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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.
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It’s not a definitive threshold. ↩︎
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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.
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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.
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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 🇺🇦.
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About This Permanent State of Being Undecided With Apