island (can’t remember the name!) where we could spend some time swimming at the beach or in a very salty small interior lake. I decided to go for the trail around the lake instead, a 2.2KM quick trekking. While the temperature at the village was expected to reach 33C during the day, weather on the sea was cooler and very nice, with very little wind, except in the trail where the temperature probably reached more than 30C with partially shaded trail sections, thanks to tall pine trees. A bit scary discovery: while walking the trail in the forest, I encountered many big spider nets at about fifteen feet high each with a gigantic spider standing right in the middle, waiting for the next prey. It was a bit scary and disgusting, not my favourite thing to see. Overall, it was a great day.

I took my telephoto lens with me this time around and it was a judicious decision. I started editing my travel photos and I must say that without Adobe Lightroom’s built in catalog, it’s a bit cumbersome. I often get this error in Photomator as seen below. It’s a bit frustrating. I think it’s more of an iPadOS instabilities than a problem with Photomator.

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 01:25:57 -0400

M. G. Siegler musing about possible next iteration of the Apple Vision:

The most compelling idea would be allowing/forcing the ‘Vision’ to tether to an iPhone or Mac to run the computing of the device. Frankly, I think they should do this. I know they view it as a stand-alone computing device, one that could potentially do it all one day, but that day is far, far away. You already have to use the ridiculous (and ridiculously inconvenient) external battery to power the device. They should either put a Mac SoC in that brick or use their software screen-casting smarts to offload much of the work to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Now that people know they have to live with an external battery pack in order to use the Vision Pro, putting a small Mac-in-that-box to offload some of the weight off the Vision Pro could be a game changer too. Apple is clever at iterating on things to make them better. The Apple Vision is not done yet, just be patient.

In other notes: the Vision Pro is coming to Canada this July and I can’t wait to book myself a 30-minute demonstration appointment.

Travel update #7: Vodice’s Beaches, Croatia

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 13:08:30 -0400

We didn’t do much today: taking our time early in the morning when preparing and having breakfast and then spending time on the beach and relaxing. I did some writing too, from my iPhone while sitting on my sunbathing chair. It’s far from being ideal for writing longer posts but it is what it is. I had some thoughts to share about AI, generative AI more specifically (like this thought, this one and that one).

We came back to the apartment after having a drink at a beach club nearby. Then, again, we were quietly spending time online before getting ready to prepare the meal for dinner. Our plans for the rest of the day is to return in the village’s center to feel the village’s night life. It’s only a ten-minute walk from where we stay. It’s very convenient.

Thanks for reading.

Pressure Might Be Mounting on Apple with Apple Intelligence in Unexpected Ways

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 10:48:41 -0400

Warning: Unsettled thoughts: I think many tech pundits are overestimating Apple Intelligence capabilities and influence potential. If Apple fails to deliver, even slightly, it might trigger a crash like the dot com crash. Some tech pundits are fast at expecting Apple to be the gateway to generative AI legitimacy. In this logic, if Apple fails, AI will fail too. I might be over simplifying things here.

Could Generative AI Content Usage Be THE Biggest Problem?

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 10:26:07 -0400

I’m wondering if the way someone elects to use generated content from generative AI models is way more potentially problematic and subject to debate than anything related to models training using content from the open web.

Also: generative AI content used to train generative AI models is also source of concerns to me. I call that process “knowledge desinfection” or “knowledge toxification” or even better “knowledge asphyxiation”. Or should I replace “knowledge” with “intelligence”?

One more thing: the more I think about generative AI training, the less I think it should be considered plagiarism. More on that one soon.

Maybe We Should Stop Crying Fool: We’ve Been Trained Ourselves!

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 08:58:40 -0400

Thinking out loud about generative models training.

In a way, we’ve all been trained ourselves in our life by the books we read, the movies we saw, the music we listened. Some people have been trained on very specific knowledge bodies, in very specific fields. People use this accumulated “training” also forming “culture” to create new things and produce new content. Some people might be trained on a specific music style or dancing style. We’ve been trained by teachers. As “trained” creators, do we ask a permission when writing something new or writing music using our training data? Now because it happens at a large scale by large (and “nasty”?) corporations to create products, we cry foul?! Where is the line to be drawn here? I don’t know.

Travel update #6: Zadar + Vodice, Croatia

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 12:17:43 -0400

Today we left for Zadar and Vodice where we will stay for five days in a small apartment. We arrived at noon in Zadar and had a nice picnic in a small park, under the shade of big trees. It was a quiet place and we wondered about how few tourists seem to be present since we arrived in Croatia. It might not be peak season just yet. We spent nearly three hours in Zadar, a great coastal city of Croatia, to walk in the city’s small streets behind the fortified perimeter. It felt a bit hot even for a coastal city, yet the weather was splendid. We saw (and heard) the sea organ and we were pleased by the sound of it.

We left Zadar for Vodice at 3PM, a one-hour drive on a coastal road. As we drove away from Zadar we saw the surroundings slowly change in appearance. Vodice is a small village where we can find great places to have dinner and visit the marina surrounded by typical summer houses and beach clubs. Tomorrow I should have more to say about this small village.

Thanks for reading my short travel updates!

Travel update #5: Rastoke, Croatia

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 11:54:00 -0400

Earlier this morning, the weather was better than yesterday, so we decided to revisit Plitvicka Jezera National Park. The improved lighting allowed us to better appreciate the lake’s renowned blue and green hues, and there were fewer tourists. However, we didn’t stay as long as our previous visit because we wanted to explore a small village called Rastoke. This village, known for its charming houses and numerous waterfalls, was highly recommended by our host. We enjoyed a picnic there before exploring, and we were not disappointed; the place was delightful.

On our way back, we stopped to see the river’s source near the road. To our surprise, we found several old, barely standing buildings, which made for great photography. However, a thunderstorm was forming nearby, forcing us to cut our visit short. After checking the local radar, we realized we had just enough time to escape and return to our car.

And we were back at our B&B at four fifty. It’s another great day in Croatia. Now loading up a new batch of photos into my iPad.

Travel update #4: Plitvicka Jezera Nation Park, Croatia

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 12:02:49 -0400

We left Zagreb today to go visit the Plitvicka Jezera national park. it was a two hour drive from Zagreb. After a nice and smooth ride we arrived at around 11:15 AM in the park ready to tackle the 4-6 hour circuit. Boy this place is wonderful! It took us about four hours. We had a rain shower or two but each time we were lucky to be at the right place either on the boat or in the forest so we didn’t get wet! Lucky me because I wasn’t ready for rain with my unprotected photo equipment. Speaking of photography, I don’t know how many shots I did but I’m pretty sure there are a few quite impressive with such natural surroundings. I can’t wait to process those images.

Tonight, we’re going to have dinner at a house near our B&B in Grabovac, a very small village be close to the national park. They served grilled fish and meat. It supposed to be really good. We’ll see, but I trust the Croatians so far!

Travel update #3: Zagreb, Croatia

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 15:49:23 -0400

We went for another walking session in Zagreb after the rain finally went on pause in the second half of the afternoon. We visited another portion of the city before ending up near the restaurant where we planned to have dinner, a Sri Lanka restaurant called “Curry Bowl” which again was rated five stars. It was absolutely delicious. But just before going for the dinner we stopped at a little bar because the rain started again. It was “apéro time”. All in all we enjoyed Zagreb: a nice, relativelyely quiet European city where we always felt in safe.

Tomorrow heading off to Plitvice Lakes National Park for two days. It will be quite a different environment.

Travel update #2: Zagreb, Croatia

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 10:08:44 -0400

I’m currently writing this from our room as there are some heavy showers outside. We had a chance to walk a lot since morning in Zagreb and had a great lunch at the restaurant called “Heritage” which is close to our B&B. It’s a very small place where only maybe ten people can have lunch at the same timee (counting those 3 tables outside!). They make absolutely great sandwiches with Croatian ingredients (ham, truffle spread, local cheese, etc.). We also all a great walnuts salad and a drink. Eating is our great pleasure when visiting a place like Zagreb. This place has five stars and is not that expansive.

Back to our room, I’m writing this post after I imported my first batch of images (62 in all) and started to tag which one I would process. All this is done on my iPad, Files and Photomator. Works great so far. The only thing is that I forgot to change the time zone so my pictures got the wrong time stamp. Not that big of a deal. If the internet speed was better, I would have included an image to this post, but that’s not the case. Too bad.

Travel update #1: Zagreb, Croatia

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 03:31:28 -0400

First full day in Croatia. It is the morning here in Zagreb. Yesterday, we arrived and spent the first few hours wandering in the city center where all the night life is happening. It was the time to spot the places that we were to revisit later (today). We were tired following our two flights by night.

There was a soccer match at 9PM and people were quite excited and were looking forward to it. It ended end up in a tie 1-1 Croatia against Italia. I don’t care too much about soccer but Croatian do quite a lot!

I didn’t take my camera with me as I felt my iPhone would be enough. It was a good call anyway because it was rather late in the evening. We had dinner at a restaurant and had goulash and beer. It was a typical plate for Croatian apparently. We came back to the B&B exhausted by our air travelling. I do feel the jet lag this morning but I expect thing to improve in the next two to three days.

This blog post was a writing exercise to practice my daily journaling while traveling abroad.

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:54:54 -0400

Is it me, or Automattic is missing a big opportunity by not enabling users to publish their journal entries to a custom blog or website directly from Day One? I think they do.

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:39:34 -0400

A new iOS 18 beta should drop tomorrow, where SharePlay improvements and iPhone Mirroring will be included for the first time. Except that they won’t be available for people in EU. Apple made the announcement last Friday. Poor EU users. 🙃 Here in Canada, we don’t have Apple Card nor Apple Cash. But that’s for quite different reasons. When iOS 18 ships, we won’t get Apple Intelligence either, unless we set our phone to English US, which I won’t do, except for testing the thing for a few moments. EU isn’t alone in their “misery”, I guess.

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:15:12 -0400

I decided to use Day One for my travel journaling instead of Apple’s Journal. Reason being very simple: Day One is available on all my devices. Most of my text probably won’t be shared, but if I decide to publish someone, I’ll use the Day One export feature.

Update: sadly, images aren’t exported while exporting in Markdown format. Not surprising, but it’s a nearly a dealbreaker.

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 15:34:00 -0400

My /nope page is up.

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 11:28:30 -0400

Last minutes adjustments before traveling: revisited the “on vacation” focus mode on my iPhone to make sure to receive notifications from certains apps¹, updated the home screen and lock screen wallpapers to be more in line with traveling mode. I also bought and installed my eSIM from Airalo². Decided not to renew Halide subscription but will I’ll try to use it anyway over Apple’s camera app³.

I’m excluding all work-related apps, of couse. ↩︎
They offer a great buying experience and usually flawless when I travel abroad. ↩︎
Photomator can easily open and edit images from Halide camera. ↩︎

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 10:01:07 -0400

I finally completed the Digital Legacy Management Guide (available here on Gumroad). It comes as a Craft document that can be duplicated as a template, as well as PDF and Markdown files downloads. The goal here is to help people plan for their digital legacy handling.

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 08:33:37 -0400

What’s wrong with this? 🤔🙄

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 16:54:41 -0400

I wish I had an embedded “recent photos” feed on this blog, something along the line of Greg Morris’ blog, but I’m clueless to add such a thing to a Micro.blog hosted website. 😞

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 10:28:47 -0400

Comparing generative AI model capacities to a school study level is plain stupid (OpenAI pretends GPT-5 to be PhD level). AI is not about intelligence just like having a PhD. The latter is a mere indicator or proxy, at best.

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 16:21:43 -0400

★ The EU Is Reaping What It Sows With the DMA: Uncertainty
https://daringfireball.net/2024/06/eu_reaping_what_it_sows
Daring Fireball https://mastodon.social/@daringfireball/112656439199929952

For once, I’m on Gruber’s side here. But who am I? A clueless north American who doesn’t get the EU’s laws and law’s spirit? Maybe.

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:00:59 -0400

For all of its purported goals to 'foster a better digital market', having foreign tech companies delay features into the EU market will have huge effects not just for consumers but for developers. I can't see that becoming an economic advantage to an already-lagging EU tech economy.
https://mastodon.social/@sdw/112655853762435882

Well said.

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 13:15:17 -0400

Of all the PowerPoint presentations that I need to attend for my job¹, it is baffling how many times the presenter don’t bother putting the presentation mode ON. Can Microsoft do something do about it? 🙄

And often suffer watching the content… ↩︎

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 12:53:09 -0400

We are starting to see some cracks in the AI bubble castle… AI stock market will probably go through the same scenario as the tech bubble in the early 2000. You probably read it first here.

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 18:40:05 -0400

For my M4 iPad Pro, I decided to skip the Magic Keyboard for iPad purchase. Instead, I’ll be using a Magic Keyboard and a mouse. I think it’s a great compromise and a very light one, by the way.

Yet, iPadOS and many apps aren’t really keyboard aware. As an example, using Micro.blog native app, if I select a few words and hit CMD-B, the command is ignored and I have to reach the screen to select the bold option. This adds friction to my writing experience. Cc @manton

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:14:51 -0400

On iPadOS, you can hit CMD-Q on your keyboard to « quit » an app… in fact, only the icon is removed from the app switcher view while pressing CMD-TAB. If you re-launch the app from the home screen, the app is stilll in memory. Who said iPadOS is a strange beast?

When Will IT Support Guys Learn?

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 16:14:01 -0400

The CEO of the company I work for (450 employees) called me today over Microsoft Teams because he was seeking for help and explanations for a problem with repeated authentification requests when using Microsoft 365 services on his devices (an iPhone, an iPad). He wasn’t sure why he was getting that many requests. After calling the IT department for support, he was baffled by the responses he got for his problem: reboot your phone, uninstall Apple Mail and re-install, that type of shitty responses. After a few tries, he finally got the “real” reasons: iPhone aren’t supported officially and weakening the security posture of the whole company, he should get an Android. What a shitload of bullshit, which is often typical from IT guys who don’t understand or know Apple devices. I’m so tired of this, after all those decades.

Back to my call with my CEO, after trying to understand the situation and find a sound explanation, I told him that the type of answers he got was unacceptable. We are an IT company for god’s sake! He was shy of admitting the same and surprised by this nonsense. He is the CEO, a smart guy. We should do better.

The iPhone is not weakening the security posture of the company, some IT support guys are¹.

I don’t want to generalize but this type of support from unknowledgeable IT guys is still way too much prevalent these days. ↩︎

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 08:54:35 -0400

Claim of the moment: Perplexity AI ignores robot.txt files and crawls websites even when the site owner says no. https://rknight.me/blog/perplexity-ai-is-lying-about-its-user-agent/
Mike Elgan https://mastodon.social/@MikeElgan/112632009097841556

Woah, that is not cool, at all. Even if I don’t care too much for AI bots to crawl and ingest my content, I would expect them to respect those author and site owners who decides otherwise. It’s not the best way to build trust.

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 06:26:03 -0400

📝 Just like my old iPods, the iPod name is just collecting dust, despite being the best name they ever came up with.
https://lmnt.me/blog/ipod.html
Louie Mantia, Jr. https://pdx.social/@louie/112631455473717129

I agree. The iPod name more accurately describes the current iPhone. However, it’s unlikely that Apple will revert to this name, despite its strong brand recognition.

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 11:09:58 -0400

It Sunday time and so my weekly creative summary is out! This is the Craft hosted version. The email version is coming out later today. Enjoy. By the way, the Craft version, this week, contains a sub-page that won’t make it in the newsletter edition, thanks to Craft.

Apple Private Cloud Compute Curiosities

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 07:26:08 -0400

Apple announced a significant development at this year’s WWDC: the creation of its own cloud infrastructure named “Private Cloud Compute” for securely handling certain Apple Intelligence requests. As an IT professional working in data center technologies, I have a few questions that remain unanswered even after watching John Gruber’s The Talk Show Live:

What CPU is used in each server? I wonder if Apple is utilizing high-end versions of its Apple Silicon chips. It’s worth noting that there was no update to the Mac Studio this year. Is Apple diverting M3 Max or M3 Ultra production to build its Private Cloud Compute data centers (which currently feature 32 Neural Engine cores in the M2 Ultra)?
What type of case design is Apple using for the servers? Are they modified versions of the Mac mini, or are they using a rack-mount variant of the Mac Studio?
Is Apple deploying data centers only in the United States or across multiple continents? I suspect the latter, for the sake of redundancy and capacity.

I expect that sometime in the future, perhaps at WWDC 2025, Apple may reveal details about the first year of Apple Intelligence in a short video. We’ll have to wait and see.

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 14:44:44 -0400

Refreshing take also a good reminder:

@stroughtonsmith After seeing WWDC, I’m actually buying a iPad Air M2 next to my mini 6. But I have never seen and expected iPad as anything more than what Jobs used in his introduction. Never replacing my Mac, never replacing my iPhone.
Yurgo@mastodon.social https://mastodon.social/users/Yurgo/statuses/112616416613503041

Two Highly Different Approaches

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 07:12:54 -0400

Microsoft is recalling “Recall” after all, and this makes them look rather bad. This happens on the same week of Apple revealing Apple Intelligence which received a more positive set of reactions.

We are witnessing two different approaches to the challenge of intelligently integrating generative AI prowess to the base operating system. These two events couldn’t be more evocative of how different Apple and Microsoft strategy and culture are. Guess which approach I prefer? I’m excited for Apple Intelligence, but I appreciate the time it will take to make it right.

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 10:27:58 -0400

Referring to this post from MacStories’ Viticci, I might be living or coming from a different planet, but I do not want to block any of my sites from AI bot crawlers, none of them, even if it is from Google, OpenAI, Apple or even Meta. I want to embrace this new era while being critical to what is happening. More to come soon.

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 07:22:36 -0400

Two of my preferred visual things in iOS 18¹ is the colorful visual effect of Siri and the default wallpaper, which is also very nice. Siri animation is so relaxing and less intrusive than the big colorful ball. These are small changes but welcomed changes nonetheless.

I’m not using iOS 18 yet. Should be later in the summer, late in August, I guess. ↩︎

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:35:42 -0400

I’ll save money with Apple Intelligence in the next 12 months as indicated in my subscriptions page. #apple #appleevent #wwdc24 #wwdc

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 14:46:59 -0400

Mind blown. That’s all for now. More thoughts to come soon. 🤯 #wwdc #apple #appleevent #wwdc24

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 19:38:27 -0400

Dear Apple, please, fix this. Thanks you.

Apple Intelligence & Current Apple Silicon

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 14:35:32 -0400

If Apple Intelligence¹ requires a new generation of hardware to be fully appreciated, I would be surprised and be a little sad. My expectation would be that last year’s generation of hardware should be, at the minimum, enough. Otherwise, it might send a wrong message that even current Apple Silicon isn’t enough to power generative AI-based experience. How could this be, after all, Apple always brag about its silicon superiority. Tim Cook said that their silicon was their current competitive edge… but was he referring to future chips only? I hope not.

Provided it’s the real name. ↩︎

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 08:30:43 -0400

It’s Sunday, and it’s time for the new edition of My Creative Summary newsletter! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love putting it together!

Apple's AI Push at WWDC 2024

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 14:50:59 -0400

“Apple will put a major emphasis on AI at its upcoming WWDC, as the company aims to catch up to competitors in this rapidly evolving space. While Apple’s approach has been more measured, the pressure is on to provide a clear growth narrative, which its AI initiatives may struggle to directly deliver. Unlike Microsoft and NVIDIA, Apple does not have an obvious path to monetize AI, instead focusing on using the technology to enhance its existing products and services.” — ChatGPT summarizing this article from M.G. Siegler.

I’m more than ok that Apple doesn’t try to monetize their AI journey.

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 08:24:30 -0400

In case you didn’t know me, I’m on this week’s People & Blog edition. It was fun to answer Manuel Moreale’s questions.

Here's Why I Hate Template In Office Work

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 11:32:38 -0400

Using templates in office work can sometimes be counterproductive, leading to less original thinking, reduced engagement, and fewer creative problem-solving opportunities. Templates can make it easy to fall into a routine of just filling in blanks, resulting in more generic outputs and a checkbox mentality. This reliance on templates can also make it challenging to adapt and innovate when a task doesn’t fit the template. To keep creativity and innovation alive, it’s helpful to use templates as a starting point while encouraging team members to think critically and adapt as needed.

Some of my colleagues are highly dependant on them, I’m not. I’m staying away from them. It’s a creative thinking killer.

The M4 iPad Pro Regression Nobody is Talking About

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:13:03 -0400

The new M4 iPad Pro, with its repositioned FaceID camera, feels like a step backward compared to the 2018 iPad Pro. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but I frequently receive prompts to enter my PIN due to failed FaceID attempts. Swiping up to unlock the device momentarily covers the camera and sensors, disrupting the process. While Apple may have enhanced the FaceTime experience, the unlocking experience has become more frustrating. In my opinion, this is a significant regression.

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 14:35:52 -0400

For the first time since joining Mastodon, I wanted to get an idea of what was happening with ChatGPT¹. I conducted a search using the #chaptgpt tag to see the live updates. This was something I used to do frequently when I was on Twitter while big events were happening.

ChatGPT suffered major downtime in recent hours if not days. ↩︎

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:59:51 -0400

The new narrated posts feature of Micro.blog has an unexpected twist. Since my blog also hosts a podcast, any narrated blog posts will end up on Apple’s Podcast directory. I’m unsure if this is what I want, but I appreciate the possibility for those who prefer to consume my content as an audio file.

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 06:56:26 -0400

I’ve been relying on Raycast AI more and more in recent days to help me summarize the articles I read through my RSS feeds in Inoreader. I’ve also found it useful for improving the quality of my own writing. I’m quite tempted to upgrade my Raycast AI subscription so that I can fully leverage its capabilities, despite the fact that I’m already subscribing to ChatGPT. However, the cost of the upgrade is something I need to weigh carefully before making a decision.

Side note: why do I keep thinking that Apple will introduce Siri+ this summer?

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 21:23:54 -0400

Apple may be overhauling Spotlight in macOS 15, and potentially on other operating systems as well. This suggests the company is focusing on enhancing the user experience when interacting with AI-generated responses to user requests. I’m really curious as to how it will come out.

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 20:27:06 -0400

When I launched my weekly creative summary newsletter, I wanted its structure and format to remain consistent for a long time. However, after 17 editions, I’ve decided to refine the newsletter’s structure. I’m never fully satisfied with my tools, workflows, and past decisions about how to do things.

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 19:14:40 -0400

HEY World is probably “mostly” dead. Each week, I hit the dice to visit a random HEY World site and 9 out of 10 sites were last updated in 2021, around the time HEY World was launched.

First Narrated Blog Post Experiment

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 14:50:13 -0400

Hi everyone. I might be late to the party, but I finally sat down for a few minutes to test Micro.blog’s new feature: narrated blog posts. It is strange because this is my first use and I cannot write a full review because as I’m writing this, my audio recording is still not done, and I don’t know how is the audio attachment and processing will actually work. It might be similar to when I post a new podcast episode. In any case, I think this is a clever addition to an already useful and enjoyable blogging service. Thanks to @Manton for this. Now, should I say, “have a great day and see you for another blog post?” Probably not.

[Update #1]: It seems the play button doesn’t show up. Probably a bug with the Cards theme. Investigation started. [Update #2]: I found out that narrated blog posts come out as podcast episodes on Podcasts. I’m not sure this is what I want.

Fri, 31 May 2024 07:45:46 -0400

I’m getting really tired of the West being afraid of conflict escalation and of Russia. The more we wait to really get our act together, the worse it will get.

Thu, 30 May 2024 17:22:45 -0400

Lock him up NOW. Lock him up NOW. Lock him up NOW. Lock him up NOW. 🤡 #trump

Thu, 30 May 2024 07:48:37 -0400

I still have my Medium account and content. I’m not sure what to do with it. I still get trafic to my posts. I updated my profile page this morning to remove a reference to my Linktr.ee page that I’m phasing out later this year.

Thu, 30 May 2024 05:41:36 -0400

The last day of May 2024 is here. It’s hard to believe that June is just around the corner and that in 10 days, we’ll get a new iteration of Apple’s operating system at WWDC. I don’t have high expectations for Apple this year, so let the surprises unfold.

Wed, 29 May 2024 10:25:12 -0400

Today I decided to cancel my subscription to Toggl time tracking service and to Timery, a wonderful Toggl client. I used to track my time as a creator but I think it’s time to move on and leave those behind. You can see my reports in each weekly creative summary. It’s quite a chore to always think to start and stop timers. I feel relieved now.

Tue, 28 May 2024 16:57:50 -0400

With the new M4 iPad Pro, when using the Apple Folio at the lowest position, if the iPad is in my hands in portrait mode, when putting the iPad on the table, the screen won’t rotate in landscape mode unless I play with the iPad to force a rotation. That’s not exactly a tuned up experience.

Sun, 26 May 2024 08:05:55 -0400

⚠️ It’s time for the 2024-20 edition of my weekly creative summary! Not my best week, but good enough to share! 👨🏻‍💻😅 Index to past editions can be reached here. Newsletter going out by email later today. 📬

Sat, 25 May 2024 16:17:42 -0400

With Omnivore, these are the tags that cover 99% of my tagging needs.

Sat, 25 May 2024 16:07:57 -0400

Today was the day when I got rid of this little baby. It was a great looking computer. I gave it to a local tech refurbishing store¹. RIP 2007-2017.

Yes, the hard drive was reformatted before there. ↩︎

Thu, 23 May 2024 07:03:31 -0400

Each week, I try to discover a new photographer on Glass. It’s fun and stimulating. I share the discovery on my weekly creative summary newsletter, just for you to know.

Wed, 22 May 2024 15:48:10 -0400

It seems that we communicate less and less by words… more and more by images and videos. I find it fascinating that GenAI and ChatGPT forces us (for now) to return to written words in order to communicate and interact with GenAI tools¹. Just a thought.

It will probably transition to mostly voice one day, who knows? ↩︎

Wed, 22 May 2024 15:30:03 -0400

I’m happy to see some countries recognize Palestine as a state. Bravo to Spain, Norway and Ireland. Who’s next, Canada? Israel is furious. Who knew.

Mon, 20 May 2024 14:24:21 -0400

Slowly but surely, I’m refining my use case for my Ko-fi page: more personal stories and content, something that I don’t share elsewhere. The very small paywall makes me feel comfortable to share this kind of content. When I get millions of supporters, I might revisit this, but until then, I’m glad of doing what I’m doing there¹.

Of course, if you want to support me and my creative work, you’ll make me even happier! ↩︎

Mon, 20 May 2024 14:04:33 -0400

Just downloaded three YouTube videos on my Mac, ran MacWhisper¹ to generate the transcripts, then uploaded the resulting files into ChatGPT for a summarization and to get a few answers to my numerous questions. I saved about an hour of work. What a wonderful time to be alive!²

A great Mac utility to do video transcription using GenAI. ↩︎
From a tech standpoint. ↩︎

Sun, 19 May 2024 17:48:27 -0400

I wonder if a good way to learn about Final Cut Pro is to start with the iPad version. I’ve started testing it with the sample project. Surprisingly, the iPad had trouble handling my UI interactions. This is a M4 iPd Pro, mind you. 😣😳 Also, FCP for iPad reminds me a lot about iMovie. And I’m not sure this is a good thing.

Experiencing A Serious Bug With M4 iPad Pro

Sun, 19 May 2024 12:56:06 -0400

I’m experiencing an rather frustrating issue with my M4 iPad Pro: I’m experimenting with an external displayy (LG 4K UltraFine) with a thunderbolt cable. Everything works fine until the iPad starts acting up and disable the external display. It’s like if the cable was being disconnected and reconnected every few seconds. A restart of the iPad fixes the issue for a little while. Very frustrating to say the least. Probably a bug with iPadOS 17.5. I was hoping to test the external display but I’ll have to wait a little bit more.

Sun, 19 May 2024 09:03:26 -0400

I generally prefer high-contrast images when doing black & white photography. What do you think?

Sun, 19 May 2024 07:36:46 -0400

🚨Hey, it’s Sunday! And you know what happens on each Sunday? It’s time for the new edition of the weekly creative summary newsletter! Here you go, ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy. Made with care and love. 😌

Sat, 18 May 2024 10:59:36 -0400

On iPadOS, I wish I could tap outside a window (Stage Manager being active) to dismiss the front app and return to the Home Screen. I’m a Mac user too, so this is something expected. Why not on iPad?

Sat, 18 May 2024 10:07:53 -0400

I’ve been baited into writing about touch screen Macs once more

I don’t think these Macs would look like today’s clamshell MacBooks, they would have a new form factor more similar to iPads.

What if a touchscreen Mac only allowed for scrolling content with fingers? If the touchscreen Mac is not convertible, what other use of touch than scrolling would people do with a touchscreen Mac? What are people doing on Windows with a touch screen, really?

Fri, 17 May 2024 14:40:57 -0400

Thought of the hour: I don’t think I’ll ever buy the Magic Keyboard for the iPad, thanks to having a MacBook Air. Yet, I do see that it is really improved compared to previous gen.

Fri, 17 May 2024 14:11:18 -0400

When you think about it, not being able to mount an iPad as a USB drive on the Mac to do some files management, in 2024, it’s a bit … frustrating? In that respect, I do join my voice to those who think iPadOS is lacking in many areas, small and bigger.

Fri, 17 May 2024 06:45:34 -0400

This process of having to restore purchases to re-activate in-app purchase for each subscription even after a iPad migration or restore from the Mac is painful. 😣

Skipping Nano-Texture Display on iPad — Why?

Thu, 16 May 2024 21:34:47 -0400

After spending half an hour in the Apple Store comparing iPads with and without the nano-texture display, I came to the conclusion to skip the nano-texture display and here are the reasons why:

The display doesn’t provide a paper-like sensation when using the Apple Pencil.
There is a subtle difference in image sharpness.
The blacks are less complete blacks, which cancels the OLED screen advantage.
The contrast seems to be a little bit lower on the nano-texture display.

The corollary of this decision is:

a) I’m saving some money.

b) Since I’m settling on the 512GB of storage, I’ll get only 8GB of system memory.

c) This iPad is a little bit less future-proof.

So, that’s it for the decision about this display finish!

Finally

Thu, 16 May 2024 21:12:09 -0400

Finally got the new iPad Pro: 11-inch, 512GB of storage, which means “only” 8GB of system RAM and no nano-texture display. I made the decision after spending 45 minutes testing the new iPad. The nano-texture display is super nice to the touch, but it does reduce image crispiness. With the Apple Pencil, that texture doesn’t really reproduce a paper-like feeling. That, I could add that later with Paperlike for iPad when it becomes available. Plus, I saved a lot of money. There is a limit to what I can and wish to spend on Apple hardware. 🤷🏻‍♂️ More details, like a mini-review, soon.

Mon, 13 May 2024 21:44:24 -0400

There is one thing that I really want to try and master with the new iPad that I couldn’t do before: explore and learn Final Cut Pro for iPad. It seems a more approachable version than on the desktop. Am I wrong?

Mind Blown Again

Mon, 13 May 2024 20:35:03 -0400

I really liked the OpenAI short keynote, especially the few jabs at Google. What OpenAI is doing is simply mind-blowing. I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this. What isn’t clear, though, is as a paying member of ChatGPT, why would I continue to subscribe if I don’t use the live translation? One last thing: Siri looks like a prehistoric bot. Apple has to do something about this, and fast.

Mon, 13 May 2024 20:25:15 -0400

To those who reviewed the new iPads and concluded that the hardware is great but iPadOS is the limiting factor: it is becoming tiring. The iPad is not and probably will never be a Mac. If you wanted utter flexibility, it’s the Mac. Why is it so hard? Can you just move on to something else? Thanks.

Mon, 13 May 2024 12:23:02 -0400

Having to authenticate with Wordpress just to like a blog post is so “tired”.

Mon, 13 May 2024 07:37:17 -0400

Posted a photo on my Ko-fi page this morning. It’s for supporters only. I shared some thoughts about street photography. I decided to use that page to share more personal stories that I don’t share elsewhere. It’s only the beginning. It will take time to open up more. It’s a journey.

Sun, 12 May 2024 14:43:48 -0400

My old camera is up for sale on eBay (link). Just saying. If interested, let’s talk hello@numericcitizen.me. Tell me you saw this on Micro.blog (or Mastodon / Bluesky).

Sat, 11 May 2024 19:38:23 -0400

Missed the opportunity to order an iPad Pro with nano texture glass and get it before my summer vacations on Jun 24th. Not great.

Sat, 11 May 2024 06:16:06 -0400

If OpenAI upcoming announcement is about launching a search engine, I’ll take it in a heart beat. Anything that is challenging Google’s dominance is a win for all, even for Google.

Wed, 08 May 2024 09:58:08 -0400

I hate the way Apple is showing the new iPad Pro with a dark wallpaper we ain’t see the actual device! Is it on purpose so that we can’t compare bezels between old and new Pros?

Wed, 08 May 2024 07:24:26 -0400

After some reading about the new iPads, general sentiment seems to be: great but underutilized hardware. And getting more expensive.

Tue, 07 May 2024 12:45:51 -0400

Were these iPad announcements worth a press release or a keynote? For me, a press release would have been more than enough. I’m happy to see these powerful new iPad but since I’m coming from a 2018 iPad Pro, it’s not indicative of the current general mood.

Tue, 07 May 2024 12:12:18 -0400

The M4 on the new iPad Pro triggers a need-to-upgrade narrative more than any iPadOS-only feature could. Sad but true. A macOS virtual machine could have been this “software-only” story that Apple chose not to be told.

Tue, 07 May 2024 11:55:55 -0400

Coming from a 2018 11-inch iPad Pro it will prove to be a massive update for me.

Tue, 07 May 2024 11:19:49 -0400

I guess, I’ll have to go with the 11-inch 1TB configuration to get the nano display option and 16 GB of RAM. Oh well. One life to live.

Tue, 07 May 2024 11:16:19 -0400

So, there are no “erasure” mode for the Apple apensil Pro?

Tue, 07 May 2024 10:49:47 -0400

Nano glass option only available on 1TB & 2 TB configs. This is so Apple. 🤔☹️#appleevent

Tue, 07 May 2024 04:30:37 -0400

I find it hard to save time for blogging while traveling. There is always so much to do that I kind of forget about writing. This post is an exception, though. 😂 we’re visiting Nice today. Been there once but it’s always fun to revisit great cities.

Tue, 07 May 2024 03:33:36 -0400

It will be a challenge for me to watch the #AppleEvent today. I guess I’ll hit Apple.com later to read about all the new stuff.

Thu, 02 May 2024 17:18:01 -0400

The iPad revenue share is about 6% of total. Seeing Apple continue to invest in this platform is something that I wonder if other companies would do with such a “loss leader”. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the iPad next week.

Thu, 02 May 2024 07:13:58 -0400

Information Architect¹ is working on something that could prove to be super useful for me: shareable presentations using iA Presenter. It’s currently in testing. Judging by their blog post, it looks slick. I could build online presentations that go with The Craft Bible or The Craft Starter Kit that I’m working on. Can’t wait to try it out.

The maker of iA Writer, iA Presenter. ↩︎

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 21:43:11 -0400

Three years later and it’s funny to remember where I came from and why I’ve migrated to Ghost for everything¹, not only my newsletter.

Not exactly, everything, but for my main website where I share my newsletter and some other long-form posts. ↩︎

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 21:35:44 -0400

For some reason, tonight, I miss Medium. I used to love writing for it and reading from it. I still have close to 800 followers, albeit the number really never change, which I find strange.

On AI Pin, Rabbit R1 and Apple Vision Pro.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 07:36:45 -0400

From what I’m reading and seeing, the AI Pin and Rabbit R1 are terrible devices for potentially great AI use cases, while the Apple Vision Pro is a technology marvel device with weak use cases. The former are probably DOA because they risk lacking funding to keep the show going, while Apple’s massive resources might save the Apple Vision Pro from a complete failure.

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 15:07:05 -0400

Calling for suggestions: I’d like to back up my iCloud Photos Library content locally on my Synology NAS, but I don’t want to use the built-in “Download Originals to this Mac” of Apple Photos. Any utility that does that? Thanks!

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 13:56:09 -0400

🔥 It’s still Sunday where I live, and it’s time to share the newest edition of the weekly creative summary! Coming up soon to a mailbox near you¹. 😅

You aren’t subscribing?? What are you waiting for! ↩︎

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 12:49:17 -0400

You want to know more about all the new features and tweaks introduced on Micro.blog in the last two months? Here’s a video that I made today for you guys. Enjoy. cc @jean @manton

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 11:48:34 -0400

Today I might have hit the max my M1 Mac mini could give me: while exporting my video in ScreenFlow, I was editing a photo in Photomator. The latter couldn’t keep up with me trying different settings on my image.

Security Is Hard for Everyone

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 08:27:03 -0400

This morning, my wife picked up her iPhone and tried to unlock it¹. She couldn’t after a few try². She tried a few times with a slight variation, but the iPhone refused to unlock itself, now showing a 15-minute delay on the lock screen. Her passcode is a complex one as per corporate security rules. She knows it by heart, she told me. She doesn’t know what to do, and she is in deep doubt now. Eventually, she asked me for help, but I told her I cannot do much about it³.

At first, I thought it was the infamous Apple ID being locked out, but it’s not the case. As a reminder: the passcode used to unlock your iPhone has little to do with your Apple ID. But, when using 2FA, the iPhone is required to get access to the Apple ID and must be unlocked for this to work. Maybe this is why people think they are both linked together. It’s not the case.

As I finish writing this up, my wife tried again to unlock her iPhone and it worked. All is good now. But it’s a reminder that, for most people, security is hard. It’s hard to experience. It’s hard to explain. It’s hard to get over it.

Face ID requires using the passcode to unlock the device after a period of time. ↩︎
She couldn’t tell me how many times she tried. ↩︎
Eventually, without the passcode, an iPhone needs to be fully erased to be able to use it again. It’s a security measure. It’s by design, in case you didn’t know. ↩︎

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:13:42 -0400

It’s been such a long time since Apple redesigned their Magic Mouse. Is this the only solution to an old problem? And this charging port underneath, could they try to fix this nonsense too? Hard to believe Apple can be so slow at fixing the obvious.

Overrated x 1000

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:17:36 -0400

Microsoft 365 or Office 365, if you prefer, is so overrated. Microsoft is the master of selling licenses but when it comes down to doing real serious collaborative work with Teams and the rest of the software suite it falls apart really quickly. For example: trying to collaborated on a Word document, creating comments and assigning a task toi someone… nobody knows really where the task is actually saved! And no one seems to get a notification… or nobody cares to look at the activity tab in Teams because it is so overwhelming! Oh and don’t get me started with Microsoft Loop, a pale copycat of Notion. And should we talk about Visio? I prefer not.

I’m so fed up of working in an IT field where everyone is short sighted with Microsoft. I mean, there are so much more powerful collaborative apps out there.

/rantoff

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:02:23 -0400

Hey guys, I’m looking for an app that can browser folders containing photos. This app would display photo’s metadata too and allow for adjusting the thumbnails size. Any recommendations for me? I’m looking for an alternative to Adobe Bridge. Thanks.

Ghost and ActivityPub Support - We All Win

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 21:17:26 -0400

I’m a bit late to the game but I just read the announcement by Ghost about their ActivityPub support that is coming to their platform. I find this development super exciting; one of my site is on Ghost. Having people subscribe to my content via their favorite Mastodon client is super cool. But what is cooler is that people will be able to reply to my articles right from here on Micro.blog and get their reply published right under my articles, just like on Micro.blog. I think this is a good way to offer a reduced friction experience compared to having to log in to post a reply, which is the standard way to interact with a Ghost blog post. Can’t wait to see this coming this year.

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:48:27 -0400

It’s a bit sad that I won’t be able to watch the new iPad announcement in two weeks as I’ll be abroad on a cruise ship. I won’t pre-order the new iPad Pro either because I won’t be able to read all the news beforehand. This could mean that I’ll face delays in getting the new device. 😩

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 10:36:42 -0400

“🇬🇷🇪🇸 The EU and NATO are putting “strong pressure” on Greece and Spain to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems, the Financial Times reports, citing its sources. This pressure is justified by the “safe geographical location of the countries” and the presence of more than a dozen Patriot and S-300 systems."

This is insane that those countries keep their systems while Ukraine is in such needs. 🤬

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 07:54:53 -0400

If Ukraine has been outgunned 5 to 1 or 10 to 1 is some parts of the front for weeks, why is Russia not making more advances?

On Comfort Zones

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 07:06:34 -0400

Today, I’ll bring my camera to the office¹, as I’m declaring myself as the official photographer for the two-day yearly sales kickoff event. I’ll take photos of humans, which is not my cup of tea, but I need to try it more and get out of my comfort zone. Usually my problem while photographing humans is anticipation and timing. Some people are very good at it, but I’m not. So, I need to practice. Comfort zones are killing creativity and learning.

My iPhone will stay in my pocket, I’ll use my Nikon Zf with the 40mm F2 lens. ↩︎

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 20:08:35 -0400

Dashboards are among the most popular use cases for Notion. As a Craft user, it is tempting to try creating a dashboard that suits my needs, but that gets its inspiration from what others are doing in Notion. I tried it and the following video tells it all. Enjoy.

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 11:21:50 -0400

Taking photos of decorative materials with the iPhone is really tricky. The automatic white balance makes everything look wrong and we cannot trust the photo to reproduce what we actually saw and perceived. How are designers doing with their phones?

Design Is Hard

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:31:41 -0400

I’ve been discussing a lot about design in general with my wife recently regarding our home improvement project. Design is hard. The process of redesigning a 3D space (a room, a bathroom) is not trivial but I think we should always try to start from a minimalistic concept from which we can build on step by step later. Also, not everyone has the same ability to visualize something in 3D without first seeing it for real, even with 3D computer assisted design. It will be a long journey.

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 07:26:33 -0400

🚨Okay, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the newest edition of my weekly creative summary! Thanks for taking the time to have a peek at it. 😊 If you prefer the email version, it’s coming up later today, but be sure to subscribe here!

Now ☀️9 °C - 🌡️2 °C - 🌧️29%

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 07:02:35 -0400

Today, I wanted to try something different and write this post on Micro.blog instead of Scribbles. Since the Micro.blog editor is so far behind Scribbles’, I’m using Ulysses for this experiment. Sadly, people won’t be able to reply using a contact form because my blog on Micro.blog doesn’t offer one. In any case, say hello@numericcitizen.me!
Today is a special day—video recording day! I’m excited to share more about my creator dashboard, a project I’ve been passionately building in Craft.
I’ve been editing photos with Photomator recently and discovered that for some photos, Photomator would create a sidecar file which is more than 100 MB in size, while for other photos, the sidecar file is only around a hundred kilobytes, under similar editing workflows.
I find Grammarly to be overly iterative when suggesting corrections. After applying a suggestion, it will iterate and suggest something else that it could have figured out in the first place. They are transitioning to AI, and I think it will help. Oh, and Grammarly considers markdown formatting marks to be corrected.
Yesterday, after watching this video, I wondered if I should switch to FinalCut Pro for my video production. There are things that I find super cool and useful in FCP that I don’t have in Screenflow like Gling.ai.
It took me 22 minutes to write this post.
Maybe I could alternate between Scribbles and Micro.blog for this /Now post. What do you think? Don’t miss previous /Now posts on Scribbles.
This is a photo that I processed yesterday night. A better version will soon be available on my Glass page, though.

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 18:43:57 -0400

I want to discover a new blog, any suggestions for me?

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 16:43:49 -0400

I’m cautiously happy to see the American settle and go ahead with the military aid for Ukraine (and Taiwan). Time is seriously running out, and I’m afraid that the West falls in the “too little too late” trap. Now finish this and ship the good stuff out ASAP FTW!

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 08:52:30 -0400

I’m currently working on building a creator dashboard in Craft and it’s fun but Craft is rather limited compared to Notion. I’m working on an upcoming video about that! Stay tuned.

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:47:22 -0400

The House of Representatives are going to vote on separate bills for Ukraine and Israel aid this weekend. My fear is that aid for Israel gets a go but not Ukraine which would be devastating. This could be a turning point.

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:31:18 -0400

Went outside today for lunch and took my camera¹ with me. What a good idea it was. I like this a lot because it is an opportunity to take a mental break from work. When I’m coming back to work, I’m more enthusiastic.

Nikon Zf with a 44mm F2 lens. Great combo. ↩︎

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 21:52:41 -0400

The Magic Is Gone - Initial Charge

The magic of Apple’s retail stores is gone.

Except when the new iPad Pro launches, which should be the case pretty soon.

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 06:46:14 -0400

On Micro.blog, Scribbles, And Multi-homing

It’s easier for me to do this using Scribbles editor. I don’t know why. Might be a combination of how the compose screen is styled and laid out, plus the use of a WYSIWYG editor. But whatever it is, it all combines into an experience where the words flow a little easier for me. That’s probably the only way I can describe it. There’s nothing really empirical about it all, but maybe that’s the point. It’s involves the emotional side of writing: the “look and feel”.

I prefer Scribbles editor to Micro.blog’s, too. There is something about Scribbles that makes the experience more enjoyable. But I’m still using Micro.blog for longer posts and Scribbles for short ones, except maybe the /Now posts. Well, it’s complicated. Anyhow, I think Micro.blog’s post editor needs some more love.

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 07:39:54 -0400

Funny that, reading a random post this morning, stumbled on that one. A year later and I found a use case for Bear.

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 16:03:06 -0400

For the first time since its release¹, I’m using iCloud Shared Photo Library with my wife for the home improvement project. It’s really well done and fits perfectly my needs.

Released with iOS 16 in 2022. ↩︎

In Search of a New and Optimized Photo Processing Workflow

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 15:08:04 -0400

Now that I’m no longer in Adobe’s ecosystem for my photo processing needs, I depend on Photomator and Synology Photos. I need to create an optimized workflow: upload photos to Synology¹, browse and tag the pictures I want to process using Synology Photos tags, then edit them in Photomator. This is the last is a challenge: RAW images need to be converted to a DNG format², and then edited in Photomator before exporting the end results in JPEG. I need to download RAW images manually out of Synology Photos then import them in Photomator for processing. Processed images should then be imported into Apple Photos for easy access.

Done automatically over wifi from the camera to the Synology NAS. ↩︎
As of 2024-04, Nikon Zf RAW image format is not supported natively by macOS or iPadOS on which Photomator depends. This conversion process is cumbersome. ↩︎

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 08:47:54 -0400

🚨 After a three-week pause, here comes the latest weekly creative summary, a day earlier. I hope you enjoy this edition. Coming later by email to my dear subscribers. ✌🏻

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 08:08:18 -0400

Can you imagine having spent $12,000 up-front for Tesla’s “full self driving” only to see it descoped to “supervised driving” and then price slashed to $99/mo? Congrats on being given the privilege of training Elon’s model for a huge fee!

Jonathan LaCour https://cleverdevil.io/2024/can-you-imagine-having-spent-12000-up-front

Can you spell “class action lawsuit”?

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:34:35 -0400

Ten years (oops, fourteen) years of iPad. This article, first published more than four years ago, takes another dimension on the eve of new iPad releases.

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:56:10 -0400

After my iPad Pro, my “old” 2020 Mac mini is next¹.

To be upgraded so that i can use two screens at once. ↩︎

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 20:36:58 -0400

Jony Ive searching for funding to help develop a dedicated AI device. I hope he will succeed with his iPad.🤣

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:49:05 -0400

So, the US defence secretary doesn’t like this idea of Ukraine hitting oil refineries in Russia, because they are civilian targets and because it could affect the global oil market. How about Russia, who’s 99% of the time hitting civilian targets in Ukraine for more than two years? This position is not defendable. Imagine if Russia hit 1% of the US civilian targets. Imagine that.

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:55:59 -0400

Sold my little Mac Pro trash can for $600 CAN¹. Not bad for a 1TB SDD, 128GB of RAM and the 12-core Xeon 2.7 GHz configuration. And the Thunderbolt 2 cable and TB 3 to TB2 adaptor. Not the keyboard or mouse, as they are still useful for me. Sometimes. 🙂

I barely knew it. It’s sad because I loved this little machine. ↩︎

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 17:17:48 -0400

I’m seriously considering selling my 2018 11-inch iPad Pro, Apple Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil as a bundle, very cheap, before the new iPad Pro comes out, while dollars value is still reasonable. The thing is that I don’t want to setup my new iPad from an iCloud backup, these are slow and are missing quite a few pieces of data. The Migration Assistant method is so much more effective. I should decide this weekend. 🤔

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 22:09:46 -0400

I hate to put things like Apple gear for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Most people are rude, lacking any civility, and not trustworthy. Still looking for a serious buyer for my 2013 Trashcan Mac Pro. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Feeling Undecided — Thinking Out Loud

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 21:20:00 -0400

Believe it or not, I’m still undecided about what to use for my summer travel journal. My options are 1) A new dedicated blog with Micro.blog, 2) Scribbles, 3) Pixelfed, 4) None of the above. I’m also undecided about how much effort I want to put into this. Micro.blog’s image handling concerns me¹. Scribbles is in a similar position². This leaves me with Pixelfed. Yet, this question is fundamental to my decision: it is more about images or words. It’s the former. I might end up with Pixelfed. Or with a bit of everything³. Decision. Decision. Decision.

This is highly dependent on my visual theme selection. ↩︎
Posting on Scribbles is limited to a browser. Preparing posts offline is a must here. ↩︎
Isn’t the case right now, anyway? ↩︎

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 19:30:38 -0400

If rumors are true that Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine when he returns to the Office is for both sides to save face. How do you achieve that if the rumoured plan is for Ukraine to cease Crimea and Donbas regions to Russia? How is Ukraine saving face here? What a motherfucker this guy is. This “plan” really reflects the way he conducted himself during is “business career” and as an acting president. I hope he goes to hell. 😡

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 08:56:39 -0400

Testing Micro.blog macOS app version 3.2. I should use it more often when I’m on a Mac, which is 95% of the time! Fun fact: If I understand Micro.blog premium subscription capabilities correctly, I have one more blog available in my five-blog allotment¹.🕺🏻👀🤔

I might use it for travel journaling. ↩︎

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 11:05:37 -0400

I like HEY mail but I rarely use the client to read The Feed, which is a bit sad. There was no improvement to the reading experience since HEY release. Anyone with the same experience?

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:13:26 -0400

Brought my iPad with me but failed to use it once after arriving at the hotel as I prefer my iPhone¹. I wonder what it means, if it means anything regarding my love of the iPad and my future plans of upgrading.

On the plane, I use the iPad more. ↩︎

Logging My Intentional Actions

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 08:47:31 -0400

I log quite a lot of things I do online using Things 3 Logbook feature to use this in my weekly creative summaries. I log what I do intentionally, of course, otherwise this would be way too noisy. One example is watching this video about Siegfried Hansen, a respected street photographer¹. Reading an article in Omnivore is another intentional action that I want to log.

The process is simple: I have many pending tasks in Things 3, in a project called “To Read, Watch, Listen & Process.” I do select a task, do it, then mark it as completed. It then goes into Things 3 Logbook. It’s cool.²³

If you are interested in street photographer, it’s a great interview with lots of great photos. ↩︎
I wonder if there is a name for people who log the things they do on a daily basis. ↩︎
I’m not sure why I do log these actions. ↩︎

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 19:01:52 -0400

I just finished a quick Facebook session to see what’s new for my Mac Pro that I put for sale on the marketplace. I switched to my late father’s Facebook account to see if something needed attention. Nothing. Depressing. What the fuck is Facebook now?

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:21:08 -0400

@Denny wrote:

I don’t view myself as a “content creator” and recoil at that phrase. I keep a blog as a way to stay involved in the world. Simply put, my motivation is to write, share, read, engage, learn. My contribution is a drop in the ocean and irrelevant to me beyond it being my tiny contribution to the collective whole.

This thought really resonated with me. So much that I’m considering to replace “compulsive creator” to “compulsive contributor” in my bio. It is so much more meaningful and positive.

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 06:54:43 -0400

Since March 13, 2020¹, I mostly work from home, coming to the office only once a week². One negative side effect of this important change of habit is that I don’t go out often, so photo opportunities are close to none. I don’t know how to compensate for this. 😔

Remember COVID-19? ↩︎
I do skip one in a while. ↩︎

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 15:40:31 -0400

I’ve been setting up a group of to-do lists in Apple Reminders for managing our home improvement project. Each list is shared with my wife which means that each task can be assigned to one of us. I really like my experience so far.

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 14:29:49 -0400

Today, 2024-03-24, it’s Sunday, and it’s time for the latest edition of my weekly creative summary, edition 2024-11, available right here. Available later today by email to my dear subscribers! Enjoy.

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 10:08:32 -0400

Here’s an idea: get a generative AI bot to browse all my photo posts on my Pixelfed profile page and generate a lengthy description of my photography style.

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 08:39:09 -0400

Now that my Pixelfed presence is well established with more than 650 photos posted, I officially closed my Smugmug account. My photo-sharing journey can now be summarized like this: Flickr ➡️ 500px ➡️ Smugmug ➡️ Glass + Pixelfed. And, of course, I still do use Unsplash. My profile pages are documented on my digital hub.

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 12:18:33 -0400

Raycast is becoming a powerhouse; it’s almost unbelievable. I just finished testing the latest release, which includes a Chrome companion extension. This extension allows invoking Raycast to perform tasks within the context of the currently open website in the browser. It’s super handy for summarizing an article or a YouTube video. I’m considering upgrading my Raycast subscription to support more advanced ChatGPT integration and models. 🤑

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 18:30:03 -0400

“One way or another, real competition may be coming to the iPhone” - The Platformer about the DOJ vs Apple lawsuit.

Oh, come on.

DOS vs Apple - Am I Getting Too Old?

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:47:41 -0400

I’m unsure if I’m getting too old, but topics like DOJ vs Apple and everything preceding it are too complex for me to dive into. It may be a vital part of Apple’s current history, but I struggle to grasp it. I appreciate the efforts of non-professional tech pundits and Apple enthusiasts who delve deep into this and share their perspectives tirelessly. I’m not reading all the comments and takes on this, again because there as way too many. I do understand too that the course of the iPhone experience might see an inflection point in the coming years, if what is currently happening in the EU is any indication. I think it’s sad because the bases for this aren’t forming a consensus; something probably unachievable.

This all explain my indecision about who’s right, who’s wrong. I don’t trust governments’ capabilities in understanding our tech world, that’s for sure, which means I’m not optimistic about the future of this particular case. Apple is big. So is Google. Facebook. And the like. They are the fruit of the “American way”. I guess that at some point, we prefer mediocrity in the name of “open markets” and to give an “equal” chance to all who wold like to compete.

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 08:28:56 -0400

I find it insulting and inhumane to ask Ukraine to stop hitting the oil refineries in Russia for fear of causing a rise in gas prices. The Americans didn’t hesitate to go take down Saddam Hussein and trigger the Gulf War, nothing less. What a bunch of hypocrites. I’m fuming.

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:40:12 -0400

I decided to use my Ko-fi page to share more personal tidbits about me and my creative journey. These are behind the One-a-month subscription. I feel at ease sharing these things because they are behind a tiny shield: the paywall. If you want to know more about me and get virtually closer, now it’s possible. Please, come in and enjoy the ride.

On Writing Inline Links

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 06:50:09 -0400

Each time I write a sentence with an inline link to something else, I’m hesitating. Here are two examples.

V1: When I read this article I simply couldn’t believe it.

V2: When I read Gurman: No iPad Announcement Planned for March 26, I simply couldn’t believe it.

Which version makes better sense? Which version will trigger a click to visit the link? Linking from within sentences (inline) gives great explanations on how to do the latter¹. Right now, I’m 99% of the time using the version 1 but I consider changing my writing style to go with version 2 as often as possible.

It’s a great use of inline link right there! And I think it works great. ↩︎

On Stage Manager - Again

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 19:46:12 -0400

So, I don’t miss Stage Manager on macOS and my M2 15-inch MacBook Air, apparently. I realized today that I disabled Stage Manager a while ago and forgot to reenable it. Speaking of Stage Manager, it is permanently turned off on my 2018 iPad Pro because it isn’t usable, but this is something that I’m looking forward to reenabling on the new iPad Pro and plugging my iPad into my LG UltraFine 4K display, and see, maybe, a new iPad experience since a long time¹. I can’t wait to try that.

That was a long one, I know. Some thoughts are better shared in one long stretch! ↩︎

Not Everything Should Be "Timeless"

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 11:27:47 -0400

Today, I came across a blog via someone’s else blogroll, and to my surprise, while browsing the blog’s content, I couldn’t find a single post with a publication date. So, let me be clear: I’m not feeling at ease when visiting a blog that don’t display publication date for each post. I can of understand the idea of “timeless” content, but I feel at lost with the author’s decision. I need time references in my digital life so I can better understand the content and the context. Call me old school if you want. I’m ok with this.

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:48:05 -0400

Added a new entry to my blogroll: Enthusiasms. A great blog about many things: sciences, weather, sometimes about Apple, gardening, etc. This guy do have many passions and is enthusiastic about many things. Warning: some rabbit holes in there¹.

His weather observations page is something I must try to replicate for myself! ↩︎

On Presenting

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:38:10 -0400

Just completed a one hour customer presentation this morning. It was the culmination of a six-week project that shoud lead to bigger opportunities. I love doing presentations and I’m really comfortable doing so in front of people, especially when it is directly related to my field of expertise.

Each time I prepare such presentations, I always think about Steve Jobs keynotes. Always. He was a model for me. And still is. There is a little bit of his way into my presentation delivery: setting the stage, telling a story, and a « one more thing » whenever possible.

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:08:30 -0400

Apple seems to be on a streak of really questionable decisions regarding the App Store and the developer’s community in general that will take years for them before they can say: oh gosh, we fucked up. But it might be too late when they do because developers will be doing their things elsewhere. I’m looking for the day Apple more openly admits it is doing wrong.

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 08:33:45 -0400

It’s Sunday, It’s time for the weekly creative summary, edition 2024-10! Enjoy! Please, consider supporting my creative work and visit my Ko-fi page! 🙏🏻 Thanks. The email version is coming out later today for my subscribers! Hold on!

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 11:19:30 -0400

If I were in my thirties, I would run my own instance of Pixelfed. If I were in my twenties, I would build a Pixelfed alternative.

Must Have Public Mental Health Disclaimer

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 18:13:51 -0400

I’ve been reflecting on blogrolls deeply in recent days and started writing an article on that subject. While doing so, an idea came up and I decided to write something that I think anyone who builds and shares a blogroll should add on it as an introduction. I’m reproducing it here.

This is my blogroll. This is a list of blogs that I visit often for different reasons. If you are a blogger and you don’t see your blog in this list, don’t be sad or offended. But I want to say that I’m sorry if you feel that way. Now, why not get in touch with me and share about your blog. I love to discover new things. hello@numericcitizen.me

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 13:57:50 -0400

Gearing up for our next trip to the United States of America[^1] on October, 2024: going to New York for a long weekend. Right before the elections. And you know what? It will take a long time before I back in the US if this dangerous clown ever gets elected[^2].

[^1] I prefer the long version. [^2] That will happen my friends. Mark my words.

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:44:29 -0400

Is a corporate “blog”, still a blog? Take for example: Information Architects news site. Some posts like this one are really about musing on specific subjects, not directly related to the company’s products. I understand the marketing value proposition is maintaining a blog for a company, and yet…

Asking for a friend. 🫣🕵🏻

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:31:29 -0400

Like a few others, I’m proud to join the One a Month Club put together by @jarrod [^1]! You can show your support here on Ko-fi! I might post exclusive content on Ko-fi like a photo or a small personal text on a monthly basis. I’ll see where it goes!

[^1] I’m not sure how to get my page registered on Jarrod’s page, though. 🤔

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:04:19 -0400

I find this fascinating that yesterday, I was in such bad mood about a lot of things (work life, personal life) and now, today, after a good night, I’m feeling much more upbeat! I can’t tell why because I don’t know. Human mind is a complete mystery. 😌

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 06:41:36 -0400

The future doesn't belong to optimists or pessimists. It does what it wants. Here's what's plausible to me: Apple has a lot of brains, brand loading and market power... So AVP will find its place. To me, this didn't change everything. The iPhone had that effect. On top of that, the device doesn't have the usual Apple fetish character. It doesn't say "You want this, don't you?" **It doesn't make you look good and part of a cool tribe. From outside makes you look confused, foolish and sad.**
Oliver Reichenstein https://mastodon.social/users/reichenstein/statuses/112085953023448694

Oliver Reichenstein writing about his experience with the Apple Vision Pro. Emphasis is mine.

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 21:18:07 -0400

What is the best way to fix the FOMO syndrome when it comes to RSS feeds? Simply hit “mark all as read”. You are welcome.

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 20:19:34 -0400

Why is Dave Winer still caring about Twitter and Facebook? Mr. Winer is such a proponent of the open web… and interoperability… Twitter and Facebook are the antithesis of those principles.

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:40:56 -0400

Been testing FeedLand this morning. I’m still trying to figure out what it is really about. As a subscriber to Inoreader, I wonder if I really need FeedLand in my digital life. Anyone using FeedLand here? 👀

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 11:37:12 -0400

I wish Apple made special editions of their current and past products. A special edition of the iPod would be a killer and I would buy one. Something running a stripped down iOS version, with a fix set of apps (music, podcast, video) a in unique device that takes cue from the past but also try different new things. It could be a way for Apple to experiment in public and get feedback. Apple could try MacBook with different casing materials, colors and finish. Those special edition products would be available for a while.

I wish Apple would try to reinvent itself more often.

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 11:19:20 -0400

Just finish experimenting with Obsidian¹. I’m always fascinated by Obsidian but also unpleased by its user interface’s uninspired and unfinished feel. Passing for now.

I do this occasionally, as if I was trying to convince myself that it is something should use. ↩︎

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 10:55:01 -0400

I’m done with this week’s creative summary, edition 2024-09. I hope you enjoy as much as I do putting them together, each week. 👨🏻‍💻

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 15:51:00 -0400

I prefer Bear 2 over Craft for managing my reading notes created when using Omnivore and Readwise. This is what the following video is about: migrating from Craft to Bear and why I made that decision. Enjoy.

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 13:28:13 -0400

When my sons got old enough, I offered them their first email address on Gmail. That made them happy. They didn’t have an iPhone to use it but they could sit down in front of a computer and start writing emails. I wonder if I came up with an empty but ready-to-use blog if they would react the same? Probably not.

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 21:51:10 -0400

Photo-editing on the iPad using Photomator is such a joy. I can’t wait to go with the upcoming iPad Pro. The iPad is the perfect devide for photo-editing with the Apple Pencil. With the switch to the OLED technology, it will be even better.

AI Training: Ethics or Coverage?

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 08:00:27 -0400

Some authors on the internet are against using their content without permission to train the models behind generative AI. As a blogger, this question often comes to my mind. On one hand, I believe that training without permission poses an ethical issue. I am unsure if we have genuinely addressed this question as a society. On the other hand, I question the danger of many authors wanting to silence their voices by blocking the training process to access their online content. Now more than ever, I feel that all voices are essential in ensuring that model training reflects our diversity as much as possible. I don’t want bots and haters to win the race. We, as authors, need to offer resistance. I’m not sure how this challenge will be solved, if ever.

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 21:49:20 -0400

🔗 Source: Apple to Announce New Products This Week - MacRumors

Apple plans to announce new products with press releases on its website this week, a proven source familiar with the matter told MacRumors.

After over a year without any new iPad, is Apple going through the press release route? It can’t be about cost-cutting. Or is it? I can’t wait to see what’s in store for potential upgraders like me.

One Big Regret of My Digital Life

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 21:03:07 -0400

One of the things I regret the most is not having had the idea of creating a blog in the 90s (and keeping it until today). Surprisingly, I learned about HTML, web servers like Apache and Netscape when it became popular¹. I didn’t click with the idea of owning a small portion of the Internet to share what I was becoming at that time. What a missed opportunity.

It’s not exactly true. I used to have and maintain a website about a subject that I still find fascinating: meteorology, circa 1994. ↩︎

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 11:30:48 -0400

For Micro.blog lovers and enthusiasts, I made a video summarizing February improvements and additions. Enjoy.

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 09:56:29 -0400

Week number eight is complete. You can read my weekly creative summary right HERE! Coming up later for newsletter subscribers. Thanks for reading about my work. 🙏🏻

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 14:27:57 -0400

I made a big cleanup in my Shortcuts this morning. Boy, do I feel this app needs so much more work to be enjoyable to use. Can Apple fix this mess? Editing a long shortcut is not optimal. There should be a compressed or text-only mode with inline hyperlinks for variables and actions. Syncing is broken—no debugging option. There should be a way to turn off a shortcut so it doesn’t appear in places like share sheets. I wish Apple spent more time on Shortcuts than they do on Swift Playground. Oh, is Apple going to enable creating Shortcuts using GenAI? That would be really cool. 👀🤔

On Single-Purpose Device Attractiveness

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 10:33:56 -0400

This week during a work meeting with my office colleagues, one of them was using a “remarkable” tablet to take notes. I was sitting right next to him and could see the tablet in action. I must say I was impressed. It’s certain that a “remarkable” tablet offers very limited functionality compared to an iPad, but it raises the following question: Should Apple consider going back to creating single-purpose devices? For example, the iPhone killed the iPod, but I think if Apple re-entered the market with a new line of iPods, it would be very popular. And I think the same would be true for a note-taking tablet.

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 22:32:07 -0400

Lots of meetings today at the office. Used my iPad Pro all the time for note-taking. It’s such a wonderful and mighty device for that purpose. Even with iPadOS limitations. I’m excited for the next iteration. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next to this platform.

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:46:45 -0400

Yesterday, while writing and editing a report for one of our clients, I used ChatGPT for two different use cases. One use case was to ask for a summarization of what “firmware” is and how critical it is. The second use case is to define the pillars of a data management and governance policy in the enterprise. On that one, I asked for more details about managing unstructured data. The ChatGPT results were mind-blowing. I know a lot about this specific IT field, and I could validate the correctness of the answers. I saved a lot of time because of ChatGPT.

But what about my ethics?

Should I write a disclaimer in this report that says GenAI was used to put together some portions of this report? Is the client ready and mature enough to read this disclaimer? Will he understand that ChatGPT is in fact like an assistant to whom I asked to summarize what a data governance policy is? How do I cite my sources?

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 21:52:28 -0400

Today is the kind of day where I feel that I’m in a constantly moving mode: from Craft to Micro.blog or Bear 2. Closing this subscription, starting a new one. And all this for what? Content preservation? Data silos fighting? It’s exhausting.

On Apple Car Project Cancellation - It Did Make Any Sense Anyway

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 18:13:06 -0400

This whole Apple Car didn’t make any sense to me. It’s not Apple. A car is not a personal device. A personal device is a phone. A computer. Or a bike. One positive byproduct of this car journey is probably the birth of CarPlay 2.0, which was probably worked within the Apple Car project. But then, what else? AI? Maybe. I’m reading that the AI portion of the project will be folded into the other AI team(s) within Apple. It’s good because Apple needs all it can get in AI to stay relevant in that field and imagine the future beyond Siri.

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:23:51 -0400

The Craft team is introducing collaborative whiteboards to Craft. I tested the feature and made a video about it.

A Metablog That You Can Follow via RSS

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 20:24:42 -0400

💡 Today, I want to share the newest addition to my digital publishing space: my metablog, hosted on Micro.blog. This isn’t entirely new; another version is already in place, but it is hosted as a series of Craft-shared documents. What I’m sharing today is hosted on Micro.blog using the recently introduced increase in the number of blogs you can have with a single premium account¹. From this migration, my metablog will gain RSS feed support, enable POSSE, and be closer to my online community here on Micro.blog, but also on Mastodon and Bluesky.

One last thing: this is a work-in-progress, a build-in-public thing. I’m slowly transposing most of my content to this new home, one post at a time. You’ll know it because of cross-posting and the RSS feed provided that you subscribe. 👈🏻 Some posts date back to 2020, but you might be surprised by discovering a few gems.

I’m using two, and I’ll probably stop there. I promise. ↩︎

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:33:49 -0400

Thought of the day: Micro.blog is probably the most fun and flexible thing on the open web these days that I can play with. It is approachable which in itself is a great quality. It is a creativity “unleasher”. When something is fun, I want more of it. I want to spread the word and share my excitement. 👊🏻

Finalizing This Week's Creative Summary — Plus: An Idea

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:38:01 -0400

It’s Sunday, and you know the drill: it’s time to share my latest edition of the weekly creative summary. It’s mostly complete, so this week’s edition partially follows the “build in public” movement. I wonder if I should start sharing the document at the beginning of the process so that you can see the whole creation process as I’m working on the current edition. What do you think?

I’ve been doing these summaries since last September and enjoy putting them together. It’s issue number 22. Enjoy. The email version is coming out later today.

Built with care and love on 100% recycled electrons.

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 16:06:21 -0400

After much thinking, I decided not to create exclusive content for paying subscribers of numericcitizen.me. Reason #1: I don’t publish often enough to warrant such a decision. Reason #2: I don’t have the time to create such content and don’t want to feel the pressure. Reason #3: I prefer asking for support for my whole creative journey. In a sense, someone subscribing encourages the pursuit of my journey by saying: can’t wait to read what’s coming! Are you one of those? 🙂

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 08:41:14 -0400

I’m still looking into new use cases for using Micro.blog’s new blog limits¹. Porting a portion of my meta blog is one such use case, but porting this portion would be really difficult. I might go ahead with a dual publication: I keep the Craft version because it is richer and faster to publish but also publish on Micro.blog because of RSS support and better integration with my Micro.blog digital community.

I’m currently using one blog, this one, and one one-page site. ↩︎

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:16:15 -0400

Yesterday I did a 20-min presentation on how to take advantage of ChatGPT and GenAI tools at work, for my colleagues. Many of them didn’t learn anything because they already experimented with these tools. For others, they learned quite a bit and I saw their enchantment in their eyes. This reminds of 1993 when I gave a similar presentation about tools like Netscape, Newsgroups, Gopher, and Mail and how to use http requests. Today, we need to learn how to create effective “prompts”.

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 21:23:19 -0400

🔗 Elon Musk nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Billionaire Elon Musk — whose businesses range from satellites to social media — was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by a Norwegian lawmaker who praised the X owner as a “stout proponent for free speech.”

You must be kidding me! While at it, why not nominate Putin for his fight against nazis in Ukraine. Beyond ridiculous.

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 10:50:25 -0400

Apple Journals is iPhone only. Apple Sports is iPhone only¹. Apple Classical is iPhone only. Did Apple forget about the iPad? What should we conclude from this? Will it take years to come to the iPad, just like the Health app? Isn’t that easy to make an iPad version of an app?

It’s a new app that is launching today. A surprise. ↩︎

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 10:54:03 -0400

Apple Vision Pro Returns https://initialcharge.net/2024/02/gurman-vision-pro-returns/
Initial Charge https://libertynode.net/@initialcharge/111964363323398274

I wonder, sometimes, about the Apple Vision Pro ending up in the drawer, just like pre-iPod era MP3 players. Time will tell.

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:44:01 -0400

I wasn’t invited to share my thoughts on this year’s SixColors Apple performance performance report, So I’m writing my own performance report. 😛

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 17:00:18 -0400

It’s time for the 2024-06 issue of my weekly creative summary! Not my best week, but good enough to share! 👨🏻‍💻😅 I created an index for the past editions. Newsletter going out by email soon. 📬

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 16:18:03 -0400

I wrote a little article¹ explaining how I’m using Ghost’s API to “browse” published articles so that I can select an article that I want to update.

On Numeric Citizen I/O blog (link). ↩︎

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 15:34:32 -0400

It’s the perfect coffee shop kit for me. At first, I didn’t think of going out today, but I realized that I spend all weekdays at home for work. I guess it was time to see the world and enjoy a creative session at the coffee shop while listening to music. Slow vibes¹.

the photo wasn’t post-processed beyond what the iPhone usually does. ↩︎

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 13:09:52 -0400

My uneducated expectations tell me that Apple will announce Apple Vision Pro expanded availability to Canada during their highly expected and anticipated event announcing the iPad Pro refresh.

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:19:56 -0400

When people are nervous and under pressure, their worst tendencies often surface easily. 😌

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 17:00:00 -0400

🔥 It’s still Sunday where I live, and it’s time to share the newest edition of the weekly creative summary! Coming up soon to a mailbox near you. 😅

From an Idea to Blips

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 21:47:12 -0400

As I wrote earlier today, I’ve been wondering about a possible use case for Scribbles¹. It took me about 5 minutes to get my idea, and it is called Blips, Numeric Citizen Blips, to be more precise². Blips will enable me to share… short blips of my digital life. I should be fun, noisy at times. But not too much. Enjoy. Or not. 🙃

Straightforward blogging service that is absolutely a joy to use. Nothing fancy, but mighty. ↩︎
Blips sound digital; it’s a concept perfectly fitting the “Numeric Citizen” branding. ↩︎

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 19:17:07 -0400

I’ll be blipping soon. 👀

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 17:01:42 -0400

While I’m still waiting my invite for Scribbles (tick tock tick tock @vincent 😬), I’m thinking of a possible use case. And I think I might be on the verge of finding one. My digital presence goes like this: Space ➡️ Blog ➡️ (…something small, tiny blips…) Blips. More to come soon.

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 20:23:18 -0400

Sometimes, I have an idea for what would be a short blog post, and start writing it, thinking I’ll share it here on Micro.blog. As I’m writing my article, it grows and grows and grows to a point where I need to reconsider where I’m going to share the article. When I cross the 500 words mark¹, this is where it makes more sense to post on my main website which is dedicated to long and less in-the-moment thoughts. I’m working on a long one about micro.blog. Stay tuned.

It’s not a definitive threshold. ↩︎

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:07:23 -0400

Since getting a MacBook a few years ago, my iPad usage drastically dropped, to a point where sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever upgrade my aging 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. Yesterday, I spent the whole evening on it for reading and watching YouTube. It was a reminder that I still the love the iPad form factor and I couldn’t live without one.

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 22:21:28 -0400

A satisfying exercise for me is to open Glass on my iPad and start to glance at photos and members. Each time, my goal is to subscribe to three members with photos that I like. Today, unexpectedly, I stumbled on the announcement of the upcoming Series feature. I can’t waitt for that one. Pixelfed isn’t really good at this, posting a bunch of related photos in one post.

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:23:53 -0400

It’s now official: Trump and his clown followers are complicit of Putin. Disgusting. Disclaimer: this blog hosts my thoughts and mild-venting about the war in Ukraine 🇺🇦.

About This Permanent State of Being Undecided With Apps

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 09:25:41 -0400

I have been a happy user of Apple Safari for the last decade. If possible, I prefer using Apple’s browser, thanks to its privacy protection and features. If something doesn’t work in Safari, I will try Firefox. I’ll do everything possible to skip Google Chrome. I use Microsoft Edge because of its integration with Microsoft 365 at work. But Safari is never too far, just in case. It’s now my fall-back plan. Why this change? Because of the Arc Browser, which is now my main browser.

I’m the type of user who always tries to find a use case for an app that I really like, even if it is superseded with a better one. I love Craft. I always use it in my creative hobbies, but I found a great use case for Notion at work. I like Apple Reminder for family-related tasks but use Things 3 for my creative hobbies. I like Apple Calendar for my personal life but prefer Fantastical for the office. I keep both. I like HEY mail but must use Outlook at the office.

This constant duality in my choices about which app to use sometimes looks like psychological trouble. 😬🤷🏻‍♂️

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 08:15:40 -0400

Craft release v2.7.0 is a big one. There are lots of improvements that should please a majority of users. I played with it while in beta and created a video to give users a visual look at what’s new. The Craft Bible also was updated to include the release analysis, now part of the subscription.

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 08:19:33 -0400

Folks, I think I’ve finally rationalized it. Don’t think of it as a PURCHASE. Think of it as an advanced prototype that you’ve paid Apple for the PRIVILEGE of testing.

Daniel Jalkut https://danielpunkass.micro.blog/2024/02/03/folks-i-think.html

Thinking about the Apple Vision Pro, the right way.

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 16:53:39 -0400

If you’re a Craft user and are looking for ways that Gen AI could add value to the Craft Assistant, I wrote this document. I think there is an untapped potential in Craft because of minimalistic support for the ChatGPT entry-level model. Feedback is welcome.

The Next One Is My Best

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 13:02:16 -0400

I just completed recording my next YouTube video (my YouTube channel), which will come out early next week. It’s probably the one I’m the most proud of at many levels. The release will match the release of a new version of an app that I like a lot 🤫. Technically, the sound is good. I’me using Bezels to demo the app on the iPad and the iPhone, a first for me. The video structure seems logical and should help the viewers in learning new things. Can’t wait to share that one. I hope it will get the attention I’m hoping for. 🤞🏻

I'm Sorry but Apple Vision Pro Is Another VR Headset, or Is It?

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 12:58:47 -0400

Of all people who reviewed or are now active users of the Apple Vision Pro, some are mentioning, rightfully, that this is not about AR¹ but 95% about VR². Apple doesn’t want to admit it, but this is a VR headset. Why is that? Is is because it is “easier”³ to recreate something from the ground up (the virtual world enabled by visionOS) than taking the reality and adding meaningful and useful stuff to it? I see much more limited use case for augmented reality than for virtual reality. It might change in the future, now that people are now exposed to it through other people using the headset sharing their experience.

Augmented Reality. ↩︎
Virtual Reality. ↩︎
It’s not an easy feat to do what visionOS is doing. ↩︎

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 14:43:13 -0400

I’ll probably buy an Apple Vision Pro when it arrives in Canada. My wife doesn’t know it. She will undoubtedly question my decision. She can be challenging at times. But I’ll go ahead anyway. We don’t have a home theatre by today’s standards. We never invested money into these technologies. But this time, it’s different. It’s a too important moment in technology to pass.

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:32:00 -0400

Basic Apple Guy writing about the Apple Vision Pro:

For now, Vision Pro remains a very exclusive playground for developers and enthusiasts, clay waiting to be moulded into something quite incredible for the future.

Craig Hockenberry writing about the Mac turning 40:

Apple Vision Pro is a technical marvel, but ultimately falls short in ways that satisfy the natural curiosity of developers.

Time will tell if a new generation of developers will find their way to be creative and think outside the box¹. Otherwise, Apple will eventually have to try harder to think outside the box.

Third level pun intended. ↩︎

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:15:36 -0400

Microsoft supports the Apple Vision Pro headset with Office 365 Suite, Teams and Copilot. At least five apps, on day one, for a use case (productivity) still to be demonstrated as viable. For the most probable day-one use case of the Apple Vision Pro, Netflix refuses to create a single app, a “simple” video library browser and player. WTF? Politics. 😑

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:51:47 -0400

Today, I was watching many YouTube videos and was thinking about how impressive it is that some people¹ build their online careers as YouTubers for talking about one application or ecosystem².

Like Thomas Frank. ↩︎
Notion is a great app offering many possibilities to talk about for a long time. ↩︎

Imagining Micro.blog’s Next Big Offering — I Think I Cracked It!

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 12:58:11 -0400

I’m wondering about this upcoming Micro.blog “big new feature” quite often. What new feature could require its own section on the left sidebar? What could mandate the release of companion apps on iOS and Android? Let’s try to think about it for a minute.

So, MB already covers text (as blog posts), more generic content (as pages), photos, books, newsletters, and podcasts. What’s missing here? Videos? Movies? Something else? Could Podcast be more explicitly exposed where the Transcript section becomes Podcast? Is MB building its own podcasting player app? Or a podcast recorder? Can AI play a role in this new feature?

But what else is missing from Micro.blog? Instant messaging? I own a Wavelength group of Micro.blog users. The group is currently hosting 50 users. Here’s the invite link. Near real-time interactions are something I wish Micro.blog had for supporting discussions about specific events¹. Frankly, instant messaging is probably the closest thing I can think of that would require a dedicated section and a dedicated set of apps on mobile devices.

Your thoughts? Please join in! 🙏🏻

Like Apple Events, sports events, etc. ↩︎

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 14:49:59 -0400

Remember that, at some point, it was strange to see someone working at a computer and holding a mouse on a table beside the keyboard. #AppleVisionPro

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 14:05:09 -0400

Either AirPods Max is overpriced, or Apple Vision Pro is not expensive enough¹.

It could be that both products are too expensive too. 🤷🏻‍♂️ ↩︎

Technologies At Play in a "Compact" Device

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 13:51:03 -0400

I have this thought right now as I’m watching the first reviews of the Apple Vision Pro: it is utterly fascinating to see all the basic technological elements (both hardware and software¹) that are at play here and put together in this headset. Besides a product still looking for its use cases, I find this product to be the most ambitious one to be launched by Apple to date. Bravo for trying. And I’m pretty sure it’s only the beginning. You bet Apple is going to iterate on this for quite some time. I feel excited for this thing.

Handoff, Continuity, Digital Crown, 3D modelling, etc. ↩︎

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:33:02 -0400

I’m feeling a bit all mixed up this morning after reading an email from “a fan” (his words), being so appreciative of my work but also telling me he won’t be around much longer to appreciate my creative journey because of his health issues. I find this heartbreaking and a reminder that nothing is eternal 😔. I’m unsure how to frame my reply beyond saying, “Thank you.”

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 07:49:39 -0400

Weekend done. I spent a significant part of it on my Mac doing things, mostly creative things. And guess what? I have no regrets. I did what I loved the most. Have a great week to you all! And do what you like!

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:34:22 -0400

🚨Hey, it’s Sunday! And you know what happens on each Sunday? The new edition of the weekly creative summary newsletter has been released! Here you go, ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy. Made with care and love. 😌

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 11:33:25 -0400

Thought of the Sunday morning: The biggest problem in my life is that I have too much to explore and do and not enough time. Unsolvable. 😅

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 08:24:05 -0400

I decided to update the look of this blog by switching to the Cards theme by @ericgregorich. I think this theme looks cleaner and offers more possibilities than the current one by @Mtt. Here are a few highlights: better control of colours via the plugin settings web interface instead of editing CSS, support for reading time for longer posts with a title, display of post categories at the top, and more flexibility for displaying the post’s date & time, just to name a few. But I’m not ready to make the switch just yet because it requires a lot of fine-tuning to get the colours right. I also need to check for compatibility with all my current plugins and ask for a few fixes on the theme’s GitHub page. It’s another tweaking project on my plate. 😅

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 14:35:40 -0400

🚨So, what’s up with Micro.blog this January? Well, quite a lot, if you ask me. Here’s everything new in this short video. Tell me if this is useful. 🙏🏻 cc @manton @jean

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 08:41:37 -0400

Apple’s insistence on retaining control of the iPhone and the way it’s used is not about protecting the poor stupid users that need Daddy Cook to stop us downloading dodgy stuff off the internet it’s about protecting their bottom line. Source: Apple ruins its big week | The Dent

Well said.

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 21:24:05 -0400

Introducing the Numeric Citizen Hub, a brand new landing page¹. Thanks to the recently introduced “One-page website” feature on Micro.blog, you can now learn about the places I share my creativity right from a single place². Enjoy.

It will replace my Linktr.ee page once my subscription ends, in December of 2024. 🙂 ↩︎
I know that some of you might think: well, another website from Numeric Citizen! 😃 ↩︎

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:39:41 -0400

An original Mac. #MyFirstMac. numericcitizen.me/rememberi…

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:37:49 -0400

Reuters report:

U.S. tech giant Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab has paid a Russian fine of 1.2 billion roubles ($13.65 million), imposed over the company’s alleged abuse of its dominant market position concerning in-app payments, Russia’s FAS antitrust agency said on Monday. Source: Apple pays $13.7 mln Russian fine, antitrust agency says | Reuters

It’s like paying a fine to an organized crime group. Utterly shocking that the West still helps this criminal government in its war efforts in Ukraine. I can’t wait to see Trump licking their butt when he’s back.

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 19:57:38 -0400

Each week, on Sundays, I select a bunch of my photos that I plan to share on my Pixelfed profile during the week. Next Sunday, early in the morning, I look for the one that received the most likes, shares and comments and use it as the header image of my weekly creative summary newsletter. This process is like a disguised poll. 🙂 It is a way to share only the best of my work with my dear readers.

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 16:42:06 -0400

So, I made the decision: Bye-bye Write.as👋🏻. It’s fun to move things around on the internet, but I pay the price for being too impulsive and not intentional in some of my decisions. It was an impulsive decision to subscribe to Write.as. There was something seductive in the post editor, and being open source is the way to go. But I have to admit that it was a diversion. Now, focusing on Micro.blog. 😊

Sidenote: I find great satisfaction in simplification. This reminds me of when I was an indie iOS developer: I remember the instants of removing lines of code and making things leaner. It procured a lot of satisfaction.

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 11:00:43 -0400

🌞It’s Sunday, and it’s time for the second edition of the weekly creative summary newsletter! I was late working on this edition and wasn’t sure how it would come out. I’m pretty satisfied with this week’s edition.😀 I’m seeing more and more people heading to the Craft edition of this newsletter, and I’m highly grateful for the interest that this newsletter generates.

Sat, 20 Jan 2024 18:46:31 -0400

Microsoft Office apps for the Apple Vision Pro? Really? Color me surprised. I’m not convinced by the typical productivity use case for the Apple Vision Pro. Judging from what I see, working with things (windows, palettes, etc.) suspended in space doesn’t feel natural. What does it bring that the desktop doesn’t provide? Visualization use cases, sure, though. Being able to manipulate 3D models is a big yes. Is working with a flat spreadsheet in 3D space great? What does it fix that the desktop couldn’t? Maybe the convenience of having the flat spreadsheet besides the 3D model is the right use case. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this.

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 13:35:53 -0400

Steve Jobs was incredible in bringing partners on board when launching a new platform. I wonder how different the launch of the Apple Vision Pro would be if he was still among us. Would we have more content available on day one? Or more apps? Even better: a real killer app? 🤔

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 09:23:06 -0400

While many are ordering the pricey Apple Vision Pro, I bought tickets for the Madonna show in Montreal, Canada. It is much cheaper and is a lifetime experience.¹

First time I see her show. Not a super big fan, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. ↩︎

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 07:21:22 -0400

Each year brings the iPhone closer and closer to be a “real” camera in term of user experience and interaction with it. We have to wonder why it took so long for Apple to add the slight press to focus and zoom in and out using the same button.

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:47:18 -0400

One more yearly subscription to my website¹ and one more subscriber to The Craft Bible². It’s a good day for me. I don’t have thousands of subscribers (yet), and they all count as if they were my first one. 😻

Hosted on Ghost. ↩︎
Hosted on Gumroad. ↩︎

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 07:55:01 -0400

9to5Mac reporting about WhatsApp usage in the US:

The fact that more people in the US have been using WhatsApp recently is definitely intriguing. Source: WhatsApp has been getting more attention in the US

iMessage usage in Canada is probably similar to that in the US. I started using WhatsApp when I went to Morocco last summer. I also have a friend who moved from Canada to Mexico, and he switched to WhatsApp, so now I have to use WhatsApp to reach him. I must say that I like it. I also follow some news channels, just for fun. I like the messaging app format to get news; that’s why I also use Telegram for the same purpose: to follow news from Ukraine.

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:29:14 -0400

Here’s another reason to be sad this morning. 😔 Over the past two years, I’ve invested much of my time and effort in building my digital space and presence in Craft. I spend numerous hours posting things and answering questions in the user community. I’ve become a Craft enthusiast or ambassador. One day, someone even asked me if I was working for Craft. I’m not. I don’t want to be paid. But what I want is a better collaboration with the team over there. I’d like to create videos about new releases that would be shared simultaneously as they come out. I’ve asked them, and they didn’t accept my offer. I’ve built The Craft Bible. I’ve created The Craft Feature Request Board. I’ve created content that best exemplifies Craft use cases. I get no real support from the Craft team. They fail to take advantage of me being this sort of Craft ambassador, and they could “use me” to help spread the Craft message out there¹. I don’t understand why they pass over this opportunity. Capacities, a direct competitor to Craft, is doing the opposite. They have this woman who creates tutorials and other types of content and gets referenced in the Capacities release notes! That’s cool and useful for the community. But not Craft. Is this a corporate culture issue? Maybe. I just don’t get it. It’s frustrating. Maybe I should let it go and move on.

Sorry for the rant this morning.

They used to have a community manager but he barely shows up in the community. ↩︎

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 14:05:15 -0400

This morning, at work, I had the idea of creating a GPT that would act as a virtual resume for me. Colleagues would prompt this GPT about my professional journey with usual questions about my past experience, projects, certifications, abilities, etc. I uploaded a few files, including my resume and some other professional stuff, to try it out. It took me 15 minutes to create this virtual representation of myself. Tested many prompts against it. I’m blown away. The future is here, ladies and gentlemen.

Micro.Blog — How Can I Help?

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 15:10:02 -0400

A serene yet dynamic sky filled with a blend of fluffy cumulus and towering cumulonimbus clouds, illuminated by a soft, diffused sunlight.

Following the publication of “What If” by Maique, an avid blogger on Micro.blog, his post prompted me to write my own. But before, here’s a summary of his post (thanks ChatGPT):

Micro.blog has been hosting maique.eu for years, but there have been some technical issues. Despite some annoyances, the community and features make it worth the cost. However, there are also cons such as lack of proper notifications and support. Moving away would be a hassle.

I do share most of his views on the current state of Micro.blog because I did experience some issues with the service myself. I won’t repeat it here. That being said, I love Micro.blog, and I certainly want it to thrive. I’m a believer. I’m a supporter of the ideas behind the service. I subscribe to the premium tier. I love it so much that I created a series of videos about Micro.blog so that others can take full advantage of its features set. But I want to do more. In fact, I can do more. How can I help? Where do I enlist?

As an IT guy for more than 30 years, I know how hard it can be to run such a service. I don’t know the technologies behind it, but Micro.blog seems to need constant nurturing. Sadly, I cannot help here. I’m not a full-stack developer in any way.

But there this help.micro.blog support site. I did tech support in the past. I do pay a visit from time to time to gather the mood and the subjects that people care enough to submit posts. Maybe I could help there? I don’t know. Could I do a first screening of the posts and direct level-2 requests to Manton for further investigation? He would be freed somewhat from glancing at all the incoming requests and focus on the hardest ones. I don’t know. Oh, and this feature requests topic contains more than a hundred of them. I could create a real Micro.blog feature requests board, like this one I built from scratch for Craft?

Then, there is this Discover section: I do pay a visit from time to time. I’m not sure how it is being maintained or how often. Can I help there? I don’t know.

What else? I could do podcasting, too! Maybe I could help Jean to revive the highly respected Micro Monday podcast! I have my own podcast; I’m not too bad because I have eight listeners, according to Podcasts Connect!

As you can probably see, I have many ideas. I’m creative. I do have some time to spare for my passions. Micro.blog is one of them. But, as much as I want to help, it means nothing if the doors are closed. I’m not saying that I received a “no thank you” from Manton or Jean. I didn’t ask, actually. Now, I’m officially asking: how can I help?

Is Buying a Car Easier Than Buying an Apple Vision Pro?

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 10:43:02 -0400

If Mark Gurman is correct, the rumored sale process for the Apple Vision Pro is rather complex and lengthy. Watching a 20-minute video to learn about a product indicates many things: Apple is nervous, and the product has a novel approach requiring potential customers’ education or training so that they fully “get the experience” before deciding to put the money on the table. Also, I guess someone willing to pay the high price merits some special attention, too.

I’ll have to update my calculations on how many demos can be run in the first 10 days.

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 10:08:47 -0400

It’s time for the first edition of 2024 of the weekly creative summary newsletter! Lots of stuff related to projects, writing, articles, etc. Fun fact: putting this summary together takes about two hours per week. This version was created in Craft, which offers the best experience, the email version is coming later to my dear subscribers! Past editions are available on my main website by following this link. Enjoy.

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:21:31 -0400

One of the things that is cool with Photomator: the before & after view. If find it helpful from a creative and teaching perspective.

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 10:14:17 -0400

I can’t wait to share my first weekly creative summary of the year tomorrow. So much stuff in there! Meanwhile, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, flash the QR code! Or click this link if you are too lazy! 🤣

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 08:15:19 -0400

Introspection time: I chose to be in IT because I thought it was much easier to deal with computers than humans. I’m not an introvert, though, far from it. But, it happened without explicit thought back in the day. After 30 years in IT, I still think the same, and I often say that the challenge in the information technology field is not about technology per se, but it’s mostly about human issues with technology. Ironically, most of my job today is to build teams of people to make things happen. I’m still focused on technology, but in reality, I try to ensure that all members of a team work towards the same objectives. I’m pretty good about it and people are appreciative of my work. How ironic.

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:17:48 -0400

Dan Moyen, writing for MacWorld

The Vision Pro is a brand new platform with a brand new interaction method–so its release needs a new approach. Source: Vision Pro is already changing everything we know about Apple | Macworld

I’m glad to see that he agrees with my personal take on this already controversial product launch.

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:34:48 -0400

If the 2024 iPad Pro pricing is what the rumors are referring to, ridiculously expensive, not counting the new Magic Keyboard that would be needed to replace mine, this might be the deal breaker for me. I might not upgrade¹ at all and focus on my M2 MacBook Air. This would be sad because I like using the iPad a lot but can’t convince myself to settle for anything not pro. 😑🤷🏻‍♂️

I’m currently using an “old” 11-inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2. ↩︎

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:08:16 -0400

I feel relieved this morning because I finally moved out of Adobe and wrote an article about it. Spoiler alert: moving out of Adobe is not as hard as you might think, especially if your Lightroom setup is simple like mine. Open to questions. 😃

Is Apple TV Really Improving With tvOS 17?

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 08:18:15 -0400

I’ve extensively used Apple TV (the physical device), Apple TV+ and the Apple TV app during the holidays to play music, videos, movies and series. One thing is clear: tvOS 17 is a regression in terms of usability, for me anyway. I especially don’t like the new left sidebar in the TV app. Navigating back to the home screen is cumbersome, requiring too many “<” back clicks. I often wonder if I’m in the Apple TV app or the Apple TV+ service. Up Next queue is intertwined with the rest of the content, it feels less obvious, to me. Content promotion (while starting a new episode, ending a series, etc.) is annoying. Apple feels like Amazon. Apple isn’t quite there after so many years of iterative updates.

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 16:22:39 -0400

Today, I spent some time with a friend to talk about Craft, among other things. Video available here (In French). Tagging @abc because he likes French content!

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 17:25:25 -0400

Zavala, an outliner for the Mac, iPad and iPhone, recently got a series of updates after a year of silence. I’m happy to see this app is still alive and well.

Hey Calendar First Impressions

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 09:41:27 -0400

HEY Calendar is being rolled out to a limited set of users. It will be free, and a separate app will be released for the Calendar in the near future. It’s not as controversial a take as the email counterpart. Day view and week view only, by design¹. I’m not sure if this is a deal-breaker for many.

Time tracking seems limited and cannot replace Toggl / Timery in my workflow. Data can be exported as a CSV file. I wonder if it can be really useful in its current form. The jury is still out on that one.

Interesting habit tracking support: simple enough to be useful. Limited icon selection, though. No iOS app just yet, only web and desktop. No Microsoft Office 365 support yet. iCloud calendars can be integrated, but they must be made public to get an iCal URL that HEY Calender subscribes to. Same for Google calendars. Some tasks are managed as things to do eventually in the week, appear at the bottom, and move to the next week if not completed.

My initial impressions of HEY Calendar are neutral. That’s it for now.

This could be controversial. ↩︎

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 12:30:26 -0400

This year, my writing habits will be impacted by my desire to spend more time interacting with the community here. Reaching out and connecting might lead to new opportunities and writing triggers.

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 10:09:19 -0400

Just finished going through my monthly newsletter come out of Micro.blog. 😳 It’s long and feels a bit messy. 🤨 For 2024, I decided to be more selective of the posts that will make it to the gate each month. Not everything is worth being summarized.

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:54:02 -0400

It’s the time of the year where the page is white, everything feels possible and in its place. It’s up to me to decide how 2024 will unroll as a creator.

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 18:00:00 -0400

I wish you all a happy new year! May 2024 be a better one than what 2023 was. It shouldn’t be that hard. Peace.

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 16:39:38 -0400

Each year, at about the same period, I always feel a return of my desire for photography. It is as if photography is always the thing I drop first when I’m busy in life, preferring to keep the rest (writing, blogging). I hope this will change a bit in 2024.

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 15:21:27 -0400

Writing about leaving Adobe ecosystem and embracing once and for all the Photomator / Pixelmator combo: 1500 words and counting. 👨🏻‍💻😅

Is GenAI a Product or a Feature?

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 21:58:44 -0400

Just like Steve Jobs once said that Dropbox is not a product but a feature, I wonder if the way we consume GenAI today makes it look like a product, but it’s actually a feature. Don’t get me wrong, GenAI is utterly important and a game changer, but I feel that in the future, there will be something bigger that will encompass GenAI that will actually be THE product.

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:21:24 -0400

If I post a photo on Pixelfed that is marked as an NSFW image ¹, the image is still cross-posted on Micro.blog without any restriction. Can Micro.blog distinguish the post on Pixelfed and do something different based on that? cc @manton

No sexually explicit content, but it could contain references to some partial nudity. ↩︎

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 20:45:03 -0400

I’m so much closer than I thought to being able to close my Adobe creative cloud subscription. I love the holidays for the time it provides to do special projects like this.

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 14:01:11 -0400

Synology Photos as a webapp on macOS Sonoma is 👌🏻

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 10:49:47 -0400

Merry Christmas to all my followers! 🎅🏻 In other news, I fell into a rabbit hole when I started looking at my Adobe Creative Cloud migration¹. The process is far easier than I thought but it takes a little while to move files around. I could complete it before my next scheduled payment on January 8th. That is one of my 2024 goals!

I’ll be moving out of it so that I can focus on the Photomator / Pixelmator duo instead. ↩︎

Sun, 24 Dec 2023 12:42:45 -0400

Playing Christmas music everywhere in the house using HomePods and AirPlay is quite cool. You cannot escape Christmas! 🎅🏻🎶🦌

About blog.numericcitizen.me visitors for 2023

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 10:24:36 -0400

Visitors to blog.numericcitizen.me increased significantly compared to the previous year. Leaving Twitter at the end of 2022 probably explains why. Embracing the POSSE model and my adoption of Mastodon and Bluesky also explains why more people visited my blog. It’s been a great year on Micro.blog, and I’m really looking forward to 2024!

About numericcitizen.me visitors for 2023

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 10:17:05 -0400

My main blog stats show a slight increase in visitors, especially in the last three months of 2023¹. The switch from WordPress.com to Ghost.org positively influenced the trend. The next post will be about the “blog.numericcitizen.me” site where the story is quite different.

It’s related to the launch of my weekly creative summary. ↩︎

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 09:37:57 -0400

Here are my five goals for 2024, as posted on my personal landing page.

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 20:04:10 -0400

Going to my sister’s house tomorrow for holidays celebration. She got a new MacBook that she wants me to configure 🤓

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 16:23:09 -0400

In Montreal city, two days before Christmas, there is no snow. No precipitation is expected either until maybe Dec 27th at the earliest. This is so different from what I experienced as a kid.

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 08:32:05 -0400

Some possible Micro.blog marketing taglines. Add you own.

Micro.blog means Macro Power.

Micro.blog means Macro Flexibility.

Micro.blog means Macro Openness.

Micro.blog means Macro Privacy.

Micro.blog means Macro Connectivity.

Micro.blog means Macro your take here

Micro.blog means nothing but Macro.

cc @manton

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 22:57:40 -0400

I wonder if this QR code could be my next avatar.🤔

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 07:48:05 -0400

LLM on my iPhone? That sounds like a super interesting development. Suddenly, an iPhone with 1TB of storage might seem like a good buying decision, albeit expansive.

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 09:10:57 -0400

I’m happy to see Zavala is still being updated. 😊

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 21:00:32 -0400

Apple Working on Software Fix to Avoid U.S. Apple Watch Import Ban https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/18/apple-watch-import-ban-software-fix/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
MacRumors.com https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/111604236893222090

Honestly, the blood oxygen sensor on the Apple Watch isn’t very useful because of a lack of precision. I wouldn’t mind having it removed entirely.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:14:26 -0400

There is also a chance that the ‌MagSafe‌ charging for the ‌iPad‌ that we’re hearing about refers to a Mac-like magnetic charger rather than an iPhone-style magnetic charger. Apple is working on a more Mac-like aluminum Magic Keyboard for the 2024 ‌iPad Pro‌ launch, and the new iPads will also use the same M3 chips that are in the MacBook Pro. Source: Next iPad Pro Might Support MagSafe Charging - MacRumors

The next-gen iPad Pro looks more and more enticing by the day. A Mac-like MagSafe connector makes more sense to me. But I have a feeling this thing will be pricey!

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:57:31 -0400

Contingent pricing for subscriptions on the App Store — a new feature that helps you attract and retain subscribers — lets you give customers a discounted subscription price as long as they’re actively subscribed to a different subscription.

It’s often better to change something in a position of strength, not weakness. That is a good preemptive move by Apple, IMO.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 10:37:16 -0400

Apple Pausing Sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in U.S. Due to Patent Dispute https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/18/apple-pausing-series-9-ultra-2-sales-in-us/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
MacRumors.com https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/111601838273362581

Massive blow. We don’t get to see Apple stopping selling a product often.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 08:26:36 -0400

That could be a clever tool for developers to attract new customers and subscribers with the following change to the App Store. I’m all for it.

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 17:20:13 -0400

Thought of the day: 500 years from now, when someone discovers a piece of plastic with a QRCode on it, intact and readable, I wonder what they will think of it and if they’ll try to “decode” the thing.

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 13:14:51 -0400

It’s Sunday; it’s time for the next weekly creative summary! Edition 2023-50 will be my last one… until 2024!¹ The email version is coming up later today for my lovely subscribers! Expect some improvements in 2024! Stay tuned!

Were you afraid that it would be my last edition like forever? 😌 ↩︎

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 11:04:31 -0400

Time for a shameless promotion. To #Craft users out there looking for a great calendar year template for 2024, head to Gumroad (link). Only 5$. Starting in January, the price will go up. End of the shameless ad.

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 16:46:45 -0400

I’m considering replacing/upgrading from an M1 Mac mini to the Mac Studio🤑. Upon looking at Apple’s Mac Studio website, I was surprised that the Mac Studio wasn’t yet updated to the M3 processor yet🤨. For some reason, I thought it was updated with the MacBook Pro this fall. I should have known better. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’ll wait for the next update.

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:11:03 -0400

Just finished creating my 25-minute mix! I’m slowly getting there! I’m super excited for this. For those who might ask, I’m using Djay with a Pioneer DDJ-400. #techno #technomelodic 🎧🎶🕺🏻

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 13:24:52 -0400

I’m curious: who in this room is using Apple Advanced Data Protection? If yes, are there any issues? If not, why? 🤔

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 12:38:59 -0400

Coffee shop time! 😃 For some reason, I always test their Wifi service each place I visit. Always¹. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The same goes for hotels while I travel. ↩︎

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 12:18:59 -0400

I went to the Micro.blog’s Discovery section and set the category to Podcasts. I didn’t know there were that many podcasts hosted here on Micro.blog. 😳

Episode 06 — Wrapping Up 2023

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 11:43:35 -0400

It’s time to wrap up 2023! In this last podcast episode for the year😌, I reflect on twelve months of creative work. It was a busy year😅👨🏻‍💻, and I’m grateful for all of it.🙏🏻

Links to some of the things I’m referring to:

Transcript

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 09:25:33 -0400

I’m not really fond of this rumoured design.

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 09:01:37 -0400

Added Kagi search to my subs. F*** Google and their business model!

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 13:14:09 -0400

Believe it or not, I’m looking at use cases for Capacities. 🙄

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 08:06:08 -0400

After the My Defaults trend, here comes the My Subscriptions trend.

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 22:24:41 -0400

I’ve been a long-time blogger with WordPress.com before switching to Ghost. Today, I wanted to leave a comment on someone’s blog but was rebuffed with a login form. Authentication methods offered were WordPress.com, Facebook¹, and Email. Am I alone who finds this to be a show-stopper for leaving simple feedback?²

Really, Facebook? ↩︎
Even on my blog, you need to be a subscriber to drop a comment on an article. I know this becomes a natural “filter” and prevents some form of spamming. But it also prevents some spontaneity. ↩︎

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:14:56 -0400

Omnivore is out with a new beta today (1.4). Boy, this thing is moving in the right direction and pretty fast. It makes me wonder if one day I’ll get rid of my RSS reader to be all in with Omnivore’s RSS reader. I can see that happening.

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 10:32:15 -0400

Today is the day I realize that my M1 Mac mini doesn’t support two external displays. 😒 I wish I had that capability for today’s work I need to do¹.

Is this the beginning of an excuse to buy a Mac Studio? ↩︎

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:20:57 -0400

Why does logging in Slack have to be so unfriendly? I’m not exactly sure which email I used for which space. I’m lousy at keeping track of this information, I know… but…

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 14:41:32 -0400

Apple Releases watchOS 10.2 With Health Data Support for Siri, Swipe to Change Watch Face Option and More https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/11/apple-releases-watchos-10-2/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
MacRumors.com https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/111563102881382545

Swipe to Change Watch Face option is BACK baby!

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 14:37:25 -0400

iOS 17.2 is now out for everyone! macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS too!
Stephen Robles https://mastodon.social/@stephenrobles/111563142345839538

The scale at which Apple releases new software is still mind-blowing for me.

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:41:14 -0400

Just two hours in the work day and I have already used ChatGPT three times to better understand two different concepts in IT¹. Last year, these prompts would have required many Google searches and much more reading. I’m curious to see how ChatGPT and Gen AI are influencing Google’s market share.

CCaaS, TLC, QLC. ↩︎

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:16:21 -0400

I wish Ghost.org provided an easy way to directly respond to users’ comments from the dashboard. I need to log in to my own site to respond, but I can’t because of this two-step process where I don’t receive the email for logging in. Grr. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 09:43:44 -0400

Being a compulsive creator is not always easy. There are good days and bad days. Yesterday was a bad one. Early today started on a sour note too, but thanks to the supporting comments I got, it turning into a better day now. 💙

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 14:01:31 -0400

And here we go for the week: the weekly creative summary for 2023/49 is out! The newsletter version coming up soon for my dear subscribers! I hope you enjoy this week’s edition!

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 10:48:06 -0400

It seems that at the current rate, 2023 will be my second-most active year on Micro.blog, after 2020. Ref. Blog stats.

Strike One

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 09:26:05 -0400

After publishing more than 70 YouTube videos on my channel, today I got my first content violation warning for sharing a review about Play 2.0, a video manager for YouTube that facilitates downloading YouTube content for free. Oopsy.🫥 I did the highly recommended training by Google.

If you are a serious YouTube video consumer, consider using Play 2.0. That is all.🤫¹

I wonder if I could make my video available elsewhere…🤔 ↩︎

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 10:03:20 -0400

I created the Craft Feature Request Board on Canny.io, because the Craft team doesn’t want to do it themselves, apparently. If you are a Craft user with feature requests, file yours!

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 07:45:22 -0400

If Apple’s iPhone 16 brings Siri / Gen AI exclusivity, I don’t see that enough for me to consider upgrading. Some tech pundits will probably say that Siri needs much more than an upgraded microphone for a better experience. Photography enhancements are what make me upgrade for the most part.

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 22:05:48 -0400

If Apple were to release an M3 MacBook Air early in 2024, I would be pissed off¹.

I bought an M2 15-inch MacBook Air last August. ↩︎

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 10:02:17 -0400

Wish of the day: I’d like to connect an Apple TV to an Apple Studio Display.

HEY, what about Improving Newsletters Reading Experience?

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:18:51 -0400

As a paying subscriber to HEY mail, I find it strange that the newsletter consumption feature has never been updated since its initial release¹. A product is rarely perfect on its first try. For example: newsletters are presented in a semi-expanded form, but I wish I could display them as “newsletter titles only”. Also, there is no integration whatsoever with third-party read-later service to easily send a newsletter to Omnivore, for example². Once expanded, it’s not obvious our to return to the list of newsletters sitting in the bin to read the next one.

The Feed is the feature I’m referring to here. ↩︎
I know that we can forward the newsletter to a custom email @ omnivore, but It’s not exactly what I would refer to as “an integration with a third-party service”. ↩︎

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:55:24 -0400

I had many personal goals for this week-end¹, a week-end already coming to a conclusion. I’m happy to report that they were all met! I feel good about this. 😊

Goals that don’t always align with my creative hobbies. But that is ok. ↩︎

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 10:50:57 -0400

💥 Hey, it’s Sunday! And, it’s time for the new edition of my Weekly Creative Summary! Enjoy. Coming up later for my lovely subscribers! 💌

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 14:32:14 -0400

For those who are new to the Micro.blog hosting service, in this video, I share a few tips and tricks for reading efficiently your Micro.blog timeline. If you aren’t new to Micro.blog. Well, you might discover a few things anyway!

My First Genuine Ah Ah Moment With Generative AI

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 10:04:00 -0400

Here is a quick recount of my “Ah ah moment” this morning, involving generative AI in a simple workflow. I’m still in awe about it.

If I stumble on a long and chatty YouTube video that might be interesting, I’ll use this workflow to quickly get the gist out of it. First, I use Downie (a Mac utility) to download it on my M2 MacBook Air. Then, I use the Whisper Transcription Mac app to transcribe the spoken discussion into text that I export in a PDF¹. Next, I open ChatGPT, upload the PDF file and let ChatGPT ingest the content. Finally, I prompt ChatGPT with things like: what is the subject of this discussion? Are there any apps mentioned in the discussion? Who is talking? Is this a controversial subject? Generate a title for this discussion. Generate a summary in less than 300 words. Etc. It’s very effective. You can use the GPT I created for this². Oh, and I guess you can use the same workflow for a podcast episode!

This workflow was also documented in “My Micro-Workflows Explained” mini website.

Because I like the formatting used instead of plain text. ↩︎
ChatGPT paid subscription required. ↩︎

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 16:10:21 -0400

There is so much buzz around the Internet about the newly released Ubiquiti Unify Express router. To me, it seems to be a capable router at a reasonable price. Man, I wish Apple was still in this market¹.

I know Apple’s version wouldn’t be as features rich as Ubiquiti’s, but… ↩︎

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 20:06:35 -0400

Happy with Ulysses. 😊 #iawriter7

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:30:34 -0400

I finished watching this video today while waiting for my car at the garage. Andrej Karpathy gives a great talk explaining Gen AI and how the whole process works, and then some more explanations about the possible future around AI. It’s a must-see.

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 11:04:49 -0400

While on my desk, I want to use my iPad Pro over Ethernet @ 1 GbE (much faster than wifi) while keeping it charging. Also, it seems that it’s not possible to prioritize Ethernet over Wireless (like we can on the Mac)¹. Am I missing something? Am I the only one on earth who prefers Ethernet? Any suggestion?

It seems that Wifi needs to be disabled. ↩︎

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:14:24 -0400

I’m generally unfazed by black Friday sales… I buy things when I need them, not because of any deals. But, this morning, I bought a Kodak slides scanner because I have hundreds of old family slides sitting in boxes. I feel sad not to spend the time to put a new life in those memories. So there you go, a new slide scanner. I’ll probably write an extensive review of it.

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 07:54:07 -0400

If you don’t know me, but especially the places where I’m sharing and for what purpose, that is the video to watch.

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 12:20:34 -0400

A new goal: about security: migrating my two-factor authentication from Authy to Apple’s Keychain / iCloud Passwords. Signing into any service when using Apple’s solution is too cool and efficient to pass.

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:11:19 -0400

Today it’s time for an update to my creative and blogger workflow¹. You can get an overview in this diagram, and the changelog here on my metablog. Any questions? 😅

The previous version was published on 2023-04. ↩︎

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 08:36:32 -0400

It’s my most “successful” image ever on Pixelfed, by far. 😊 Testing MarsEdit Micropost feature (again).

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 07:58:48 -0400

I created my Backblaze account earlier this week to replace Dropshare Cloud. Today, I discovered that Cloudflare offers S3-compatible storage too, with a similar free tier (10 GB). Since CF is my domain name registrar, maybe I should have created my S3 bucket with them instead?¹ 🤔

But the Dropshare client probably doesn’t yet offer a connector to CF storage. 🤷🏻‍♂️ ↩︎

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 13:32:50 -0400

I should visit the Micro.blog Discover section more often… there are some gems over there from time to time.

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 20:44:59 -0400

A follow-up to my previous post about Dropshare: Are any users of Backblaze over here? Thoughts? Which service do you use? S3-compatible storage or client (Mac) backup to the cloud?¹ 🤔

Users can get 10 GB of free storage, which should be enough for my needs. ↩︎

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 18:50:46 -0400

Dropshare Cloud is being… dropped¹. Too bad. I’ll need to redo my custom-made file share space.

Dropshare Cloud is being phased out in Feb, 2024. Too bad. I’ll have to rework that for me. ↩︎

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:37:42 -0400

I can’t stress enough how Apple’s Freeform is a joy to use. Is this a sleeper hit? If you don’t use it, do yourself a favour and try it. It’s the most intuitive, frictionless diagramming app out there on the Mac. And the iPad.

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 21:43:47 -0400

Which story is worse or more shattering? Steve Jobs fired in 1985, or OpenAI fired one of its founders? I think the latter creates more uncertainty. The former is easier to dismiss because we know what happened to Apple after Jobs left the company. 🤔 ¹

What a shitty series of events. And we aren’t done with it yet. ↩︎

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 09:09:48 -0400

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! 😀 Today is the day of the new edition of my weekly creative summary! Enjoy! While this early release provides the best visual experience (thanks to Craft’s shared documents), the newsletter edition will come out soon to my subscribers.

The Danger of POSSE

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 08:23:04 -0400

A recently published article on The Verge discusses POSSE and the Fediverse: “Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere.” This content strategy emphasizes the importance of owning the content you create by publishing it on your own platform, like a personal blog or website, and then syndicating or sharing that content on other platforms, such as social media or content aggregators.

The main idea behind POSSE is to ensure that creators maintain control over their content. By publishing first on their own platform, creators can establish a primary source for their work that remains under their control. They can then share or syndicate this content to other platforms to reach a wider audience, drive traffic back to their own site, and engage with communities on those platforms.

This strategy is particularly relevant in the digital age, where content creators often face the dilemma of reaching large audiences on popular platforms (like social media networks) while also wanting to maintain ownership and control over their work. POSSE offers a balanced approach, allowing creators to leverage larger platforms’ reach without sacrificing their own site’s autonomy.

I’m practicing POSSE myself; all my online setup is built around it. I depend on two publishing poles: Micro.blog and Ghost¹. Some find this setup time-consuming and don’t want to be held responsible for replying or engaging on each branch (Mastodon, Bluesky, etc.). My take on this is yes, it might be time-consuming, but I like to engage on each platform because each brings a different type of community. I find it a bit frustrating to reply to someone who systematically shares content from his blog with Mastodon without any reply or acknowledgment. I understand that some posters are very popular and can’t reply to everyone. You can see if someone is replying from time to time. It’s a good idea to check before judging. The danger here is to act like bots if there is no engagement at all.

Micro.blog is responsible for the cross-posting magic. ↩︎

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 09:28:13 -0400

The more testing and experimenting I do with ChatGPT, the more I feel we are at an inflection point like Netscape or the iPhone was. We live in exciting and challenging times.

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 08:01:19 -0400

I made this. It is very handy to write an ALT description for an image posted on Pixelfed.

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:01:06 -0400

According to Grammarly, ChatGPT is really bad at English.¹

Or is it Grammarly that is really bad? 🤔 ↩︎

Apple’s Siri, AI and Next’s Year’s OS Releases

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:20:41 -0400

I don’t know if Apple is working on LLM stuff; they probably do, they probably do work on improving Siri, too, if such a thing is possible in the current incarnation of its fundamentals. But, judging by the rapidity of other companies introducing AI features mainly based on LLM models, I don’t expect it would be so hard for Apple to do the same with Siri. But only if Apple accepts to work with CharGPT-back end for a short-term solution. This could be a transitory path in my mind. Because Apple being Apple, they probably would want to put their twist on this: better privacy protection, for example. They like to control the whole stack. That’s perhaps why they are, apparently, investing massively in their one training infrastructure, which would be they accept the fact that on-device training is too limited, even with powerful Apple silicon. It could prove to be a long journey. I don’t expect too much for next year’s OSes. It will be interesting to see where Apple is headed with this AI thing next year.

Meanwhile, when I’m asking Siri queries today, I cannot help but feel the tech is antiquated compared to what we can do with Whisper and the like today.

Image: Dall-E.

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:41:09 -0400

Raycast is cool. I’m cool. And because we’re cool, here is a rebate. One month free of the Raycast Pro. ¹

But the app icon is really ugly! 🤮 ↩︎

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:29:11 -0400

This:

Foreseeably, the next step in AI integration will happen on an OS level.
In the mean time, your app will always run an inferior version compared to whatever Microsoft's sells. If having ChatGPT is your sales point, you have no sales point. You only have a very volatile, very expensive ticking time bomb dependency.
On top of that, you corner yourself into dishonesty if you sell ChatGPT as your own AI. It's bullshit and you know it.
Oliver Reichenstein https://mastodon.social/users/reichenstein/statuses/111409113783598045

The proliferation of ChatGPT entry points. The race to some sort of singularity?

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 16:45:37 -0400

I don’t know about you guys, but watchOS 10.1.1 is still killing battery life… 😔

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 22:05:21 -0400

Musing of the day: Which is worse from an environmental point of view, burning the planet with NFTs / blockchains s*** or with AI with LLM models training and queries to ChatGPT?¹ 🤔

It’s a serious question. ↩︎

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 11:54:18 -0400

It’s Sunday😃, and it’s time for my new edition of my Weekly Creative Summary, the 2023/45 edition! Mail version coming out later today for my website subscribers!¹

If you don’t subscribe already, what are you waiting for?? ↩︎

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 09:42:58 -0400

I started subscribing to ChatGPT today so that I could experiment with Dall-E and GPT-4. I’ll probably cancel my MidJourney account if all goes well with ChatGPT. I like the idea of having one place to do many things.

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 17:16:12 -0400

One of my first-gen HomePods is slowly dying.¹😔

It spits bad “spark”-like sounds after listening to music for some time. ↩︎

What Happened to the Shortcuts Editor?

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 09:43:02 -0400

I’ve been working with Apple Shortcuts editor recently¹, on my iPhone and on my iPad, and boy, what a shocking experience! This editor is nearly unworkable, thanks to scrolling sluggishness, object ordering bugs, object variables becoming empty, constant freezes, keyboard masking input fields, changes not being saved and plain and simple editor crashes. 😤 What is happening with this, Apple?² I can’t believe Viticci is able to endure this for all his work around shortcuts.

I’m working on something new, involving Plausible APIs, Charty for iPhone, and Apple Shortcuts. Stay tuned for that one. ↩︎
I don’t expect a response from Apple, of course. ↩︎

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 22:17:06 -0400

My theory about what happened at Humane…
Founders pitch investors on a hand laser thing when it’s a napkin sketch. They raise too much money, hire too many people.
They build a prototype, but too late. Turns out the laser UI sucks and eats too much battery.
“Hmm. Investors are shopping for AI companies now… voice uses less power… pivot to AI!”
Suddenly tech has a downturn. Can’t raise another round of funding. They launch an alpha.
They know it’s doomed. It’s an advertisement for acquirers.
Ben Sandofsky https://mastodon.social/@sandofsky/111383368562341707

Sounds like a plan.

These Are My Entry Points to AI Usage

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 07:40:34 -0400

I’m working on something related to using AI in my creative work. I came up with this. AI is used through these front-end clients within my creative workflows:

- ChatGPT website
- Raycast AI Chat
- MidJourney
- Whisper
- Micro.blog podcast episode transcription
- Audio Hijack Transcription block
- Kagi Summarize Results, Summary Document, Ask Questions
- Craft Assistant
- Grammarly

And I expect this list to grow in the coming months.

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 08:07:43 -0400

👉🏻 One quick question for my followers or readers: for those using AI (often or not), did you think of any usage rules that could form your ethical view on AI in your work or personal life? Would you mind sharing those rules with me? I’ll start with one of mine: Use AI on non-controversial subjects.

NSUserDefaults defaults = [NSUserDefaults NumericCitizenDefaults];

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:36:28 -0400

Following the episode (#097) of Hemispheric Views, it’s my turn, I guess, with a little twist for the post title. 😜

✉️ Mail Client: HEY mail
📨 Mail Server: HEY mail + iCloud Custom Email Domain
📝 Notes: Craft + Apple Notes
✅ To-Do: Things 3
📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Camera.app + Halide.app (for travel)
📚 Photo Management: Photos.app + Adobe Cloud
🗓️ Calendar: Calendar.app (Personal Life) + Fantastical.app (Work Life)
🗄️ Cloud file storage: iCloud
📰 RSS: Reeder connected to Inoreader
📇 Contacts: Contacts
🕸️ Browser: Safari (more and more using Kagi for searching)
💬 Chat: iMessage (WhatsApp when abroad)
🔖 Bookmarks: AnyBox
👓 Read It Later: Omnivore
📜 Word Processing: Ulysses
📊 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: PocketCast
🔐 Password Management: iCloud Keychain (also 1Password, I should merge with default)

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 16:26:45 -0400

Ok, I may be late to the Mac automation party, but Keyboard Maestro is really nice and powerful. And approachable. It’s an almost instant buy me! ¹ It’s super handy to automate portions of my newsletter creation and many tasks in Craft, too!

And it’s a one-time purchase! No subscription! ↩︎

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 12:01:34 -0400

And here is the next edition (2023/44) of my weekly creative summary. The newsletter edition is coming out later today by email! Enjoy. 😅

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 08:12:49 -0400

For those who are curious, I just updated “my Micro-Workflows Explained” page to list all my ChatGPT and AI use cases. I’m not shy to expose when I’m using AI in my creative work¹. The list of use cases is growing and reflects the relative invasion of AI in our digital landscape.

Who’s shy of telling people about using Spell Checkers or Lightroom filters? 🤔 ↩︎

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 20:02:05 -0400

Apple’s scary event: a B-team production | Ken Segall

Ouch.

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:01:04 -0400

👉🏻 I’m thinking about parking my “numericcitizen” name on Threads. Just in case¹. 😳 But, then, after doing a quick research, I was reminded pretty quickly that I need an Instagram account. It was at this exact moment that I thought that I should move on to something else².

Yes, I know; I repeatedly said that I hate Meta. ↩︎
Or maybe just create a dummy account on Instagram with my name and then create that Thread account? ↩︎

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 17:41:38 -0400

💡 Thought of the moment: owning my own Pixelfed instance would be cool¹. But how much work does this imply? 🤔

Imagining: photos.numericcitizen.me! Can we use a sub-domain with Pixelfed? Would I be able to migrate from my current instance? ↩︎

In Search of Augmented Capabilities Using AI

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 07:15:52 -0400

I want to augment my creative capabilities¹. I’m considering the best way to pay for Augmented Intelligence (AI) services². I’m currently subscribing to MidJourney for imagery. ChatGPT with GPT-4 is not cheap at 20 $US a month, but I get Dall.E 3. Raycast enables GPT-4 for 8 $US on top of my 8 $US, totalling 16 $US monthly, but I don’t get Dall.E 3. I prefer MidJourney over Dall.E 3 as it seems to allow more diversity in requests. And there is the ChatGPT client to consider. Raycast is one of them. MacGPT is another one. Even Grammarly and Craft are ChatGPT clients³. I need to continue my analysis. Ideas? Suggestions?

Go faster, go further, explore better creative ways. ↩︎
Yes, I’m okay with taking advantage of modern tools like AI, just like I was okay with using a spell checker in Microsoft Word 1.0. ↩︎
But you cannot configure Grammarly to use the GPT-4 model. ↩︎

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:29:39 -0400

I wish Inoreader offered some form of article summarization via AI for some of my feeds…

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:09:56 -0400

Following the release of Ghost’s new “Recommendations” feature this week, I set up my recommendations list. Some here might recognize themselves! 👀

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 07:04:54 -0400

It’s probably my best screenshot of yesterday’s Scary Fast event. Happy Halloween, everyone! 👻

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 21:08:11 -0400

My timeline right now: cynicism^3¹.

Using 5x less power. ↩︎

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:41:03 -0400

Apple to Intel-based Mac users: “It’s really the best time to upgrade!”¹.

Less subtle message: In case you didn’t notice, Apple revolutionized personal computers two years ago. Wake-up! ↩︎

Looking for a Useful and Secure Search Engine

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 06:38:56 -0400

I’m fed up of Google’s search capabilities and business model. Search results quality has gone downhill in recent years. I don’t like the visual design of Google’s online products in general, especially Google Search results formatting. What search engine are you using? Are you willing to pay for using one, if yes, which one? 🤔

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 20:08:52 -0400

So far, I have not felt excited about the upcoming “Scary Fast” event. Maybe tomorrow morning? I’m not thinking of upgrading my Macs. This could explain it.

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 18:00:26 -0400

👉🏻 I just finished updating my complete content creator toolset with recent changes in my workflows. Enjoy the ride!

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 16:45:09 -0400

Since iOS 17.1 in Music.app, Favourite 🌟 replaced Love ❤️? What if I love a song but it is not one of my favourites? 🤔

Hello, Again, Mac?

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 07:00:59 -0400

Surprised by this late-October Apple event (“Scary Fast”). Could this be about Mac gaming? Is this for the Apple Silicon M3? The timing is weird, in my opinion. What about the iMac with M2 and a new iMac Pro with M3? The latter wouldn’t make too much sense as Pros prefer more flexibility than an all-in-one Mac. But using the Mac happy face really points to a Mac-only event. And boy, do I like this animation that I’m including here for my own pleasure¹.

I always found that Apple is not using the Mac happy face enough in their marketing. They could have tied this face to Siri too. ↩︎

Glass Opens Up a Little Bit More

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 06:51:37 -0400

Glass feels right at home in Capture One. Long adored as one of the best platforms for editing and managing a photography workflow, we’re thrilled to include publishing to Glass in Capture One. The final step in the creative process is sharing the work you’ve made — making that as easy and frictionless as possible is what we’re both all about. Source: Capture One x Glass — Glass

I like where Glass is going. The choice of Capture One as the first to take advantage of Glass’s APIs is telling and sending a message. How long before Publish to Glass support is added to Adobe Lightroom? Months? Years? Ever? How long before we get Fediverse support?

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 06:44:01 -0400

A recent addition to Mailbrew made me discover Brief.news¹. So far, I like what I’m seeing. News briefs are generated with AI (with LLM models, I’m guessing). It’s a great use case of AI, right here. The combination with Mailbrew makes perfect sense, too.

It’s a free service for now. I wonder what is their business model? 🤔 ↩︎

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:20:56 -0400

Touch down. I’m back from Las Vegas! What a ride. What a city! I’m not loving everything about this place for sure. 😐

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 14:15:29 -0400

Today is a reminder that the internet is probably the worst place to have a debate. You would think that Mastodon or Bluesky or Thread are better than X, Y and Z? Nope. Same. Arguing the contrary is shortsighted. Even arguing in a text message conversation is not a good idea.

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 08:24:15 -0400

My 2018 12.9 iPad Pro is old. In technology years, it’s super old. However, it’s my favourite iPad and despite many new versions that Apple has since released, I have not been tempted to replace it. My only issue with this particular iPad is unsurprisingly its battery life. Makes perfect sense. I have used this iPad every day literally for years. In recent months, I could tell it’s not lasting as long. It’s dying within 2 to 3 hours of moderate use. Source: Apple denied my iPad Pro battery replacement

My wife’s 2018 iPad Pro battery is around 84%. She booked a diagnostic session with an Apple Store technician a few months ago. Same thing: Apple didn’t accept to replace the battery unless it was under 80%. Some cynic people could say that Apple wants customers to be frustrated enough with battery life so they upgrade the whole iPad instead of replacing the battery. Personally, this could be an environmental stance, but the fact that it isn’t presented this way opens the door for all sorts of theories.

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 07:53:57 -0400

This week, because of this business trip to Las Vegas, I’m taking a “mild” break from my creative hobby. No more time tracking, no urge to look for the next opportunity to write and share. I am just putting myself in a different mood for this business trip to be successful and valuable. 😌

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 07:30:26 -0400

And now is the time for another weekly creative summary. This is edition 2023-42, available as a shared document directly from Craft, later by email for the millions of subscribers!¹

Well, maybe not that many. 😜 ↩︎

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 18:33:26 -0400

I’m tempted to only bring my 2018 iPad Pro for this business trip to Las Vegas¹. I’ll need it to take notes during sessions and do meetings with Teams. That should be enough. I try to travel light².

And AirPods Pro 2! ↩︎
I will bring the Magic Keyboard for sure. ↩︎

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 17:10:28 -0400

I’m a subscriber of Inoreader, but I read the feeds using Reeder 90% of the time. I only wish that Reeder could update the engagement stats on Inoreader. Is that even possible from a RSS client perspective? I highly doubt it. You’ve got an opinion on this subject? Let me know.

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 16:50:26 -0400

Apple’s use of Swift and SwiftUI in iOS 17 by Timac:

Objective-C is still at the core of iOS and is used directly or indirectly by most apps
The adoption of Swift and SwiftUI continues to grow rapidly
The share of Objective-C, C and C++ continues to decrease

It’s a must-read for the curious around here.

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 16:36:27 -0400

If you are like me, with macOS Sonoma, you like widgets on the Mac desktop. The Mac experience can become quite busy with many widgets. This is why, more than ever, I depend on HazeOver to reduce the distraction caused by widgets¹,².

I set it to 50%. Yes, I set the widgets to be in monochrome when the focus isn’t the desktop. ↩︎
I know, this sounds like an ad. 😜 ↩︎

Some Must-Needed Changes to My (Too Many) About Pages

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 11:19:39 -0400

Today, I’m removing my digital garden content. The most valuable parts were moved to my About Page, and the rest has been dropped. Both of these pages are created and maintained in Craft. I like the idea of Digital Gardens, but it’s not practical for me to maintain on top of this blog and my other websites. Again, it’s time to focus.

Next up, should I get rid of my Linktr.ee page?¹,² 🤔 And, why does my Micro.blog about page is empty? 🤨

I know what you think. I have probably way too many websites. And I would respond: yeah, you are right. ↩︎
Linktr.ee offers great design tools and useful analytics. I’m not ready to drop those. ↩︎

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 16:49:44 -0400

Getting mentally ready for a business trip to Las Vegas next week. I’ll try to put my 15 Pro Max to the test with night photography🌃. It’s been three years since the last travel, thanks to COVID. Can’t wait to see this city where everything happening in Las Vegas stays there. It better be¹.

I don’t play slot machines. I hate that. ↩︎

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 18:50:57 -0400

My 2018 iPad Pro is starting to show its age. iPadOS 17 might be the last enjoyable version on this device. Stage Manager is disabled. No external monitors support. Great external monitor with my Mac mini, though. 🤔

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 12:40:42 -0400

For some reason, I feel the urge to try iA Writer. I must be bored…¹

I’m a satisfied Ulysses user. But, Ulysses feels busier than iA Writer, from what I can see. ↩︎

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 08:44:29 -0400

There is a Midjourney plugin for Raycast… but man this is hard to configure and make it working. Moving on for now.

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 08:43:02 -0400

For those on Craft, this is my release analysis for v2.5.18 that just came out.

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 15:40:59 -0400

Remember when it was simple to buy an iPad? Now it is getting harder to buy an Apple Pencil, too.

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:58:18 -0400

Does a foldable iPad = Apple’s Knowledge Navigator? 🤨🤔

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 14:56:09 -0400

My favorite Apple Watch face of all time.

404 - Page Not Found

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:37:27 -0400

I have an issue with Short.io. I want to contact their support to find a solution to something that partially works, but no contact information is available in the /Support section. The /Blog section shows a small “Contact Us” button leading to a page not found error. There is no mail address either. They ask for $ 250 / year for a “Personal” subscription plan. How can I trust them if I cannot contact them for support?¹🤔

The problem: not all links are leading to the destination page under the go.numericcitizen.me domain name. Why? This used to work for all links, but it’s no longer true. Why? Exhibit one: this link works. This one won’t.

Instead of 404 - Page Not Found, this should be 404 - Support Not Available 😔

Update: I got my answer after chatting with tech support through their chatbox on their website, which wasn’t initially showing because of content blocking in Safari. 🤦🏻‍♂️ All is fine now.

Their Twitter account is a ghost town; the last tweet was posted in 2021. ↩︎

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 17:39:46 -0400

If Apple is indeed close to releasing the third-generation Apple Pencil with a magnetic pencil tip, I can see that coming with some new trick, enabled with iPadOS 17.1, probably to be launched before October 21st¹. What else could this new pencil do? Include an electronic erasure on the other end of the pencil? 👀

The date was apparently leaked by a French government agency about the reduction of radiation from the iPhone 12, which Apple would indeed fix no later than October 21st. ↩︎

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 13:52:11 -0400

Who’s reading my weekly creative summary? How could I improve it?

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 11:54:48 -0400

Apparently, Apple is working on a way to upgrade iOS on iPhone still in their box at the Apple Store. This would prevent issues where there is a bug in the final release of iOS that could hinder the upgrade experience of new buyers. I’m still wondering how the GM of iOS is installed at the factory and how long it takes to be installed. Is the USB-C port helping make the operation faster? 🤔

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 09:14:46 -0400

It’s Sunday, it’s the time of the week for another creative summary. Here’s another edition of my weekly creative summary directly from my Craft workspace. It’s the seventh edition already! 😅 The email version is coming up later today for my subscribers!

Sat, 14 Oct 2023 14:53:40 -0400

I’m getting an issue with Short.io where domain name cloaking is no longer available. It used to be just fine. Something has changed recently. To get it back, I have to subscribe to the personal plan costing 250$. Looking for alternatives. Cc @Mtt who uses the same setup as mine.

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:51:50 -0400

Discovery of the day: I can use Audio Hijack with ScreenFlow to record the Mac audio from the Finch Pixel USB-C¹,² mic and the Mac screen. Why use Audio Hijack? Well, so that it can use the macOS Voice Isolation feature and output the results to the Mac audio, which the special audio driver of ScreenFlow, in turn, picks up. Without this, ScreenFlow 10.0.9, with direct voice isolation, creates distorted sound.

With the Lightning version, I had no issues with the iPhone 13 Pro, macOS Voice Isolation and Screenflow. The problems come from using USB (A or C) microphone devices. It’s a known issue, apparently—no fix in sight. ↩︎
I spent way too much time and money trying to fix the sound quality for my recordings. ↩︎

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:58:17 -0400

I went to the Apple Store yesterday. Surprisingly, in the front of the store only has letters printed on the front windows. Pretty lame. I spent some time looking at other shades for the 15 Pro line. The natural titanium definitively reminds me of the iPhone 4 contour design, which I love very much. I’m still happy with my black iPhone 15 Pro Max, but…

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:40:24 -0400

hey, bloggers and writers on WordPress¹, enable the Fediverse plugin and share your blog “handle” with the world so we can follow you right from here! Can’t wait!

I left WordPress.com a while back, but I’m happy to see them adopt Fediverse! ↩︎

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 18:48:47 -0400

I just received my Nomad leather case for my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Best case I ever used on an iPhone. Better than Apple’s leather case. It complements the Peak Design one for use with my bike. Another great case, btw. Not cheap but well worth it. 👌🏻

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 21:38:51 -0400

Thought of the day: read-later services or applications are a consequence of facing or having too much content available and a lack of time for consuming that content in a timely matter. ☝🏻

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 21:31:07 -0400

I love Omnivore more and more. There, I said it.☝🏻

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 19:53:40 -0400

Sometimes, a website doesn’t work well (or at all), and the problem is that my NextDNS client blocks some traffic. When that happens, I turn it off… and forget about it, only to find out a few days later that I forgot to reenable it. This makes me angry—all the time.

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 09:07:02 -0400

👉🏻 What an entertaining story by @basicappleguy about Apple’s controversial cases, with beautiful imagery, as always. I do have a case for one of my AitTag. 😳

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 10:25:23 -0400

Who remembers this? Countless moments were spent looking at this back in 1984 and 1985. It’s one of Apple’s best and most timeless designs, even if it’s beige¹.

Taken out of a copy of an Apple Dealer Guide circa 1985. ↩︎

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 08:01:04 -0400

Another creative week is mostly completed, it’s time for a new edition of the Weekly Creative Summary, now available as a Craft shared document, later by email for my subscribers! Buckle up! 😊

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 20:18:23 -0400

I’m still in my early phase with my iPhone 15 Pro Max 📸📱. Taking photos with this phone offers more possibilities, asking for more thoughts while shooting a scene. Am I the only one who wished Apple had created a profiling questionnaire during the iPhone setup, asking questions to determine our general experience level with photography? Depending on our answers, parameters would be set accordingly. ☝🏻

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 16:41:59 -0400

I made discoveries today while doing some much-needed cleanup in my home office. Here, this is what could be the first Apple dongle¹. More to come soon… 👀

This box was an AppleTalk network junction box. The smaller beige piece was for connecting two AppleTalk cables. ↩︎

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 14:07:36 -0400

Ghost offers a new default theme: Source. 👀 And I kind of digg it a lot! Will have to investigate further this weekend.

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 08:59:15 -0400

The “new” Microsoft Teams is now available on Mac. Gosh, that is not ready for prime time, at least on macOS Sonoma. Going back to the Classic version.

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:36:43 -0400

Yesterday at work, I was directed to listen to a podcast hosted on Podbean. I remembered that in 2019 I was sharing my podcast episodes over there, too, in addition to Apple’s Podcasts directory¹. I spent some time this morning to refresh my setup. Boy, this service is “dull” to use. I wonder if it really makes a difference to post my content there.

In 2019, I experimented with podcasting but in French. It wasn’t very successful. ↩︎

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:21:37 -0400

I’m going to the office by bike today. 🚴🏻‍♂️ With this splendid weather¹, probably the last such beautiful and warm day of this fall, I’m really looking forward to this half-hour ride downtown Montreal.

We’ve been in a very long streak of warm and sunny weather, something like 10 days of sunshine. ↩︎

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:16:27 -0400

👉🏻 I’m ready to share my first digital product: a Craft template to support the process of research and writing on a specific subject. See the introduction post on Gumroad. Special introductory price: 5$ or about the price of a latte at Starbucks. Think about it! 🤣

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 07:37:32 -0400

I spent the early morning on Gumroad to set up something… 👀

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:57:29 -0400

Got an email this morning from Mailbrew about an issue (resolved since then) of logging into the service. So, there is life, apparently! They said they have a “team” working on the next features… 🤔 I would love to see this service thrive instead of being an abandonware. 🙏🏻

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:23:06 -0400

I just realized the upcoming weekend is a long one. I should have enough free time to produce another podcast! And a YouTube video about my Craft super-template for research and writing.

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 19:17:45 -0400

It’s Sunday, and it’s time for the new edition of my weekly creative summary, available now directly from Craft, later by email, for those who subscribe. Enjoy the ride.

Announcing "My Reading Workflow Explained"

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 07:46:30 -0400

I’m finally publishing the details surrounding my reading workflow. It’s been long in the making. More than a year. The reason? Because this workflow was full of moving parts. One example: is the read-later service. First, it was Pocket, then came Matter, Readwise, to finally settle on Omnivore. All the details are here on the Numeric Citizen I/O metablog. Feel free to comment or ask questions! 😊

What a Strange iCloud Drive Bug!

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 16:28:24 -0400

I have a folder named “Noto” in my iCloud Drive folder that keeps populating empty folders inside of it, on all my devices. Noto is a note-taking app that I tried in Feb. 2020. Today, I found out that I had more than 30K empty folders sitting there. I deleted the folders from my Mac mini, and it came back. Same with the MacBook Air. It came back. I visited all my devices to see if Noto was still installed. Nope. I reinstalled it on the iPad to see if it would populate something. Nope. I went on Files.app on the iPad to delete the root folder. Still re-appearing. On all my devices, I reinstalled Noto, to disable iCloud sync. I visited the iCloud storage section within Settings on the iPhone. The Noto folder isn’t there. But, on the iPad, it was there. I deleted the item from iCloud storage management. Yet, the folder keeps coming back. What a strange bug. Help.

Update: the issue went away after rebooting my M2 MacBook Air to fix an issue with Screenflow screen recording permission request. I went back to the iCloud Drive folder and sure enough, the Noto folder didn’t come back. I guess the issue is resolved.

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 10:22:04 -0400

Currently testing Safari profiles. I kind of like it so far. Still exploring. Currently devising work from personal life. I will probably create one for my YouTube video recording sessions too. Are you using Safari profiles? Are you using Safari at all, I might ask?

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:06:11 -0400

I’ve been working on my reading workflow for many months. I’m very close to publishing an article about it. While waiting for it, along the way, I created a comparison of the following read-later services:

Matter
Pocket
Raindrop.io
Readwise Reader
Omnivore

You can download it here: https://go.numericcitizen.me/pFscoL0x. Any comments, suggestions?

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 06:30:46 -0400

When adding widgets on macOS Sonoma, there should be a visual cue telling me which widgets are coming from the iPhone vs from installed apps on my Mac. This screenshot shows two Dayone instances, and Fitness Totals is on my iPhone.☝🏻

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 21:57:55 -0400

Rewind is nice, but this is such a resource hog. Battery life is miserable since I run this thing on my MacBook Air. Is it worth it, just for a few possible queries a month?¹

I fail to see more than 2-3 use cases so far. ↩︎

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 21:45:15 -0400

What happens when you run Micro.blog.app and the web app side by side? Here is a peek at Activity Monitor on the memory consumption tab. There’s the native app. Fine. But, for each web app, Sonoma seems to spin three other processes (Graphics, Networking, and some root process using the web app URL name). Fascinating. Native apps don’t consume as much memory.

Already at Four Web Apps in My Dock, and You?

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 21:21:49 -0400

So far, I have created four web apps on my Dock in Sonoma: Micro.blog¹, Pixelfed², Tinylytics, and Omnivore. I like this a lot³. For Omnivore, the web app provides a better experience than the “native” app, which is probably not really native⁴. What other apps could I set in my Dock now?🤔

For Micro.blog, it doesn’t make too much sense as there is a native Mac app already. ↩︎
It’s better than having a Safari tab for that. It’s fast and feels native. ↩︎
I know, it’s already possible on Windows. ↩︎
It feels like an iPad app on the Mac. ↩︎

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 21:00:45 -0400

Testing a post from Micro.blog as a web app ¹ running on macOS Sonoma.

Is this how we should call a web page saved in the macOS Dock? ↩︎

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:48:16 -0400

I’m weak. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:20:22 -0400

FineWoven case-gate. Titanium-scratch-gate. Overheating-gate. What’s next for the iPhone 15 Pro?¹

so far, no issue with the Max! ↩︎

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 07:12:36 -0400

My iPhone 15 Pro Max is not overheating. But I find those reports, as reported here, a bit worrying. Could Apple fix or mitigate these occurrences with a software update or a new configuration toggle in the Settings.app? Did you experience overheating issues?

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 06:51:56 -0400

💡Thought of the day: I don’t have a thing like a second brain 🧠 using a dedicated app. It’s a popular concept nowadays to build a second brain utilizing an app like Craft, Obsidian or anything else. I don’t believe in the idea of having a second brain. But let’s suppose I believed in this concept; I would argue that my second brain is inside my MacBook Air, spread in different apps, fulfilling a specific task in supporting this idea of the second brain. ☝🏻

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 21:59:31 -0400

The Mac is the last platform to get my trust for an upgrade of macOS. I do iPhone and iPad in a heartbeat, but the Mac, no. I wait a few weeks so that my must-have apps receive updates. I don’t want to ruin anything by upgrading to Sonoma so soon. I’ll probably wait until November.

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 07:13:27 -0400

I’ve recently been using Apple’s Freeform for different articles I’m working on. I’m really falling in love with this app. It’s a sleeper hit for me. Its apparent simplicity shouldn’t put you off. Freeform is capable of supporting the creation of rather sophisticated diagrams. I really feel Apple’s designers brought all their craftsmanship and attention to detail here. Everything feels in the right place.

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:21:26 -0400

Why do I always feel nervous when changing my Apple ID password? 😨

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:01:58 -0400

I read in recent days that the Craft team is supposedly very interested and invested in AI for Craft. I’m not sure if this is good news. Notes and document-writing apps should focus on the core experience and capabilities to support the writing process. Today, I don’t see AI at the core for most people (yet). AI should be a complementary feature. There are so many things to be improves and fixed in Craft; I’m afraid they spend too much time on the AI stuff while neglecting the bugs and highly requested basic features, again.😔

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 07:15:54 -0400

The usefulness of ChatGPT for me is as a replacement for using Google when I have to learn something new (eg an API). Formerly, I would have Googled, and then visited a bunch of results, and learnt a little on each page until I had built up an answer for myself.
I see ChatGPT as a Google mashup. It takes those Google results, and mixes them up to give me a more direct answer to my question. Previously, my own brain would have to do that mashup.
Drew McCormack https://mastodon.cloud/@drewmccormack/111124631941983536

I do exactly the same but for a subject that I don’t really know. I’m curious to know if Google’s traffic is affected by this change of behaviour.

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 19:31:47 -0400

Shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max with the telephoto lens, at 25x digital zoom. The best I could do with a lot of post-processing tweaks (tweaked the saturation, highlight, contrast, sharpening, noise reduction, etc.) 😅

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 17:28:19 -0400

I finally found THE use case for the Action Button: running a shortcut¹ to 1) take a screen capture and 2) run the Apple Frame shortcut. It’s super handy. The camera already has a button on the screen that is easier to grab when I want to take a picture.

Haptly named “Action Button”. ↩︎

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:07:21 -0400

Here is my weekly creative summary newsletter for 2023/38, in Craft format. Website and newsletter coming up soon. 😅👨🏻‍💻

My Interview with Manton Reece of Micro.blog

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 07:00:05 -0400

I had the chance to spend some time with Manton Reece and ask him a few questions about Montreal’s poutine, Apple’s power and the App Store, Twitter¹ and the future of Micro.blog. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did doing it.😊

I refuse to name this otherwise. ↩︎

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:35:45 -0400

The first few iPhone 15 Pro Max images are making their way onto Glass. Mine included. 👈🏻

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 09:36:10 -0400

😏 I’m about to begin something special that I can’t wait to share with you before the end of the week-end. I hope everything works fine¹. 👀

Wish me luck. Or, wish “us” look would be more appropriate! ↩︎

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 06:46:25 -0400

Now it’s confirmed: my Finch Lavalier microphone¹ doesn’t work with Apple’s USB-C to Lightning adaptor with the iPhone 15 Pro USB-C post. I repeat: it doesn’t work. It’s the first official and confirmed victim of the transition to USB-C. I’ll have to figure out a new solution for my podcast and YouTube video recording². 😡

a third-party review here ↩︎
the iPhone’s microphone with voice isolation could be enough. ↩︎

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 06:33:23 -0400

Well, now one of my Apple Watch¹ won’t pair with my new iPhone since the migration was completed yesterday. It’s the one that I wasn’t wearing. Rebooting the watch doesn’t help. Rebooting the phone doesn’t help. Now what? 🤔

I’ve got two: a Series 6 for the night, a Series 8 for the day. ↩︎

iPhone 15 Pro Max - First Impressions

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 22:07:36 -0400

It feels great in hand, similar in fact to the weight of my iPhone 13 Pro (not the Max), which is great. The back is darker than my iPhone 11 Pro, and I love it. I’m quite happy with the darker black. It’s a bit darker than I thought. It’s definitively a finger magnet. It’s very soft to the touch. Rounded contours are really making a difference. The device feels more approachable. The screen is so nice. The setup process is superbly executed. An update to iOS was required before transferring the content from my iPhone 13 Pro. Yet, there were many apps which required reentering my credentials. Data transfer was estimated at one hour¹. The data transfer took about 45 minutes. The Always On display is… always on. 😳 I don’t know if I’ll keep that option… on.

At that point, the WiFi logo disappeared and I started wondering if the data was going through 5G instead. That was curious. It’s not possible because my new phone didn’t have the SIM call installed yet. Or maybe it was going through Bluetooth or through a point-to-point WiFi connection? ↩︎

When Journalists Aren't Any Better Than ChatGPT

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 07:20:48 -0400

In the “Craptacular Is More Like It” article, this is @gruber@mastodon.social at its best. I read the original article earlier this week and concluded that Apple had difficult times ahead with its modem development. This morning, in my usual reading routine, I read the article from Mr. Gruber, and I think it succeeds in demonstrating this: the original article wasn’t any better than any ChatGPT-generated content.

Now I feel that I was deceived by the journalist who tried to fill me with unverified and barely possible facts tied together based on thin air. And you would think journalists can do better than AI-generated work? Not always. Thanks to Mr. Gruber for that one.

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:24:43 -0400

It took way too long to record, process and publish my latest podcast episode. I must tweak my workflow ASAP. It was supposed to be a “quick and easy thing”, but it isn’t. It is unsustainable. 😑 Why is everything so hard for me.. grrr. 😒

Episode 04 — Did You Know?

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:14:23 -0400

Inspired by a recent podcast episode where Martin Feld interviewed John Gruber, for this fourth podcast episode, I decided to talk about my early years as a blogger.

Links:

Really Specific Stories podcast: https://pca.st/pcp6rwjs
Interview with John Gruber episode: https://pca.st/i0xdkxfh, his announcement on his blog: https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/09/20/really-specific-stories-yours-truly
A reply to John Gruber about his interview: https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/23822941
Search for the “BuildingiPhoneApps” keyword on the internet archive for a glimpse of my very first blog, and locate 2010 and beyond on the timeline.

Transcript

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:50:25 -0400

My expectations for the iPhone 15 Pro Max fit and finish and how it feels in my hands are very high. I’m looking for something similar to the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5 and iPhone 7 feelings… those never were matched by subsequent iPhones.

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 07:10:37 -0400

My iPhone 15 Pro Max is still in “Preparing to ship” state. Delivery is scheduled for tomorrow. I’m guessing the device is waiting in a warehouse somewhere near Toronto or in Canada. 🙏🏻🤓

I Rarely Visit the App Store

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 06:38:15 -0400

I opened the App Store this Monday to see how Apple would promote new app releases supporting iOS 17. Then I realized that I rarely open the App Store except to go and get app updates. When was the last time I went to browse the productivity category? When did I last browse the store for popular photography apps or new utilities? I can’t even remember when I last bought an app discovered in the App Store¹. I wonder if this is only me or reflects a more general trend.🤔

I usually make my discoveries by external reference. ↩︎

Where's The Magic in Adaptive Audio?

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 20:10:53 -0400

Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness don’t click for me

I’ve been using Apple’s new AirPods features for the past week, and I’m sad to say that I don’t really understand either of them

I’m with Matt here. I fail to find the magic here. I’ve read Gruber’s take on the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, and I’m afraid I don’t feel anything magical about Adaptive Audio. When activated, I hear too much from the surroundings; I prefer noise cancellation. Can we get adaptive noise cancellation instead? 🤔

I feel that Apple’s engineers couldn’t figure out which new audio profiles to include and couldn’t decide, and they suggested including both. Then, the marketing guys came in and named these profiles Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness. Boom. I’m half-joking here.

I’ll keep trying in the next few days to find the magic.

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:51:05 -0400

How I Automatically Include a Blog Description in My RSS Feed

I’ve been asked a couple of times how I get this short site description to be included in every entry of my RSS feed.

I’m one of those curious who asked the question. Wondering if this could be addressed via a new plugin by @Mtt or by @manton Micro.blog base service.

Review of Reviews: Great Updates to Already Great iPhone but...

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 22:05:04 -0400

Today, I read many iPhone 15 Pro reviews and watched many YouTube videos too. For some reason, I get the feeling of a slight deception mood across many reviewers. Those are great upgrades, but since they are compared to last year’s iPhone, the improvements are dimmed as mostly minor. A mentioned the superiority of the iPhone in the video recording field, but in the photography field, it’s less clear. Sharpening seems a tad less aggressive with more natural tones. The 24MP resolution by default is a welcomed addition, and yet… it’s not a home run. Device physical tweaks are unanimously welcomed, though. Maybe tomorrow, my interpretation will be different. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 09:11:36 -0400

It’s going to be a big phone. Got my Peak Design iPhone case yesterday😃. I like it. Great design¹ and nice feeling to the touch.

I worry a bit about the effectiveness of the case buttons when pressed against the iPhone’s buttons. Lack of “travel” will diminish the pressing effect. ↩︎

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 13:06:04 -0400

Playing with recently updated apps and their respective interactive widgets. They all come out to their default view. Rebooting the iPhone is mandatory to fix this issue. Adding another widget and again defaults to the blank screen.🤦🏻‍♂️ iOS 17.0.1, I guess, will help fix this.

Some Thoughts About Apps Support of StandBy Mode and Interactive Widgets

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 10:21:24 -0400

Many apps are getting updates today and this week. Yes! 😃 But, so far, I have found some bugs in iOS 17 to display interactive widget content once they are added. They often stay blank with a white background. Rebooting doesn’t help. I don’t know if it is an iOS 17 bug or an issue with the app. 🤔 One design issue: if an app supports the StandBy mode¹, it should also support the landscape orientation, not only the portrait orientation. Tapping a widget to launch the app and the app comes up in portrait mode. It’s bad. WaterMinder is such an example, and… Apple’s Stocks app! The latter is inexcusable. In general, StandBy mode seems a work-in-press, to be honest.²

this is how the StandBy mode is triggered on the iPhone. ↩︎
Make no mistake, I do like it a lot, though. ↩︎

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 21:16:29 -0400

After three years of availability, I experienced the first App Clips case today. I was close to a Dairy Queen-type so I was presented with an App Clips allowing ordering from my iPhone. There aren’t a lot of App Clips, apparently.

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 08:30:36 -0400

This is how much forests burned so far this summer in Canada. ☹️ There are still close to a thousand fires still in action. This is freaking bad for so many reasons. First, we need forests to remove CO2. In a sense, removing trees diminishes the capacity of nature to limit climate change. We lose this capability. Second, all that burning created a lot of CO2. Third, it will take half a century to regain those lost forests.😔 It’s really hard to feel positive about our future.

Testing Apple's USB-C to Lightning Adaptor with iPad Pro

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 13:17:49 -0400

I wanted to follow up a previous post of mine about using my Lightning-based Lavalier microphone with a USB-C device, like my 2018 iPad Pro¹. I ordered the USB-C to Lightning adaptor on the day of the Apple keynote. I got it this morning. If you are wondering if it works with Ferrite and Apple’s Voice Memos on my iPad Pro? No, it doesn’t.😔

A positive conclusion would have been a good sign on the prospect of making it work with the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now, it’s not sure at all. ↩︎

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:12:43 -0400

Ordered. I’ll wait before buying a case from Apple because I’m not sure about the new FineWoven texture and durability. Some YouTubers said the feeling to the touch is similar to suede and I’m not a fan. #iphone15pro #iphone15promax

An Update About My New Quest of Leaving Adobe Lightroom

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 06:56:30 -0400

Yesterday night, I spent nearly an hour reading articles and forum posts about the implications of closing my Adobe Photography subscription¹. The implications and how to recover my photos differ for Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC. It’s not that hard, but it will be a tedious process if I want to keep some organization that the Lightroom catalog currently provides. I’ll put this project on my list of things to do in 2024. This will give me some time to plan for the migration².

I subscribe to the photography plan which gives me 2TB of storage, which is currently used at 110GB. ↩︎
Or change my mind. 🤦🏻‍♂️ ↩︎

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:07:50 -0400

How do you get out of Adobe Lightroom? What if I want to focus on Photomator and Pixelmator instead?

Waiting for more interactive widgets…

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 13:08:42 -0400

✅ WaterMinder

✅ Longplay

Timery 👀

Focused Work 👀

What else?

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 08:41:37 -0400

Today is a caseless day with my iPhone 13 Pro. Best way to experience the device design and flaws¹.

Like the too sharp edges. The too shiny flat edges. ↩︎

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:50:01 -0400

“Get Ready for iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro” on Apple.com¹, is this new, or was it available for the iPhone 14 launch last year? I find this to be a great way to limit frustration on the day the new iPhones will go on sale (tomorrow). 🤔

The new website feature enables anyone to build their iPhone order, including setting up the return of the older iPhone for a credit. In theory, on the day of availability, you’ll click “Buy”. ↩︎

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:14:44 -0400

Did anyone notice this new “time-based” page indicator on Apple.com?¹. It is very well-designed and clever.

Can be seen in the iPhone 15 Pro sub-website. ↩︎

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 06:50:37 -0400

Experimenting with reading my Micro.blog timeline in RSS mode with Reeder. It’s surprisingly very effective for catching up on the last 12 hours of posts. It is, in fact, more effective than reading past posts on the website.

Apple Wonderlust Event — My Initial Impressions

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 21:22:42 -0400

These are my impressions of Apple’s latest product announcements.

The mother nature segment was funny, and I smiled quite often. It was a great way to communicate their progress toward better environmental protection and reduced carbon footprint. Video production quality was top-notch. Aren’t tech press people tired of going to Apple Park to watch a movie?

Many comments during the presentation about the desire by Apple to see people go into their stores to buy and activate the new iPhones¹.

We got a short update about the upcoming Apple Vision Pro, which is still on track for early 2024. That was expected but felt a bit short.

Onto the Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is a mildly interesting update. The new finger gestures are cool but only for Series 9. Too bad. I’ll probably buy a few new bands later this fall. I’ll skip this year’s updates and wait for next year’s rumoured redesign.

Moving to the star of the show. The iPhone.

The iPhone remains the crown jewel of Apple. Everything else is peripheral. The design of the Pro line is absolutely gorgeous (rounded edges, great pro finishes). The A17 Pro (bye-bye Bionic) is a powerhouse CPU! I’ll go with the 15 Pro Max with 512 GB of storage. I’ll order the “USB-C to Lightning adaptor” to keep using my excellent Cavalier microphone (see my previous blog post about the issue).

The black finish is my choice with a blue FineWoven case². Best of both worlds. Thanks to this video, which helped me confirm my decision³. Those wallpapers are gorgeous, too! This is the first time in a while that I love them so much. I’m overall happy with this year’s Pro finishes and tones. Very classy.

I’m a bit surprised by the battery life capacity to be the same as last year’s Pro models. I was expecting longer battery life with the A17, but I guess since we get more features… something has to give. I expect next year’s iPad Pro to use a derivative of the A17 Pro announced today.

About cameras. A 5x range for telephoto, not 6x⁴. I’m surprised it’s not 6x. But 120mm is great for travelling. Shooting with the phone and having the preview immediately available on the Mac, just like pros are expecting. Wow. Do images on the 15 Pro line have less over-processing / sharpening? I certainly hope so. And about those immersive spacial videos to be shot on the 15 Pro but visioned on the Apple Vision Pro, coming later this year. Consider me intrigued⁵. The camera app has a few tweaks, judging by some video segments, for the 2x mode, where you can select the focal length. Cool.

There is no monstrous price increase, which is good. Some price adjustments on the entry-level iPhone 15 Pro Max. The speed limit of the USB-C on the non-Pro line is ridiculous⁶. iCloud+ storage tier at 6TB is a surprise, still 5GB⁷ at the entry-level, though. I like the action button flexibility.

I’ll order my new phone this Friday. That is all for now.

Apparently, the vast majority of iPhone in the US aren’t bought in an Apple Store. Apple would like to improve that. ↩︎
I might change my mind, depending of videos from the hands-on area at Apple Park. ↩︎
My second choice would probably be the blue finish next in third position, the natural titanium color. ↩︎
25x digital zoom apparently. Not bad. ↩︎
I’m still not planning to buy an Apple Vision Pro. ↩︎
480 mb/s. Ouch. ↩︎
Yes, that is right, a mere 5 gigabytes! ↩︎

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:47:13 -0400

Apple Wonderlust T-15 min. ✅ Focus Mode: ON.

✅ Offline at the office.

✅ Apple.com open

✅ Tv.app open

✅ CleanShot Configured

✅ NAS ready

😎

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 17:40:18 -0400

And It’s the right time to take a screenshot 📸 of apple.com before it gets revamped and refreshed tomorrow with some new stuff. 👀

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:39:04 -0400

Since 9/11 in 2001, I look up every time I hear a plane in the sky. Every single time. And I’m Canadian. 😔 ¹

And I have the profound feeling that we didn’t learn anything about these events. ↩︎

My Excitement About the Upcoming iPhones Explained

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 20:07:46 -0400

Here are some more details about my excitement for the next iPhone¹.

Besides the camera upgrades, here is a short list of things I’m looking forward to with the next iPhones.

I’m going to the Max. It’s the first Max model that I’m getting².
I expect better battery life than the iPhone 14 Pro Max³. I want a real all-day battery life for when I travel abroad.
I never liked the current chrome finish of the Pro line (since the iPhone 12 Pro)⁴. I like the titanium finish of the Apple Watch. I can’t wait to see the tweaked version for the iPhone⁵.
I’m ambivalent about the rumoured action button. I’ll want to configure it for the camera capture, but I want to keep the mute button.
The always-on display… I’m not sure. My wife has an iPhone 14 Pro, she disabled the always-on display because of the battery drain. I’ll see with the Max.
I’m curious about the grey version, but I will go either with a deep blue⁶ or the darkest one⁷.
I love the Dynamic Island. My hope is to see wider adoption by developers.
Finally, USB-C. Finally. 95% of the time, I charge my iPhone with MagSafe. It’s too convenient. On rare occasions, it will be handy to grab any normal USB-C cable and plug it in. As for transfer speed, I’m not in any use cases for this⁸.

I’ll catch you on the other side of the Wonderlust event.

Just in case someone actually care. 😜 ↩︎
Screen content displayed is barely more than the Pro, yet, I’ll take all the pixel the iPhone has to offer. ↩︎
At the very least, much better battery life than my current aging iPhone 13 Pro. ↩︎
The chrome look on anything always felt like cheap luxury to me. I prefer textures. ↩︎
I expect Apple to offer a different texture. ↩︎
I’m curious about anything that is blue. I could wait until iPhones make their way to the Apple Store, but I won’t be able to last that long. I’m looking for videos in the hands-on area at Apple Park for a cue about the colors. ↩︎
The black matte iPhone 5 was the best of all. ↩︎
Will this enable iPhone-to-iPhone transfer between an iPhone 15 Pro and an iPhone 17 Pro? 🤔 ↩︎

Pixelfed Is Working on “Solo”

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 13:53:15 -0400

I’m really curious about this. The idea of having my personal instance of Pixelfed is tempting. I like the idea of having full control and not being at the mercy of some other admin, updating the codebase as I wish while being part of the Pixelfed federation¹. It’s expected to be released on October 20th. I should start planning my domain name and username.²

Of course, other instance could decide to block mine, but that’s not going to happen, unless I’m being a bad actor in the federation. ↩︎
Does that mean Micro.blog would need to do something in order to cross post to my personal instance? ↩︎

Why I’m Excited for This Week’s Apple Announcements

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 08:38:54 -0400

I’m super excited about this year’s iPhone announcements. It’s probably because I’m getting one of them¹. I try to skip one or two iterations. I went from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 11 Pro, then to the iPhone 13 Pro, and now the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’m looking forward to these improvements: the cameras² and battery life³. Sure, the Dynamic Island will be cool. Oh, and USB-C, finally⁴!

Can’t wait for Sept 12th.

I’m getting the iPhone 15 Pro Max / 512 GB model. I’ll return my old 13 Pro to Apple for a credit. ↩︎
Could the telephoto lens make me forget about my Nikon? ↩︎
This is why I’m going to the Max this year. ↩︎
99% of the time I use MagSafe to charge my iPhone these days. 😜 ↩︎

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 13:40:51 -0400

⁉️This iCloud Upload of 78 items has been going on since I migrated from the 13-inch MBA to the 15-inch MBA with Apple Migration Assistant. Any ideas on how to fix this? ¹🤔

Annoying as hell. ↩︎

Episode 03 — I'm Excited and Stressed

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 11:27:47 -0400

This week, Apple will release its latest iPhone models. I’m excited. It will be an exercise of balance between news consumption, analysis and writing. It’s the perfect mix for a stressful week. 😟 Learn why in this podcast episode.

Links

My iPhone 11 Pro review: “From iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 Pro: The Return of Delights”
My iPhone 13 Pro review: “Upgrading From the iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 13 Pro — the Love Story Continues”

Transcript

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 08:40:13 -0400

Feeling sad this morning 😥 about the consequences of the earthquake in Morroco. I’m trying to get news from our guide to see if he is ok. 🙏🏻

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 07:51:00 -0400

I wish there was a way to subscribe to a RSS feed within Day One. This way, I could delete my IFTTT account. ¹😐

IFTTT read my Micro.blog RSS feed to save a copy of my posts to my personal journal on Day One. ↩︎

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 07:46:35 -0400

Early mornings are my favourite creative moments… everyone is asleep, and it is super quiet in the house. 😊👨🏻‍💻

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 18:26:13 -0400

I wanted to increase my podcasts listening time. I decided to put Overcast on the first home screen page. It worked. 👌🏻🤓

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 06:33:57 -0400

While Elon Musk wants the Twitter brand to disappear from the earth’s surface, you can see the Twitter icon and references everywhere on the web. X is not taking over at all. Services or apps that depend on Twitter for logging in, news sites asking people to join them via social networks, apps offering a sharing action or whatever the needs are, most continue to use Twitter’s original branding. In support of those who refuse to let go the little bird, here’s my contribution¹.

Thanks to Midjourney 😜 ↩︎

On Apps by Apple

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 22:00:27 -0400

What a strange move by Apple. This website made by Apple promotes first-party apps for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc. Why? Why now? I would understand in the context of being forced to allow third-party App Stores. Apple reminding people about their apps while people are getting excited by side-loading and third-party App Stores would make sense. Is Apple up to something here? They usually plan for the long run. This could be the first baby step for a more open ecosystem.¹ 👀

Interestingly, you can launch each app with an Open button if you are visiting the website from your beloved iPhone, iPad or the Mac. ↩︎

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 21:52:15 -0400

Apple is reportedly developing a low-cost MacBook series to compete with Chromebook models in the education sector that could be released as early as the second half of 2024, according to industry sources. Source: Apple mulls low-cost MacBook, say sources

Remember when people and tech pundits pressed Apple to create a Netbook? Apple responded with an 11-inch MacBook (2008) Air and an iPad (2010). I hope they skip trying to make a low-cost MacBook and keep improving on the current iPad story instead. That being said, I understand Chromebooks are giving Apple a hard time in education. 🥵

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 21:47:04 -0400

Matte black MacBook again makes an appearance in an Apple patent Source: Matte black MacBook again referenced in an Apple patent

I would pay a little extra for a fingerprint-free matte black MacBook Air. 🤗

Remember Apple’s Freeform?

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 06:53:25 -0400

I’m curious, is anyone using Apple’s Freeform? For what use case? Personally, I was curious about Freeform and experimented with it for a while, but then I stopped using it. I prefer using it on the iPad than on the Mac.

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 06:32:38 -0400

Pixelfed is rolling out Stories. 😒🤦🏻‍♂️ I’m not a fan at all. I’m not sure that I want PixelFed to take that direction. I decided to unfollow anyone who shares one of these.¹

I left Instagram because it wasn’t about photography anymore. ↩︎

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 07:48:32 -0400

I got an Ember coffee mug¹ for my birthday, yesterday. The first thing the Ember app detected after pairing the mug with my iPhone was that an update to the mug’s firmware. It took 5 minutes to complete. Software is everywhere now guys. 😳

The mug keeps the coffee at the right temperature. Great and well-design coffee mug. ↩︎

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 19:02:10 -0400

Fifty-six. 56. Already. 🧁

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:56:47 -0400

Eventually, in a few weeks, I’ll have to decide if I go with the 256GB storage tier or the next level up: 512GB¹. If I to future my purchase of the 15 Ultra, I’ll probably have to go with the latter.

256GB or 512GB, that is the question

I’ve been using 256GB for as long as I remember. ↩︎

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:16:14 -0400

Glass is sending out emails to let us know that we can share and spread the word to our friends and family so they can join Glass too but at a reduced price. But, wait, we get nothing if they subscribe, really? Am I missing something or simply being needy?

September

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 08:43:29 -0400

This is my favourite month of the year¹. It’s my birthday month². The weather is generally absolutely amazing³. Gone are muggy and hazy days; the air is crystal clear. It’s a transition month. It is a colourful month. It’s an Apple keynote month! I am looking forward to this long week-end with my family. Expect a few images, too. An happy guy! 😃

It dates back to my childhood where it September marked the return to school. ↩︎
Born on the 4th. ↩︎
Weather forecasts for the upcoming days are just brilliant with sunshine and a bit hotter-than-usual temperatures. ↩︎

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 21:30:28 -0400

Om Malik on Threads capabilities in regards to sharing and consuming photo content: Threads, Twitter, & Social Photos

The design is particularly conducive to viewing photos. The white space, the way the photos are rendered, and the styling of photo collections enhance the overall presentation. The vibe on Threads is the polar opposite. Even John Gruber, a long-time critic of Facebook, has been vocal in his appreciation of this new product from the same company. It’s surprising to see him overlooking the poor privacy-related track record of the Facebook family.

and

Still, Threads offers photos and photographers a second chance to find a home beyond a dying Instagram.

I deeply respect Mr. Malik😒, but there is zero chance that fancy web design will erase Meta’s business practices and business model. I refuse to consider Threads as an alternative to Instagram. It’s a matter of time before Threads becomes another Instagram-type platform. Just wait for it. Now, excuse me, I have some photos to post on Glass and Pixelfed. Thank you. 😜

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 21:16:05 -0400

Has putting Apple silicon in the iPad set unrealistic expectations?

The Mac feels too much like a computer that has felt too overwhelming and the iPad is like the smartphone they have already been using.

At some point in the more or less distant future, the iPad form factor will take over. Just like cars took over trucks a long time ago. Just like most people use a smartphone as their main computer or as their only computer, the iPad will eventually be regarded as “a real computer”, the only computer, if people are willing to add something on top of their iPhone. One day.

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:56:54 -0400

I’m spending way too much time designing the layout of my upcoming weekly creative summary😅. I decided to post it on my Ghost-based and share the document directly from Craft. It will be fun to see how it goes. 👀

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:05:51 -0400

This morning 🌅, inspired by @maique and @gr36, I decided to create a weekly summary of my creative work and everything that surrounds or supports it. It’s really fun to put together and helps have an introspection about the things I do and use. The first edition is going out this coming Sunday, Sept 3th, directly on Numeric Citizen Space¹. Just one day before my birthday! 😃🎂🧁

I will probably send it by email as a newsletter, too. So, if you prefer, subscribe now! ↩︎

Some of my Expectations for Apple’s Upcoming “Wonderlust” Event

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 20:12:14 -0400

This is going to be about the iPhone, mostly. The iPhone 15, to be more precise. Of course. Apple will probably talk a lot about the A17 because of its new 3nm manufacturing process, ensuring some battery power savings while bringing faster processing. This will be welcomed for an always-on display device since the iPhone 14 Pro performance in that respect is not as good as it used to be. Will the A17 be Bionic? Something else? I trust Apple’s marketing cracks about this.

The titanium finish on the Pro line, a first for the iPhone, but something the Apple Watch is already sporting, will get some attention too. Maybe more than the A17. I’m looking forward to it because I wouldn’t say I like the current finish on the iPhone 14 Pro¹. I hate it, actually. Thanks to my iPhone case, it’s a non-issue. If the Apple invite is any indication of the upcoming titanium colour finish, I’m in love already!

But the star of the iPhone 15 show will be the Ultra with the periscope lens, bringing telephoto photography beyond the 3x optic possibilities for the first time. This is what I’m waiting for. I expect an Apple twist to it.

I expect some updates about the Apple Vision Pro². Apple will probably talk³ about how excited developers are for the device and remind us about how it will change the world⁴. Something on the gaming front could be in the cards, too, thanks to the game porting toolkit introduced at the WWDC conference. Are Macs finally good at gaming? Is a software trick enough?

And then what else? The Apple Watch will get updates, but not the redesign we are starting to hear about for 2024. The Ultra 2 is probably not for me. But we will learn about it, for sure.

Macs? Crickets.

This is what I expect for the upcoming “Wonderlust” event.

I hate the finish of my iPhone 13 Pro for that matter, too. Too glossy. To “chromy”. ↩︎
I still think the “spacial computing” moniker should have been “spacial experience” instead. More approachable if you ask me. ↩︎
Brag is probably a better term ↩︎
For better or for worst ↩︎

Episode 02 — I’m an Iterative Type of Guy

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:05:44 -0400

While writing my next edition of the Friday Notes newsletter (#107), I realized that writing has never been a one-stretch thing for me. It takes countless writing iterations before getting things done. In this episode, I share my anxieties 😰 about writing in general ✍🏻. Plus, a few words about my expectations for the upcoming Apple Event “Wonderlust”! 👀

Links

Jean-Louis Gassée’s “Monday Note” newsletter https://mondaynote.com/.
Be Inc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_Inc.

Transcript

Waiting for the iPhone 15 Ultra

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 07:51:08 -0400

I’m really looking forward to the iPhone 15 Ultra👀. Coming from the iPhone 13 Pro, I skipped the 14 Pro¹; I expect the camera improvements to be tangible. The telephoto lens could see the most significant improvements driving sales of the Ultra to new territories². Using a periscope architecture, telephoto could jump from 3x to 6x or more. This could be the last thing that makes me sell my Nikon D750³. The softer and rounder edges and titanium finish might make this iPhone the best design of all time⁴. And, finally, USB-C will certainly simplify charging the damn thing! I wonder if I’ll still be able to use my Lightning Lavalier microphone using a Lightning-to-USB-C adaptor.🤔

It will be my first “Max” iPhone. Apparently, I’m on a stretch of going for the bigger screens⁵.

I skip a generation to limit my consumerism habits. It’s an environmental issue here. ↩︎
Kuo’s rumors about periscope lens. ↩︎
I depend on a 70-200mm zoom on my Nikon which is very useful on a trip. ↩︎
I still thing the best design was the matte black iPhone 7. ↩︎
I recently upgraded from the 13-inch MacBook Air to a 15-inch version. ↩︎

Finally Settled on Blog Post Visual Attributes

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 07:00:53 -0400

After so many years of blogging, I think I have finally settled on the styling of each blog post. 😅 I like to emphasize key words with bold, making it easier to detect what this post is all about. Next is the use of emojis to make things a bit less serious and more approachable.🙂 Next is the selective use of Micro.blog’s post title for longer and more significant posts.¹ 😜 More recently, I started using footnotes because they add another dimension to the reading experience and are displayed in a nice popup on the site.²

This blog post is such an example of using a title. ↩︎
Footnotes are far easier to create in Ulysses than in the web interface, tough. ↩︎

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 20:45:47 -0400

I played with Apple’s Maps Places feature, as shown in the following video. It’s nice, but it’s not exactly intuitive. There are many missing features, like setting a path between places and adding photos to a place within the guide, from the Photos.app for example to name a few. Also, it’s not clear if a shared guide gets updated if new places are added, or places are removed.

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 18:03:38 -0400

In a world where we all struggle with how much we use our devices (let’s be real, we mean our phones), I think it’s kinda nice to have some places that just give up and tell us, “my dude, you’ve read it all, go do something else.” Source: Let the internet run out

I relate to this thought so much. Sometimes, enough is just… enough.

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 10:27:49 -0400

My About Me page as seen on the web

This morning, I updated my online About page¹, taking some ideas from Brian Lovin’s website. The page was built entirely with Craft’s shared document and custom domain name². I wonder if this is something that Micro.blog should expand on and be added to the premium subscription. Cc @manton

I probably have too many about page. Another one can be found on Linktr.ee. 🤦🏻‍♂️ ↩︎
I should probably do a new YouTube video explaining the process. ↩︎

Sat, 26 Aug 2023 13:15:37 -0400

I updated my toolset website today¹ with three additions under consideration: Digest², Lazy³ and Heptabase⁴. The statuses of my current projects were also updated. Thanks for paying a visit.

Use the table of content at the top of the site to locate the right section. Convenient, heh? ↩︎
To replace Mailbrew. ↩︎
A super-charged “save-for-later” service. Could replace Omnivore or complement it. I put myself on their waiting list. ↩︎
A hard-to-define service / apps for supporting research. Could complement Craft. Or not. Another subscription. Gush. ↩︎

One Podcast, Three Looks

Sat, 26 Aug 2023 12:34:04 -0400

From left to right: Overcast, Pocket Cast, Apple Podcast

I always subscribe to my own content distribution channels for quality control purposes ¹. I’m using Overcast, Pocket Cast and Apple Podcast to display my latest podcast episode. In these screenshots, I selected the info button to display the episode details. I’m a paid subscriber of Pocket Cast. I prefer the Pocket Cast display, but it has a caching issue as it doesn’t get the latest podcast artwork, but the other two do². Bold text is missing on Apple Podcast for some reason. The overcast look is… mildly ugly.

This blog post looks like a mini-plug for my podcast. It is. ↩︎
The artwork display issue is also present on the web version of the Pocket Cast player. ↩︎

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 20:15:56 -0400

Snell, Gruber, Birchler, and I all agree about the iPad’s limits. When we hit one of its limits, it becomes a reason to reconsider. When I started using the MacBook Air, it was when I accepted the simple fact that I would be more productive on the Mac than on the iPad. I love the iPad. This is the device I bring with me on travel, but I do know perfectly that some tasks will need to wait until I return home.

On Dark Sky and Apple's Weather

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:23:28 -0400

A Eulogy for Dark Sky, a Data Visualization Masterpiece

The design of Dark Sky was so wonderful that I could understand the shape of the weather at a glance, even from a zoomed out view of the app.

Great analysis of the now-defunct Dark Sky weather app. I’m a bit late on that one. I don’t remember using Dark Sky because I think it wasn’t working in Canada. I’m not sure about this. Once Apple took over and brought the redesigned weather app with iOS 16, we could visually feel the Dark Sky’s influence on it. But Apple being Apple, they dropped a few things here and there and made a few things their own. I tend to use Carrot Weather more, but recently, I deep-dived into Apple’s Weather, and frankly, they did a good job. Yet, there was something unique in Dark Sky that I don’t feel in Apple’s offerings. Is it too close to the Yahoo Weather look & feel? Maybe.

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:00:00 -0400

I’m a big fan of AnyBox (YouTube video) and in the latest update (v1.27), information density increased a bit. I love it. 😍

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:39:09 -0400

Am I alone who happens to get the iPhone keyboard displayed on the iPad instead of the full-size keyboard? My wife experienced the same thing many times. We don’t know how to make this thing revert to the normal size keyboard. Easy to make it disappear, but when it comes back, it’s still the small version. Very annoying to type on this.

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:29:41 -0400

I’m probably the only one, but I liked the Touch Bar on my 2017 MacBook Pro at work. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:54:29 -0400

Working at the office today. Summer vacations are still ongoing hence so few people here. It’s always a reminder of the covid pandemic. This place used to be much more lively. Everything still feels different. 😒 We will never get back to pre-2020 world.

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 08:40:18 -0400

I’ve been working on this for my podcast. You can tell that I’m no graphic designer. 😆

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 06:45:45 -0400

I glanced at photographers and photos on Glass this morning and realized that most photographers are men. Is it reflective of the photographers’ community in general? Photography is a men’s world?? I’d love to see more women because of their different sensibilities.

Learned Something New Today

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 20:56:27 -0400

Today, while reading this blog post, I found out that we could have a “popup” note inline in a blog post. I was curious and asked the author, who gladly responded with all the required information to do the same on my blog. A plugin is required, which I gladly installed in a snap¹. This blog post is a test of that feature². The day I learn something which in turn helps me improve one of my things, is a great day. 😊 I love this community so much! 🫶🏻

You can find it here, on Gitbub. ↩︎
Thanks to @dandycat for your help. ↩︎

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:59:57 -0400

“At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At age 40, we don’t care what they think of us. At age 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all.” — Ann Landers

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:36:21 -0400

I decided to stop cross-posting my photos from Glass to my Mastodon account as I feel this is not the right community/instance for my photos. I prefer to enable cross-posting from Glass to Pixelfed, which I forgot to enable. Now, all is good. 📷

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 22:01:54 -0400

Craft Docs vs CleanShot: two different apps in different categories and two philosophies of asking for user feedback. Craft is closed, and opaque while CleanShot is outgoing and openly asks for “what we should work on next”. I’m a subscriber of CleanShot Cloud, and yes, I want a few improvements. If only Craft would change their mind…

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 14:56:26 -0400

Tempted to install macOS Sonoma Beta 6 on my shiny new 15-inch MacBook Air… I like to be at the cutting edge of software releases… on iPhone, iPad, Watch and Apple TV, betas have been rock solid for me so far (the worst is the iPad). Any advice here besides “you’re mileage may vary”, “go ahead at your own risk”, etc.?

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 06:27:43 -0400

It was fun but a bit more challenging to record and share my first podcast episode yesterday. Editing in Ferrite is hard on the iPhone. It would be much better on the iPad or the Mac. For some reason, talking to a microphone feels less natural than recording myself on camera for a YouTube video. 🤷🏻‍♂️When I shared this thought with my wife yesterday, she responded: recording yourself on camera, then delete the video track! 😳🤯 I like her.

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:29:21 -0400

This week, I am getting an appointment for a screen replacement on my iPhone 13 Pro (under my paid AppleCare warranty). Three highly visible scratches are bugging me big time: the trade-in value is reduced by 485 CAN$ (at the worst timing possible: iPhone 15 Ultra is approaching😩), and I always focus on the scratches when looking at my iPhone screen. 🫣 AppleCare can be a good investment.

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 20:20:02 -0400

As a subscriber to Pocket Cast, I would love to be able to use the iPad version on my Apple Silicon Mac. It’s currently not possible. Yes, there is a web version, but an app is much better. Overcast, a very popular alternative, is available for the Mac but is not native. But I’m ok with that; it’s better than nothing. How much effort does it require to make an iPad app available on the Mac without having to depend on Catalyst? 🤔

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 20:05:56 -0400

Glass questions at 2 years

There are effectively no success stories for Glass’s current business model. Small clones of Instagram and Twitter usually fail. To break out, there has to be something fundamentally different. For Micro.blog, the answer is simple: we are a social network but our business is blog hosting, a proven model. For Glass, the answer is less clear: they care deeply about photography, community, and design. I think the founders deserve a lot of credit for creating something beautiful. Is that enough?

My recent enthusiasm for Pixelfed comes down to being a good alternative to Instagram, open and not afflicted by a toxic business model. It might become a good alternative to Glass too if the latter doesn’t open up a little bit more to the modern world, post Meta-as-we-know-it.

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 13:32:08 -0400

I’m back with a new video about Micro.blog. This time, I explore the use of Categories and Tags. I hope you find it useful to better make use of Micro.blog features. Enjoy. Comments welcome, here or on my YouTube channel. Next up, something about… podcasts 👀. Stay tuned. 😀

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 07:50:50 -0400

A commentary video about Craft updates while waiting for the next wow moments for Craft. An update is supposedly coming out this week. My expectations are low.

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 08:54:52 -0400

Today marks the day I’m returning to the regular schedule for YouTube video production. Next videos in the pipeline: an update about the lack of meaningful updates to Craft in recent months and what this could possibly mean for Craft users. Then, working with Categories and Tags in Micro.blog. Busy week-end. 😅

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 14:19:37 -0400

Powerful hurricane Hilary headed toward the US southwest. Always impressive to see this from space. Less interesting is getting hit by it if you’re in this region.

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 06:58:08 -0400

Trying to post one or two or more of my pictures to Pixelfed every day so that I can move out of Smugmug by next year. It’s tedious, but it’s fun because I chose to add textual context to each image whenever possible. This wasn’t possible on Smugmug. 😅

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 07:03:07 -0400

I’d love to buy one of these, simply because it’s a great object of art and design.

Dear Original iMac, I Barely Knew You

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 21:15:23 -0400

Happy 25th anniversary, iMac! As I started documenting in my series about remembering every Mac I ever owned, in 1998, I wasn’t invested in Apple’s ecosystem at all. I was a “PC” guy because of my job. Right before the iMac came out, I got rid of my Power Mac 7100 in 1996. I barely saw the iMac in stores or public spaces where a computer was made available for things like web surfing. What an iconic but somewhat weird-retro-style computer.

Isn’t the starting point of USB ports for the masses? Thanks, Apple.

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 21:02:17 -0400

Finding a well-designed, non-bulky, sturdy iPhone bike holder seems mission impossible. Searching this on Amazon is even harder, with all the paid sponsors/scammers filling all possible space. The one from Peak Design product seems great, but I will have to wait for the iPhone 15 Pro Max case to come out!

The Apple Way

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:57:09 -0400

I just went through the complete process of an Apple Trade-In for the return of my “old” 13-inch MacBook Air after getting my brand new 15-inch MacBook Air. I’m super impressed by the logistics behind all of it and how the user (me) is guided in the process. The final step was to cancel the AppleCare+ that I originally bought with my old device. Took a 5 min call from somewhere in Texas. The call was automatically initiated from a web form I filled out by selecting a few options. Got a confirmation email before the call and after stating the actual amount of the refund. All done. Great user experience. The next time will be for the replacement of my iPhone 13 Pro with the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro. 😃

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 07:25:58 -0400

★ Holy Hell, Trump Did Use Twitter Direct Messages, There Were ‘Many’ of Them, and the Special Counsel Now Has Them
https://daringfireball.net/2023/08/holy_hell_trump_did_use_dms
Reader: mastodon.social daringfireball.net
Daring Fireball https://mastodon.social/@daringfireball/110897198691524215

The situation with Trump and his extensive use of Twitter and how Twitter responded to the search warrant/court order confirms that leaving Twitter was one of my best decision in a long time. Twitter’s actions to protect Trump are disgusting (telling him that there is a search warrant targeting his use of the platform). I cannot, in good faith, be on such platforms.

An Observation About the Photos From IPPAWARDS Winners of 2023

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 06:57:08 -0400

I forgot to linkpost to the IPPAWARDS winners of 2023. Lot’s of great photos. Really. Twenty photos come from the iPhone 12 series (which came out in 2020). Five from the iPhone 13 series and another five from the iPhone 7 (which came out in 2016). Only four from the iPhone 14 series. What can we conclude from this? It doesn’t matter which camera you’ve got. The best one is the one you’ve got with you at the right place and time. Period.

In case you didn’t know, the iPhone 15 is coming soon.

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:06:13 -0400

If US legal institutions cannot take down Trump, then this country is in a dire situation.

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 07:18:51 -0400

I made many updates to my Complete Content Creator Toolset to reflect recent additions and removals. If you are curious about the apps and services that I’m using, this is the place to watch!

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 06:42:50 -0400

Creating a Custom Branded File Sharing Service for Free mattlangford.com
Reader: mattlangford.com
Matt Langford https://mattlangford.com/2023/07/27/creating-a-custom.html

Thanks to @Mtt, I completed my version in about an hour.

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 21:17:37 -0400

It’s funny and cool how I’m slowly but surely rebuilding my social graph with people who fled X to Mastodon and Pixelfed. I feel at home again.

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 20:25:10 -0400

Say hello to hello@numericcitizen.me!. Finally decided to spend some time making my hello@numericcitizen.me work using the iCloud+ Custom Mail domain. Works great so far. Come and say hi!

On Being Locked Out of an Apple ID Account

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 17:52:38 -0400

Being locked out of an Apple ID account is probably one of the worst nightmares I could imagine. This story (Reddit link) makes me pause for a bit. If you spend some time reading the comments thread, it seems the original poster doesn’t tell the whole story. There are some grey zones here. Nonetheless, the possibility of losing complete access to my previously purchased and subscribed content is really something that I wouldn’t want. I would feel helpless.

Mike Rockwell’s comment on the subject:

I hope we’re nearing a future where you can realistically use an iPhone without an Apple ID at all — replacing all of Apple’s services, including the App Store, with independent alternatives.

Mike’s wishes are not going to be fulfilled anytime soon. Even with alternative authentication mechanisms and third-party stores, the prospect of losing access to previously purchased content is real. Somehow I think the government should step in and ask companies to provide secure content recovery means.

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 10:26:35 -0400

I decided to add a small collection of mini reviews that I read from time to time to my digital garden. The first two to make it to the collection: Matt Birchler’s comments about Ulysses and possible free and similar alternatives. The second is Manton’s comments on text editors for developers or other text manipulation.

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 08:17:30 -0400

I’m thinking of creating an email address like hello@numericcitizen.me using iCloud+. I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle, though. I’ll had to tweak the setup a bit for it to work with my current DNS settings at CloudFlare.

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 20:45:20 -0400

I don’t like these two “disconnected” visual elements: the menu bar from the dropdown menu. The highlighted portion of the menu bar and the menu itself. There, I said it. On a positive note: on recent MacBook Air like mine, I love the rounded screen corners.

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 20:28:20 -0400

Every single day, I read a new post by Pixelfed about upcoming features, additions or redesign. The list is too long to write here (and to build!). All apps are in beta. It’s a maturing platform / service for sure, but man, ship it already, stop the talk!

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 21:49:38 -0400

Running beta5 of Sonoma on my soon-to-be returned MacBook Air. I’m not so sure this thing is quite ready yet. I’ll wait a few more betas before installing Sonoma on my new MacBook Air.

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:39:49 -0400

I think I’ll use my previous MacBook Air to test Sonoma this week-end before returning it to Apple! Who knows what will break.

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:32:41 -0400

I just enabled cross-posting from Micro.blog to my Pixelfed account. I’m not sure I’ll use it, simply because I don’t post that many photos here. I prefer to use a dedicated service for photography. But who knows, it might come in handy at some point. Thanks, @manton, for being so quick to add these features!

On Apple's Migration Assistant

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:01:48 -0400

Ok, can we agree that Apple’s Migration Assistant is magical? 🤯 After the new Mac got updated, it was required to match the version of the source Mac. It took about 45 minutes to transfer 375GB of data (with a peak speed of 650MB/s over Thunderbolt 4 cable), and boom. Of course, I had all those required permissions to be set again. But, wow, writing this on my brand new 15-inch MacBook Air this morning. It was my first experience with this process of getting a new Mac set up. I already feel at home on this machine.

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 20:44:27 -0400

Yep. 😎

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 09:57:17 -0400

Decided to move PocketCast on my first iPhone homescreen so that I increase my podcasts listening. I under utilize this great app for which I’m a subscriber. I’m not sure it will move the needle.

Apple Should Introduce FlightPlay™

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 06:59:57 -0400

Recently, while on a flight with United from Tenerife to Newark, I played with the infotainment screen in front of me. These infotainment systems really improved in recent years. Screens are bigger, speed is much faster, and interaction has improved quite a bit. Some of these systems look like iPad-in-the-seat, literally. It occurred to me that Apple while offering CarPlay, could try to find a way to create a version for flight infotainment systems. Let’s call it FlightPlay because Flighty is already used, and AirPlay, too!

I want each plane to offer a complete set of flight data, ready to be consumed by my iPad or iPhone while in flight via a local wifi network. The iPhone or the iPad would then turn into a special StandBy mode where data would be visually presented dynamically, allowing for great interactions with the user. Modern devices have so much powerful CPU, the interaction would be much more fluid and enjoyable. The data provided would be based on a standard model and would provide speed, altitude, current destination, path, atmosphere metrics (temp, headwind speed, etc.), and so much more. The airplane company could directly provide TV shows, music, etc., to our devices. The same would be for games. But Apple could also allow consumption of locally stored content from the device itself. I can imagine Apple’s designers working on a great graphical dashboard.

Is anybody at Apple reading this? What are you waiting for?

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 19:44:44 -0400

Thought of the day: sometimes, what you decide not to do is as important as what you decide to do! For bloggers and writers, for me at least, writing is fundamental to my existence, publishing and sharing, a lot less. I have many unfinished pieces that probably will never be shared with the world. And that is ok.

My Non-Review of Apple's Latest Betas

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 19:35:55 -0400

Earlier this summer, when Apple’s OSes were at Beta 3, I installed iPadOS 17 on my iPad to test the latest improvements and additions to a maligned OS. Maybe I was bored too. I started gathering my notes, thinking that it would be part of a mini review. Then I upgraded my iPhone because my experience with iPadOS 17 was good for a beta. Then I upgraded both of my Apple Watch (Series 4 and Series 8). Then my two Apple TVs. All is good, and generally speaking, these are all great improvements to what can be considered a set of mature OSes. I tried to put my observations together, but I don’t think it’s worth it. Besides having the general impression of getting a new Apple Watch, thanks to Apple, who dare to revisit many fundamental aspects of the UI and many micro-interactions with watchOS 10, for all other platforms, most of the changes are great and show that Apple is headed in the right direction. Your mileage may vary, and this is ok. The end.

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 13:14:20 -0400

It took Adobe Lightroom on my iPad Pro all morning to upload all my 350 photos to Adobe’s cloud. That is SLOWWWW! How does semi-pro photographers (or even amateurs) endure this? My upload experience always has been consistently slow with Adobe’s products. Am I alone?

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:50:12 -0400

Two used, two more to go. I accidentally dropped my Apple Pencil on the floor while getting my iPad in a security tray at the airport. Just like for toasts, they always fall on the wrong side. 😩

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:19:08 -0400

Back home. 😀 I have so many things to work on. It’s a typical return from vacation mood.

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 05:34:45 -0400

There is a lot to say about this new terminal A. Chairs with integrated cup holders, accessible charging ports (USB-A, USB-C, std power outlet), big information display panels with clear directions, easy to ear speakers, etc. I love this place! Remaining problem: too low temperature everywhere we go in the US. They are crazy to set temperature at 70-72F. It is fucking too cold!!! And not environmentally friendly.

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 05:02:29 -0400

Just went through the security at Newark Airport’s new terminal A. Boy the scanners are so cool. The personal see our bags in 3D and can swipe the thing on a big screen! Impressive. Very efficient but technology has limits and that might explain why the guy wanted to open my bag for further inspection. 🤨😱🕵🏻

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 17:34:07 -0400

Sketch, the Mac vector app used by over a million people, recently invited me to adjudicate their most recent #SketchDesignChallenge. But not wanting to miss out on the fun (even though I can’t win because I am a judge… whatever…), I still booted up the app and created a widget of my own: Widget Radio. Source: Widget Radio — Basic Apple Guy

I follow Basic Apple Guy since his beginning. The quality of his work never ceases to impress me. He is so good that he was invited by the makers of Sketch! And boy did I like the iPod radio feature!

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 17:26:19 -0400

Rumors of an M3-based MacBook Air are already being shared… which I find surprising and troubling as I’m going to pick up my brand new M2 15-inch MacBook Air this Thursday. I know the drill… and yet… Sigh.

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 17:21:50 -0400

I want to stay in my holiday bubble and live a life of sun, sea sand and little to no worries. Source: Greg Morris - Back To Work

I return to work, tomorrow at noon. I can relate to what Greg was feeling.

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 16:46:32 -0400

Spending the rest of the day at a hotel near the Newark airport. Hotels like this one are dull x 1000.😞 Our next flight is very early tomorrow morning, leaving no time to go to Manhattan for dinner, sadly.😒 UberEat for lunch tonight, Indian food, which we love a lot! 😊 Should be arriving home in the middle of Monday morning. A quick shower and hop go to work!

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 05:12:59 -0400

Each passage in an airport is a reminder how bad signs design and positioning can be. Is there any airport designer on earth?

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 04:24:12 -0400

Each passage in an airport is a reminder of how useful Flighty can be.

Adding Bookmarks to my Blog

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 14:32:38 -0400

I decided to expose my Micro.blog bookmarks, in the spirit of the “open blogger” movement (“I’m an open Blogger”), I think it’s a good thing to let other people know a portion of what I find interesting. The recently introduced tags for bookmarks is an indication that the premium feature continues to grow in functionality and usefulness. I’m happy with that. I didn’t play with the formatting, leaving the default one in place.

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 14:26:38 -0400

It is with sadness that I’m spending the last few hours of my full day in Tenerife. It was a great nine days trip to a country that I knew nothing about. Over the course of my stay, I managed to complete the full circle of the island. The south shore is much warmer and more humid than the north shore. Tenerife is a Spain territory and it’s a good thing! I love Spain food so much!

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 05:40:03 -0400

Surprisingly useful during travel. This is Series 8 with watchOS 10 beta 4.

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 05:32:58 -0400

If all goes well today, I should be able to make it to a site with many abandoned buildings. this could be a great photo opportunity. This would be the first site outside Canada where I practice urban exploration (aka “urbex”). Feeling excited. 😀

The Post-COVID iPad Era

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 03:17:48 -0400

Apple’s services help other Apple lines of products soften their respective crashes. COVID and work-from-home, learn-from-home was a boon for the iPad and Apple will suffer the post-COVID for quite some time. Knowing the longer-than-usual replacement cycle of the iPad, recovery is not for tomorrow. Great summary by Six Colors.

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 03:03:20 -0400

Musk reminds me of Trump when he says he wants to have a conversation with Tim Cook about the App Store’s 30% cut on whatever shit they allow to sell through X.com. Just like Trump walking to the room in Ukraine or Russia and solving the Ukraine war in a day. What a pair of clowns these guys can be.

Apple Can’t Kill Siri Just Like That

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 02:55:02 -0400

And gone is Microsoft Cortana. What a weird name that was (Bard is not better in that respect). Some are suggesting Apple should do the same with Siri. I don’t think so because Apple has no apparent alternative to Siri, so they cannot just dump Siri because others are dumping their assistant. They do because they actively work on alternatives. Microsoft is clear in that respect and already shows what the alternatives are. Siri is a high-value brand name. Apple should build any next-generation AI-based tool to replace or complement the current back-end.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 08:43:56 -0400

Thought of the day: Tenerife beauties and greatness make me feel humbled as a living species.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 05:24:19 -0400

Tenerife, in many ways, reminds me of Hawaii. Vegetation, volcano, photography opportunities and the weather, all contribute to this feeling. I would say that it’s the European-style version of Hawaii.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 04:38:12 -0400

Yesterday, we went to visit the botanical garden of Puerto De La Cruz forgetting to bring my big camera with me, only with my iPhone. At first, I was wary that I would miss photo opportunities, but in the end, that wasn’t the case. Judging by the initial view of my photos, the iPhone wonderfully met the challenge. This garden was definitively a place for macro-photography! BTW, if you ever visite Tenerife, it’s a great place to visit and it is damn cheap.

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:03:59 -0400

Thought of the day: if only we spent as much time on great rollouts (Apple) than we do on really bad ones (X)… oh wait, we do actually! Seriously, I’m tired of those comments about X…

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:10:29 -0400

Just finished glancing at my Micro.blog posts for the month of July, thanks to my newsletter. Man I do spend time on this blogging platform! Hope you enjoy reading my stuff as much as I love posting and blogging all this!

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:01:53 -0400

Today’s plan: going to the beach and then visit Santa Cruz. I’m not a “beach boy” but I’ll spend the time exploring the beach surroundings and do some photography while they relax under the sun.

On The Refinement Game in Tech

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 03:13:19 -0400

I won’t bother linking to the original piece, linking to Math Birchler’s link post instead will be enough. Is the iPhone refined enough? It depends on how you define « refinement ». To me, the iPhone isn’t refined enough in a way that new tech can help make the iPhone even better. If this year’s rumors are true, this is exactly what will happen (faster processor, more power efficient, etc.). Craftmanship also is a big part of the refinement story (softer edges, etc.). I can’t wait for iPhone 15 Pro, coming from the 13 Pro, I’ll certainly enjoy all the refinements, big and small.

Oh and apparently, unlike Apple, other companies don’t bother keeping the refinement game going. Well, this is exactly why I love Apple, they care to refine and try to improve things, year after year.

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 04:31:28 -0400

I started testing Safari’s Profiles feature that comes with iOS 17. And judging from my initial experience, just like Focus modes, it takes a lot of management and understanding to make it work to my liking. I’ll make it work, but not today.

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 04:04:37 -0400

In a few days, on August first to be exact, the next edition of my blog posts summary newsletter will be sent out to all my subscribers (millions of them…. not really, just a few people). Maybe it’s the right time for you to subscribe too, especially if you are a new follower of mine, so you get a better view of what I’m up to! Link below.👇 You’re welcome. 🙏🏻

Thoughts on Micro.blog Tags

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 03:37:31 -0400

I’ve been playing with Micro.blog’s new bookmark tags. At first, I thought the feature was underwhelming. I don’t think there is a way to add more than one tag to a bookmark. This might be a good thing after all. Still undecided on this. Then, I discovered how you can select a tag to display associated bookmarks. Hoping for the iOS app to receive an update soon. I updated a few dozen bookmarks to add a tag. I’ll see if it makes a difference. My bookmarks are not that many and many are deleted after a while.

Update #1: someone pointed me that we can have more than one tag, simply by adding commas. Update #2: I can see Micro.blog bookmarks as a complement to Anybox, but focused on content originating from people I follow on Micro.blog / Mastodon. I don’t see that replacing Anybox anytime soon.

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:21:00 -0400

My next MacBook Air will have 16 GB of RAM (up from 8 GB), 1 TB of storage (of from 512 GB), all this in a 15 inch configuration. I decided to give my previous 2020 M1 MacBook Air to Apple for a 580 CAN$ credit, plus the 200$ credit for the “back to school” promotion. And… 1500 CAN$ of Apple Store credit, thanks to my job bonuses! This could be the cheapest upgrade ever!

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:30:44 -0400

Killing some time while waiting for diner time by processing and posting my photos on Pixelfed. Too bad they don’t seem to show up in my timeline here on Micrp.blog. Doing all this from my aging 2018 iPad Pro. That’s my traveling device, leaving the MacBook Air behind. Speaking of which, I ordered my 15-inch MBA yesterday and it should be ready just in time when I’m back home! 😎

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 04:06:12 -0400

Oh nice, we missed our connection flight to Tenerife🫤. We will have to spend the night in London. At the hotel. 😕

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:27:53 -0400

Woah. Bad weather northern US causes inbound flight postponed. We won’t make it to the next flight. Rebooked everything. Going to London instead of Newark. Then to Tenerife. All good now. 😅

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 07:53:13 -0400

If you take more than two flights per year, Flighty becomes a must-have, IMO. What a great app. So many things could be said about it. Not cheap, though. Quality and craftsmanship have a price.

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 07:47:08 -0400

Seems a good time to fly! 😀

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 13:24:05 -0400

I’m super excited about this upcoming trip to the Canary Islands. First time over there, for nine days. The weather is expected to be “perfect”. Once again, I’ll use Day One to document my trip, as needed. I’ll take a bunch of photos too! I’ve been West Africa a month ago, in Morocco. The islands are close! But I couldn’t combine those two trips, unfortunately.

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 07:24:00 -0400

Pixelfed is way more interactive and busier than Glass. My feeling is that the federative nature of Pixelfed helps be discovered. This is something Glass developers should consider if they want to expand their reach, IMHO.

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:54:08 -0400

Introducing Patron! https://glass.photo/highlights/introducing-patron
Reader: mastodon.world
Glass https://mastodon.world/@glass/110775586144279718

I decided to support Glass as a patron because I think these alternatives are important. They help create some sort of equilibrium. It’s the same reason I’m investing my time migrating 95% of my photos into Pixelfed. I believe in the open web and in honest alternatives like Glass. More than ever we need them.

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:51:38 -0400

My analysis of Craft’s latest announcements for the summer. They think they are announcing a roadmap. They don’t. No words about eXtensions. No words for better automation support via Shortcuts. You must look at what isn’t announced to get a real view of what they did.

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 20:53:25 -0400

Paying $44 billion to literally break a popular website, strip it of any recognizable brand, and drive all the users away. Remarkable.
Mike Haynes https://mastodon.design/@mikehaynes/110766250506883918

What else to add? And do all that in less than a year? 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 18:10:44 -0400

With the future demise of Vanmoof, I decided to look elsewhere for my ebike. I found it. And bought it. My first new bike in more than thirty years. It’s probably my last one, too. Today, a perfect bike day in Montreal, I ran for more than 28 km for my first test drive. 🚲🚴🏻‍♂️😎😅😊

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 07:32:13 -0400

I’m forcing myself to a Midjourney session daily to learn more about this fascinating service. I could spend all day on this thing. What a stimulating environment for a new kind of creative work. A few years from now, we could get an instant response to any requests. There is so much untapped UI addition that could be added to improve the UX, though. One such example would be to have in a palette all styles that can be asked in a prompt, just like filter examples in the Camera app.

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 17:17:44 -0400

Speak up. When something doesn't work. When someone is being hurt. When you don't agree. Speak up. Someone has to. It's a burden to see more, it's a duty and a privilege. So take care and speak up. You would be surprised how many people think the same and are equally afraid to speak up. Someone has to be the first.
Michal Zelazny https://indieweb.social/@michalzelazny/110759287554896144

It’s not always easy to speak up, even more, if you’re the first. Good for you if other voices join yours. But if not, that’s ok too, even though some people might not like what you are saying.

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 17:00:39 -0400

(…) the best way to improve your photography is to focus on your ideas, not your technique or gear Source: About — CJ Chilvers

I couldn’t agree more. To everyone who came up to me and asked what camera they should buy to start their photography journey, my answer always has been this one: Don’t focus on the camera model and let’s start discussing possible photo subjects.

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 16:56:08 -0400

This 👇🏻

The most prolific thinkers aren’t thinking with external brains. If you’re a photographer, take more pictures. If you’re a writer, produce more text. The tools will work themselves out. Source: RIP: The External 🧠

I don’t really like the idea of a “second brain”. My brain, the only one that I got, already requires all my energy. Why bother creating another “brain”?

The Beginning of My Journey to Midjourney

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 08:23:44 -0400

“A man sitting in front of a retro computer doing some important work”. 👀

This is my first ever prompt sent to Midjourney. I think this image is an excellent representation of my current state. A guy experimenting with Midjourney in front of my computer. I’m blown away. What a great time to be alive! Discord, as a client of this back-end service, is fascinating. 🤯

I subscribed for one month to the basic plan. I’m not sure how I’ll use the service. One example could be to create illustrations for my blog posts on Numeric Citizen Space. Another use case would be for illustration purposes for my work. I’ll see and continue experimenting. I’ll report back here my discoveries and impressions.

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 22:09:53 -0400

I was six years old. In my early days with computers, I was exposed to some of that stuff: fast line printers, disk packs, and punch card readers.

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 21:53:04 -0400

Right from Glass’s highlights website:

We’re wrapping up the final touches on our AI-powered Search beta that we’ll be releasing soon to Early Access. Early Access is an included perk for a new level of Glass membership that we’re announcing soon. Once we’ve tested it thoroughly over the coming months, it’ll be released to everyone. Source: New Member Search in Beta — Glass

In other words, Glass will add another subscription level where you’ll get pre-release features for testing. Subscriptions are not enough. Now we must pay to be beta testers. Great. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 21:46:11 -0400

A new camera app for the iPhone. Photon. 📸 By the makers of Camera+. I’m currently subscribing to Halide since my last trip in late June. I will skip that one, but Photon feels simpler to use yet more powerful. And I like the name.

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 09:00:30 -0400

One of the reasons I’m leaving Smugmug is the fact that most of their improvements in the last year are geared toward selling your images. I’m not into this business. I tried selling some of my images on Stock a few years back and made a few dollars. I do have some images for sale on Adobe Stock. The revenue I get for selling an image is RIDICULOUS! I’ve sold 12 images, generating more than… 17$ in revenue. Who’s buying images these days? There is so much free content available (looking at you, Unsplash! 👀). Why bother?

On Articles Size & Twitter

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 22:23:32 -0400

Tweets on Twitter use to be 140 characters max. Later it was increased to 280 characters. Now, apparently, you can post a note with a maximum of 2500 characters.

Now, looking at MacRumors or similar sites, it seems we get shorter and shorter articles, almost the size of a note on Twitter. Isn’t it strange?

People are busy and their attention span has shrunk considerably. Twitter once was very popular and others tried to adjust to its modus operandi. The web is adjusting in unexpected ways.

I'm Subscribing, Now What?

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 22:04:09 -0400

Now that I’m a subscriber of Tapbots’ Ivory client for Mastodon, what’s up with the updates? Is it because it’s summertime? Why do I feel that the development of new features and improvements has considerably slowed in recent weeks and months? After all, the roadmap is clear here.

Tweetbot followed the same trend. Not all developers or companies follow the same product releases, but regarding Tapbots, the trend is slowing and is a pattern. Now, look at Mastodon’s official client; there is an update nearly every two weeks or at least monthly. Ok, there are more than 40 contributors to the open source project of r the iOS app while Tapbots is a three-person company.

I’m ok with subscriptions, but just like the subscription itself, the commitment from the developer has to keep up. The subscription model is everywhere and is here to stay. The software and services landscape has changed forever. Expectations from customers like me are changing too. It’s too easy to grab my money regularly without showing up in the App Store “Updates” tab.

I’m watching you, Tapbots. Don’t deceive me again.

Yeah, Tweetbot was a great app, just like Ivory is, but it lacked some love in the last few years before its demise.

Ranting off. Sorry.

On Clipboard Management & Subscription Model

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 08:28:37 -0400

I’m testing Paste, a clipboard manager software utility for Mac, iOS (link). I kind of like it. It has better management features than Unclutter, which also offers some clipboard management. I’m on a 14-day trial period, but 19 $CAN, a year for a utility without a one-time purchase option, is bugging me. Will see where it goes.

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 19:25:14 -0400

Poof Vanmoof!

July 17, 2023: “VanMoof was declared bankrupt in the Netherlands on Monday by the Amsterdam District Court, following the company's pandemic-time boom”
Sept 1, 2021: ↓
“This is the largest ever Series C investment for a European e-bike brand and brings VanMoof’s total raised to $182 million (£132 million) in less than two years, making it the most funded e-bike company in the world.”" loading=“lazy”>
Read: mastodon.social
counternotions https://mastodon.social/@counternotions/110742832402679227

Too bad for them. It was THE electric bike I was looking for since I heard about them. Sadly, they never expanded in North America. They don’t do business with partners. I always regarded Vanmoof as the Apple of the ebike.

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:36:21 -0400

A new ad by Apple. I never share this but this one made me smile many times. Very entertaining too. Interesting how Apple highlights many features of its products in s single ad.

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:19:08 -0400

I’m excited and upbeat about the upcoming weeks/months. I’ll have a bunch of images to process (from my trips to Morocco & Canary Islands). Plus the migration out of Smugmug to Pixelfed will keep me busy. Finally, the upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro Max(Ultra?) will be an occasion for a few photowalk sessions. All contribute to a more photography-intensive fall. 🏞️🏙️📷

I wrote that for myself. I always like comments! 😊

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 22:00:00 -0400

I’m a big fan of Inoreader. Make no mistake. But one quick comment. Consider the following screenshot where you can see the article-sharing option. You can see options like Blogger, Evernote, and Twitter. The first two options are dead horses. I mean, Blogger, really? Evernote is the next in line to die. The third is soon to be a dead horse, too. No other options are provided. I’m surprised that we don’t get to send an article by Fax, too.

Notion Can Be Impressive

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 14:25:22 -0400

I’ve been working hard with Notion at work for a unique project. It’s a 14-database setup containing 18 database relationships, many calculations as well as a place for knowledge management. I think I’m pushing the boundaries of what Notion is all about. It’s still manageable, and Notion still is speedy. I’m really impressed by what this tool can help achieve. 🤩🤯

On Data Portability in the Modern Digital World

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 07:24:02 -0400

I recently read about the news that Evernote is currently downsizing its operations worldwide, especially in the US. It’s not the first troubling episode for Evernote. I remember when they “redesigned” their app, which created a massive pushback from the community.

I used Evernote in its early days and was appreciative of its capabilities. For some reason, I left for another solution. But for those who built massive data collections inside Evernote, now might be the time to think about going elsewhere. But there is a big gotcha: after searching for a way to export all the data, I discovered that it’s not that easy. And people are angry. This brings me to the data portability of modern software and services. Evernote’s ENEX export format was not a standard the last time I checked. A handful of apps can import ENEX files; Notion is one of them. HTML is also supported but is far from ideal. Options are limited and are seriously hindering the data portability of services like Evernote. Besides content, metadata is also critical (tags, dates, location, backlinks, etc.).

Is Notion suffering from the same potential issues? PDF, CSV, and HTML are the supported formats. 🤔

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 07:03:15 -0400

When I decided to subscribe to Exposure, it was because I wanted to write short stories using my photos. I did share six of them so far (see my profile page here). Now that I’m on Pixelfed, I find myself writing more with each shared image than I did on Exposure. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Github Offers a Fascinating Look at Software Development

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 06:42:10 -0400

I learned to use GitHub for the repo of my Blot website last year (read more about my experience with Blot here). I didn’t want to use Dropbox. I’m no longer using Blot, but I’m still visiting Github occasionally to keep track of project development like Plausible, but more recently for Pixelfed and a few plugins for Micro.blog. Peeking at change logs, commit comments, files changed, etc. offers an intimate look at software development. It’s also a great way to learn something.

Feeling Helpless About Climate

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 18:15:37 -0400

Due to Canada’s forest fires and easterly winds, bad air quality is returning to my town for the next few days. With all the bad climate-related news coming up from everywhere on Earth, trying to understand what is happening is essential, so we can better adapt our lifestyle. I like to read many things on a subject that I find interesting, but climate change topic is utterly depressing. The planet is clearly slowly burning. All indicators are going in the wrong direction. How can we not feel helpless? It’s hard to stay informed and keep faith in humanity. Prove me wrong.

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:32:15 -0400

George Monastiriakos: The only way to save Russia is to dismantle it:

“To be clear: The Russian Federation is the third iteration of the Russian Empire. Spanning 11 time zones and comprising hundreds of ethnically, linguistically, religiously, and culturally distinct societies ruled by, from, and for the benefit of a small circle of kleptocrats primarily based in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, the Russian state has been unviable for centuries. Like empires of old, the only way to save Russia from itself is to dismantle it,“ writes George Monastiriakos, a fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security, in his recent op-ed.

Photo: Getty Images

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 08:06:54 -0400

Apparently, Russian officials are now banning iPhone because they believe there is an espionage ops using American tech. 🕺🏼

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 07:16:25 -0400

For those interested in what others are using in their workflow, I spent some time this early morning updating My Complete Content Creator Toolset. Added Plausible + Tinylytics, among other things.

The Apple Vision (Bible | Knowledge Base | Hub)?

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 20:58:09 -0400

I’m thinking of building a central web portal gathering information and everything related to the Apple Vision (Pro). Think of this as something similar to a digital garden but targeted to a specific product line. I do maintain one about Apple rumors (the Apple Rumors Hub). I have a few possible names in mind:

The Apple Vision Bible / The Apple Vision Knowledge Base / The Apple Vision Hub /

The concept of an “information hub” seems popular. Which one sounds better? What other name suffix could I use?

Note: since it is clear that Apple will release a lower-end version of the headset, I won’t include the “Pro” moniker, hence Apple Vision xxx.

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 20:46:46 -0400

It’s funny how much effort I put into writing a small description for each image shared on Pixelfed. I did not do this while on Flickr, 500px and Smugmug. I’m even writing an ALT description. It’s great for reading in an RSS reader. Your thoughts?

My week-end so far

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 14:34:48 -0400

Exploring Pixelfed✅. Producing a 60-minute video about Pixelfed✅. Writing an article about Pixelfed✅. Learning about Tinylytics✅. Learning about templates in Micro.blog and custom themes✅. Adding Tinylytics to my blog✅. Subscribing to Tinylytics. ✅

Next up: going to see the latest Mission Impossible.

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 08:51:46 -0400

This screenshot is from Patreon about my profile page there. You can share a page on social networks when creating a page there. It’s a common thing to do, right? I’m wondering when Facebook and Twitter will stop to be the only two options for sharing stuff on the web. Pinterest is nice but what about the open web like Mastodon? Or Bluesky…?

A 60-minute Video Tour of Pixelfed

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 07:16:16 -0400

I’m finally ready to share my 60-minute video tour of Pixelfed. If you’re contemplating the idea of creating your account on Pixelfed, I encourage you to do so, but after watching this video. You’ll learn about Pixelfed’s capabilities. It’s not a comparison analysis with services like Flickr or Smugmug, though.

My First (And Unexpected) FaceTime Moment on My Apple TV!

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 13:45:02 -0400

I just had my first experience with FaceTime with one of my sons on my Apple TV. My son called me on FaceTime. I picked up the call. A few seconds later into the conversation, my iPhone suggested putting the call on my Apple TV. I really didn’t expect that. The iPhone instructed me what to do with my iPhone so it could catch me on camera. It was such an “Apple” moment! Flawless. Barely no lags. 🤯

My iPhone runs iOS 17 beta 3, and the Apple TV tvOS 17.0 beta 3.

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 07:48:39 -0400

YouTube put this video suggestion in my feed this morning. I was curious and watched it. Then, I realized that without knowing it, I’m actually using the PARA approach in Craft. Now I’m wondering if I should rearrange and rename a few things in there to better align with the PARA naming convention. 🤔

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:50:21 -0400

Wow, we are just in the last moments of a “three-wave” storm with heavy rain, winds and lighting. I guess we got between 50mm - 100mm of rain in three hours. Power failures all around are reported. One might say: well, it’s summer; it is expected. Yeah, but when you look at the trend this summer, we got way too much rain, too fast compared to the average rainfall.

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:42:45 -0400

Tornado warning. We mostly never get those in our region. WTF?

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:14:50 -0400

A year from now, my photo-sharing digital landscape will look like this: Pixelfed + Glass + Unsplash + Exposure. Gone will be Instagram, Smugmug.

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:41:37 -0400

Don’t be surprised by my relentless posting of photos… I’m playing with my new toy: Pixelfed. Who’s on Pixelfed, here, btw?

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 07:13:48 -0400

After reading this article from Filipe Esposito from 9to5Mac, about the iPhone 14 Pro Max, I’m happy to have skipped last year’s iPhone release. He complains about the shortened battery life compared to the previous generation and the lack of meaningful camera improvements. Those two things could significantly change in the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra?). I can’t wait.

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 06:51:56 -0400

That is going away soon. #Instagram

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 22:09:57 -0400

The next time someone tells me that Mastodon is complicated, I’ll respond: try Discord. You ain’t see nothing yet.

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 09:31:28 -0400

My experience with Pixelfed goes so well that I’m in the process of migrating my old photos from Instagram. And what comes after this migration? The IG account closure. While everyone goes wild about Threads and going in drove to Threads, I’m turning my back to this privacy nightmare and fully embracing Fediverse.

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 06:35:28 -0400

These are my first downloads and purchases from the App Store in July 2008. Since the iPhone 3GS came to Canada the year after, those downloads were done on the iPod touch. For many people, the iTunes Remote was the first download. I have a hard time explaining the remaining ones. I mean, I never was a reader of the New York Times after having completed my university degree back in 1993 and yet, this is the second download.

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 21:33:35 -0400

I spent quite some time on Pixelfed today. I shared a few photos but also started writing an article about my experience with the service. So far, I do like the experience. Much more than I originally thought. Is it because of its polished design? Or is it because of its openness and its citizenship of the Fediverse landscape? I still don’t know. I do sense a few red flags here and there, though. More on that later. But for now, I enjoy the beginning of the ride.

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 17:05:40 -0400

Apple is now on Threads? Really? It didn’t take long. There is something profoundly ironic to see a company like Apple promoting privacy now subscribing to Thread. Apple is not on Mastodon, though. Why? Because it’s not a platform, Threads is. Apple is a platform company.

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 08:57:06 -0400

Fediverse is so fascinating and so much interesting. I searched for my handle (@numericcitizen) on the Pixelfed main page and found my account here (marked as “Remote”), on my Mastodon instance and on Pixelfed, too (obviously)! So cool.

A New Start: Pixelfed

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 08:41:27 -0400

It didn’t take long. I’m now on Pixelfed (profile page). The reason it was a quick decision: I found a very specific use case for it. Since returning from my trip to Morocco, I have been looking for a way to share my best pictures with my family and friends. I prefer not to use Instagram / Facebook / Glass for different reasons. So here I am. Enjoy.

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 07:36:15 -0400

I’m curious about Pixelfed. I’m also cautious about joining another service (I already have too many). I see two issues. One: the lack of an iPhone app (still in beta, no TestFlight slot available). Two: I’m curious as to why Micro.blog doesn’t support cross-posting to Pixelfed. @manton ? Also, who’s on Pixelfed here?

Using Day One for Travel Journaling

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 16:05:33 -0400

When I decided to use Day One for my travel journal, I had the following requirements:

Data portability is paramount (markdown, text, or textbundle);
It must work offline;
Integration into my existing workflow to share travel moments on Micro.blog;
Easy data entry with as much metadata automatically filled out for me as possible;
Look at my current toolset before using something entirely new.

I tried Craft last year, and it wasn’t up to the task. Apple Notes was a candidate, but it was dropped since notes’ metadata is nonexistent. Day One met all requirements. I’ve been using Day One for more than five years. It worked wonderfully for my last trip. Sometimes, the solution is right in front of our eyes.

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 13:34:18 -0400

🤔 Pondering installing iPadOS 17 beta 3 on my 2018 iPad Pro. This is not my primary driver. There will be another beta before I leave for Canary’s Island in late July, in case Beta 3 is a disaster. I should be good to go with a more stable release and experience overall. Decisions decisions decisions.

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 07:51:20 -0400

Writing an email to a long-time friend. What a joyful experience. I like the slowness of the process. It’s like blogging. ⌨️

I’m Still Liking HEY Email But…

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 07:41:31 -0400

I’ve been using the HEY email service since its introduction. This week I had to search extensively in my email history to find transaction receipts and contracts. HEY email client has a unique take visually on emails and the inbox, and you either like it or hate it. I still like it, but I feel let down by the software for operations like searching, content rendering and attachment processing. This is where I wish HEY had a more standard take on email display and attachment preview. There is a lack of information density in this app which annoys me.

If there was another similar service but with a native client, I think I would switch.

We Must Do Something About Meta’s Monopoly

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:25:08 -0400

In my mind, every new platforms should start from 0 user base. Meta, just to name that one, have a monopoly of social graph. This is anti-competitive. Should Bluesky sue Meta? Should the open source community sue Meta? Yes. And yes.

Remember Microsoft and Internet Explorer back in the days? Remember Apple and the App Store?

We are not ready to accept this but here we are. Meta is a monopoly in my book. Time for regulation. I casted my vote: no Threads for me.

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:08:24 -0400

Thought of the day: blog readers might not like negativity-tinted post or being told the truth they don’t want to read. I published my observations and opinion regarding our hyper-dependency on being connected all the time, so much that we don’t really connect in-person anymore. A few subscribers unsubscribed. 😒 Or maybe they just agree with my take and are looking for ways to regain more time in-person by unsubscribing from my blog? 😂

I guess there is always a positive side of an event. 🙏🏻

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 06:24:57 -0400

Wondering something this morning: if Threads was to offer “free” APIs, would developers embrace them or think again and remember about Twitter and Reddit snafu? I bet they would embrace them.

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 07:14:59 -0400

I wish I had a blog about my professional life. I rarely share anything work-related here. Yet, there are soooo many juicy stories to talk about in professional life in general. I won’t do it because a few people at work know about “numericcitizen”… it could be prejudicial.

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 06:14:12 -0400

Threads is just another trick by cyberspace to divert my attention to being focused, creative, happy, hopeful, and more importantly to use me as another data point by scrapping my privacy. I say NO.

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 08:06:56 -0400

Planning a visit to the Apple Store after work today. Reason? To experience the 15-inch MacBook Air. 🕵🏻

Bad News for Weather in Canada

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 06:56:34 -0400

Yesterday, weather report summary for June in Canada was released and it is ugly. Much higher temperatures in the wrong places and at much earlier time this year. Many records broken by wide margin (since 1871). Lot’s of discrepancies in rain distribution with lack of rain in the north of Quebec which then allowed much widespread forests fire than usual.

One month is not a trend but when you look far back, there are many worrying trends.

Hunting vs ChatGPT

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 20:19:37 -0400

Hunters are not allowed to use drones to locate their prey. It is seen as an anti-competitive measure or an unfair practice. While “real” hunters who chase their future prey for fun aren’t allowed drone usage, what about those who hunt to eat meat because it is their way of living? Is it still forbidden?

Now, let’s do a parallel with LLM-derived tools like ChatGPT. Is it ok for fun but not ok for actual work? When are the lines crossed? Is the content the only determining factor?

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 12:35:34 -0400

Call it whatever you like, design it whatever you want, release today, tomorrow, in a year, if there is one simple link with Meta, I’m out. Enough of this platform / Zucherburg. 🤮

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 07:47:56 -0400

Does Apple know that, with the Apple Vision Pro, they have a unique opportunity to reinvent weather apps? Imagine experiencing a thunderstorm forecast in this immersive environment. Can’t wait but I’m not holding my breath.

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 21:12:39 -0400

The only time my M1 Mac mini with 16 GB of RAM struggles is when using Adobe Lightroom Classic. Even after all those promised and supposedly delivered “optimizations”, the classic version of Lr is still sluggish. Adobe Lightroom, being a brand new codebase, is actually way much faster in my experience.

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 18:39:11 -0400

Thought of the day: I rarely use my photos as a source of wallpapers on my devices. I’m wondering why.🤔

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 10:51:17 -0400

I’m feeling upbeat about returning to a more normal blogging schedule. It’s part of my life and I miss it when I’m off-grid for a long time. Of course, I kept my travel journal up-to-date, so writing was still a thing.

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 04:12:00 -0400

WSJ: Goldman Sachs wants to bail on Apple Card partnership after $1B loss, in talks with Amex

Goldman Sachs is in talks with American Express about transferring its Apple partnership

Could this be the needed change for Apple Card to come to Canada? It’s a long shot but who knows… As a reminder, American Express was the very first partner to bring Apple Pay to Canada. They had a six-month exclusivity deal with Apple at that time.

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 10:05:12 -0400

I’m trying out “Weather on the way” (App Store link) for today’s road. Interesting take on weather forecasts. Carrot Weather should add this feature! We’re leaving Marrakesh one day earlier because of 🥵🥵🥵

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 15:53:47 -0400

Thought of the moment: to those who think that AI will cause human extinction, we must fight against it, is the wrong way to tackle the debate. It is borderline demagoguery.

Long Day Spent Visiting The Big Medina of Fez

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 13:13:05 -0400

Date:	June 21, 2023 at 5:54:55 PM GMT+1
Weather:	29°C Mostly Clear
Location:	Derb Salaj, Fes, Fès-Meknès, Morocco

What a strange, busy, surprising place. Strangely, I didn’t take as many pictures as I could. I guess I was too busy looking around me, up, down, everywhere. 🤯

Visiting this Medina was like reliving the past, like going back in 800. Our guide told us that not that many things has changed since the early years. But man, everything is so coupled with the Islamic religion. I’m not used to that.

The Medina is a city in a city. You’ll find everything from food, clothes, and fake Apple gear (a lot). Oh, and, the young generation of sellers are all tied to their smartphone, all the time. I’m not sure this helps do good business. 🤔

Oh and boy we eat too much in Morocco.

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 16:58:58 -0400

When staying at a five star hotel equipped with a slow internet, you want to… 😡 sync your stuff, share photos but it takes like fovever.. 🤬 well, never mind. I shouldn’t complain. 🤦🏻‍♂️ But don’t expect any photos soon. Sorry. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 03:43:22 -0400

Using Day One to document my trip in Morocco is so refreshing🥰. This app is so well designed and executed. Strangely enough, I rarely use Day One other than for peeking at past memories of my publications (automatically added through IFTTT automation with RSS feeds). I rarely add to my personal journal. That might change from now on.

Leaving Rabat

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 02:37:20 -0400

Date:	June 18, 2023 at 7:28:55 AM GMT+1
Weather:	22°C Mostly Cloudy
Location:	Rue Jamaa Mourino, Rabat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco

Great city. Many photo opportunities. Like this wall and door. Unprocessed image.

I’m really looking forward for this trip...

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 20:11:41 -0400

Date:	June 16, 2023 at 8:05:30 PM EDT
Weather:	20°C Rain
Location:	Aéroport International de Montréal-Trudeau, Dorval, QC, Canada

From a photography experience perspective… My backpack 🎒 is so heavy with this camera and “only” two lenses. My hope is to use my big camera as much as my iPhone, so that I don’t think that I brought this with me for nothing. 😜

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 21:08:33 -0400

Day One creator Paul Wayne, on Apple’s foray into journaling app:

Rather than seeing this as competition, we embrace Apple’s entry into digital journaling as a testament to its growing importance. This evolution is not just beneficial for Day One, but also for our valued users. Source: Apple’s Journal App and Day One’s Evolution

I applaud the positive attitude here. There is one thing that is missing from Day One: the capability to share a journal entry as a web page.

Are We Ready for This Dystopian World?

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 07:02:13 -0400

Warning: it’s not about the Apple Vision Pro headset, which many people think will bring a touch of a dystopian future to our life. Something else more serious will.

I read this week somewhere that, to get climate back into the normality zone🌪️ to ensure the sustainability of the human race and life in general, everyone on earth would need to live in an oppressive world where everything would be controlled by laws and government all the time and for decades. From buying food to cars to travelling to entertainment services, we would be under constant quotas, which would bring our quality of life much lower than we currently enjoy. In fact, developed countries’ quality of life would join the much lower quality of life of the vast majority of the earth’s population in less developed countries. This would be the only way to get around this climate crisis. Not convinced? The COVID pandemic brought massive and repetitive confinements that weren’t enough to bend many climate change indicators downwards. It lasted two years, more or less. 😱

Oh, and should we talk about forced birth control everywhere? Because we should, even if this is a taboo subject.

Are we ready for this dystopian world? 😷

I can see a great Vision Pro use case right here where people watch daylong movies about what used to be a much more enjoyable world in 3D. 😒

On 15-inch MacBook Air: Is It Too Big?

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 20:17:31 -0400

When the 15-inch MacBook Air 💻 was officially announced, I was excited and knew it would replace my M1 MacBook Air. Since then, I read many reviews and watched many unboxing videos. People seem to enjoy the new bigger MBA, and all is good, right? But, is it?

Nobody talks about the device’s size when you use it on your lap like I do with my MBA right now as I write this post. It’s an important factor to consider for such laptop category which the MBA is targeting. Are 15 inches too wide? Is it still comfortable? For some reason, I have a few doubts. This 15-inch MacBook Air is… big, but is it too big for me? 🤔

When I come back from vacation, a visit to the Apple Store will help me decide once and for all.

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:21:20 -0400

Am I the only one who thinks that Adobe is slowly but surely morphine Lightroom Classic into Lightroom? From a distance, I sense that all the cool stuff appears in Lightroom first. The latest example: the capability of exporting a photo-processing session in a video file is available in Lightroom (iPad, iPhone only) but not in Lightroom Classic. 🤔

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:03:14 -0400

A day at the office. Today, I had a meeting with my client’s external IT resources. One of them had a strange name, hard to pronounce. While waiting for everyone to join the meeting, wanting to fill in the silence, I asked where he was from. He responded, “Russia.” I said, “Oh.” 😱 This was followed by a big silence while I could see in mack back my Tidbyt display showing a prominent Ukrainian flag. 🇺🇦👊🏻We moved on to the meeting’s first subject. 😏😂

A colleague of mine told me after the meeting that not all Russians are ok with this war in Ukraine. Yeah, right. I guess. This is not a valuable excuse in my book. Where are the diaspora demonstrations, in Canada? In the US?

Women in Iran have more courage to defend democratic values than those men in Russia to defend what is blatantly right from what is wrong. This is utterly frustrating.

Glory to Ukraine. 🇺🇦🇺🇦

In Photography, the iPhone Can Be a Killer

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 06:53:30 -0400

My nephew, a semi-pro photographer, recently sold 90% of his photography gear (Canon). He only kept one body and one 50mm lens. 😱 He upgraded his phone to the iPhone 14 Pro. 😏He couldn’t be happier, he told me. Even with the iPhone, he essentially kept his photo-processing workflow as-is (Adobe Lightroom). This makes me pause a bit. Sure, he spends much less time doing professional photography work, but still. I call this the iPhone-photography killer effect.

He got his first exposure (pun intended) to the art of photography with me when he was still a child, more than thirty years ago, when he accompanied me for a short photowalk. He demonstrated that he could be a photographer, even at this young age, just by his numerous questions and suggestions.

I’ll bring my small (but heavy) camera gear (Nikon) on my trip to Morocco and when I visit the Canary Islands later this summer. Will these trips be the last ones where I use the big one? 🤔 I know that I’m going to upgrade my iPhone 13 Pro to the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max later this fall. This could trigger a similar fate to my camera bag.

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 19:42:32 -0400

📺 I always keep two Apple TVs: an Apple TV HD for the main bedroom that I gave to my brother-in-law, and an A12-based Apple TV 4K was my main ATV for the living room. Today, I bought the 2022 Apple TV 4K with Ethernet. The older one is now in the bedroom, and the new one is in the living room. Not what I call exciting upgrades. Had to redo all the apps setup. 😒 But it does feel faster in a more compact package.

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 14:32:57 -0400

Still working from the coffee shop. 😅 While reading a technical document, I wish I could take notes and keep bookmarks about my readings. I discovered that, as well-thoughtful my personal creative workflow can be, I’m under-equipped for my work life🤦🏻‍♂️. OneNotes from Microsoft is great but so dull at the same time. This leaves me with Notion and Craft Docs. 🙄🤔 I really have to up my game at work; I’m way too lousy. I should use lessons learned from my blogger life.

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 08:28:20 -0400

As much as I’m invested in Craft Docs, I’m not sure I’ll use it for my travel notes this time around. It’s not very good when working offline. Maybe Apple Notes? Why not Day One? 🤔 The latter could be a fun experiment, and it’s easy to export journal entries into Markdown for reuse elsewhere!

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 07:50:25 -0400

There is one thing that I’m really looking forward to on our trip to Morocco🇲🇦. For the first time ever, we will have a private guide for the whole trip. I’m usually the main driver when going on such a vacation. Now, I’ll be quietly sitting in the van and be free to take pictures while on the move. 📷

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 07:15:07 -0400

I’m still slowly digesting Apple news of this week (think of a cow 🐄 in the field 🌿). About macOS Sonoma widgets 🖼️: it’s surprising that Apple is showing widgets to be perfectly aligned when they are dropped on the desktop background. According to some YouTuber’s early reviews, you can be messy with them and drop them wherever you want. People will get messy, for sure.

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:47:49 -0400

RSS > Reddit. That is all. Think twice before telling me that I’m wrong. Spoiler alert: contribute to your own destiny instead of other corporations’ destiny.

Watch Out Reddit

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:13:38 -0400

🤨 Because of recent Reddit behaviors towards their API consumption models, seeing Apollo go, just like that, plus similarities of behavior with Twitter, I may drop my cross posting to Reddit as a first step of protests. Then, stop manual posting (in /r/craftdocs for example). Ultimately, closing my account could become a possibility. 🫤

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 19:55:17 -0400

I don’t know if it is because I’m getting older, but I have more and more trouble and aversion with high-velocity feeds coming from platforms like Mastodon (when following tags like #WWDC during the dub dub week). I prefer the slowness of Micro.blog’s feed or a simple articles reading session.

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 20:04:14 -0400

😱I just realized that for the first time in quite a while, I’ll be following WWDC news outside of Twitter. I’m unsure if I’ll go on Mastodon or Bluesky to read the room temperature. I’ll see. Maybe I’ll just make up my own mind, too, which is a good thing. 🤔💭

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 19:47:42 -0400

Here’s a short “life at the office” story. Our VP of sales never stops bragging about how ChatGPT is cool and how it works for him for many use cases. I’m uncomfortable with his stance on ChatGPT & generative AI in general. I think about it each time he sends an email that was obviously created with ChatGPT.

Why is it a problem for me? Who am I to judge him and his “new way of working”? I think I have found the root cause.

First, it’s not the results of his work. It’s the work of something else. He takes something “as is” without adding any value, any personal opinion, or a personal twist. Second, the fundamental problem is that he works in IT but is not a tech guy. He is a salesperson. He’s the type of guy who surfs on buzzwords a lot. Using ChatGPT makes him circumvent his lack of confidence because of a lack of IT knowledge and culture. He probably feels better and more “into the game” like most of my other colleagues, who studied computer science before getting to work in IT.

How many more people lack my colleague do the same, for the same reason?

Reflecting on My Photo Processing Strategy

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 16:43:30 -0400

For my next trip, I will bring my Nikon D750 and my iPhone 13 Pro (of course!), and my 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. How am I going to process my images? Will I continue using Lightroom for images from my Nikon? I usually use the iPad to import my photos into the Lightroom catalogue. What about pictures on my iPhone, which should be mostly in RAW format and shot with Halide? I like Photomator a lot; it is nicer than Lr and more approachable too. However, using Photomator to process images from my Nikon poses a challenge in file management. I’ll need to import the .NEF files from my SD card into my iPad in an iCloud Drive folder so I can work on imported files from any device (iPad, MacBook Air or iPhone). I prefer using iCloud Photos Library instead of managing files manually. I guess this will be this combo: Photomator + Halide for my “shot on iPhone” images!

Just writing this blog post made things a little bit less fuzzy. I’ll take any suggestions!

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 13:14:24 -0400

Getting ready for my trip to north west Africa. Halide FTW!

365 Days Later

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 09:58:12 -0400

Thumbnails of my produced YouTube videos

A year ago, I shared my first YouTube video on my YouTube channel. My initial goal was to share videos about using Craft, but later came videos about using Micro.blog. Here are some notable facts:

52 videos about Craft were produced;
5 videos about Micro.blog were produced;
All videos totalling more than 13.5 hours of watch time;
My YouTube channel has 813 subscribers as of now;
Two subscribers gave me money as a sign of appreciation.

I feel I’m now on par with all the things I wanted to talk about regarding Craft. Future Craft videos will touch on new features and tweaked workflow. I still have much work to do for Micro.blog video series, though.

At the initial pace of new subscribers, I set the goal of hitting a thousand subscribers in the first year, but I’m sad to report that I won’t make it. The pace of new subscribers has slowed quite a bit.

This video production journey is full of learning and lessons. Over time, I settled on a production style I’m happy with. I finally found a way to get better sound quality. I recently added iA Presenter to get cue cards showing on my screen while recording (read “iA Presenter — A Different & Clever Take at Presentation Software”). My workflow is stable now and is supported by this Craft template (you can download and use it if you are a Craft user, BTW). Finally, I started using Play.app to gather all my video links in one place. This provides a quick way to refer to past videos whenever needed.

I also produced videos about other apps like Capacities, Inoreader and Anybox. Some of these videos take the form of a 60 minutes session with the app as a first-time user. It’s fun as there is no script supporting those experiences.

Today, I will record a video about the WWDC 23 conference. The video will complement my recently published article on the same subject. It will be my first foray into tech news and commentary. I’m not planning to do many of these, but WWDC is significant and needs some of my production time attention.

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 17:58:58 -0400

From the release notes of the May 30th version of Hazel:

Added missing arm64 support for certain auxiliary binaries. Not having these meant that certain specialized functions were being run using Rosetta on Apple Silicon Macs.

That is something so important on an 8GB MacBook Air like mine. The less memory consumed by system services like Rosetta, the better. And I applaud the developer for mentioning it in the release notes.

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 17:07:15 -0400

And just like that, I discovered that my original Mastodon account is enabled and active. I didn’t know my account was finally made active after I submitted my request in Dec, 2019. Now I’m up to three Mastodon addresses. I wonder if I could drop my account at techhub.social and switch to the official Mastodon instance? And how should I do that, actually?🤔

What would you do?

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 10:58:55 -0400

My morning so far. Just finished and shared my thoughts on iA Presenter. Got myself ready to watch the WWDC 23 keynote using this handy shortcut. I tried to set up a mail address for numericcitizen.me (something like hello@numericcitizen.me) using iCloud+ Mail custom domain feature. Sadly, I won’t be able to do so as my numericcitizen.me root domain needs to be aliasing Ghost hosting website for my blog to work. This is conflicting with iCloud+ Mail custom domain requirements. Oh well, nobody use emails these days, right, right? Any suggestion on this if you are reading this? Finally, updated my Ubiquity DreamMachine to the latest release of UniFi OS.

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 10:00:11 -0400

Getting ready for WWDC keynote. This WWDC23 button on my Stream Deck mini triggers a screenshot of my Mac screen using Cleanshot X. Each file will be saved automatically and later processed by Hazel rules and moved to my Synology Photos library for future reference and use. 😎

On Reddit API Access Pricing

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 08:26:10 -0400

So, apparently, just like Twitter, Reddit is entering into a “kill-third-party-apps” by charging an enormous amount of money to use their APIs. It looks like it. Apollo isn’t happy, and for good reasons. Unless there was a calculation error from the makers of Apollo, it just makes no sense for them to continue. Maybe Reddit made some calculation errors, too. Perhaps they fail to read the room’s temperature. But maybe they are entitled, to some degree, I guess, to charge for their APIs, right?

I’m tempted to make a parallel with Apple’s dreaded 15%-30% App Store commission. Is Apple’s stance on its App Store different from Reddit’s stance on its APIs? Is charging a commission to be on the App Store and take advantage of all Apple’s technology to get a chance to be distributed on hundreds of millions of iPhones similar to consuming a platform APIs? If not, what is different, actually? Is free API usage a dead end in today’s world? There are whole business models built around APIs these days. API speaks intellectual property in my book. Only companies with business models supported by massive ad distribution or expansive paid subscriptions can think of thriving by giving away their API access. It will be interesting to see how Reddit is reacting to third-party developers’ pushback.

Oh, and if they actually kill the third-party Reddit client ecosystem, unlike Twitter, Reddit platform alternatives are not obvious to me.

I guess it’s time to remember: there is no such thing as a free lunch.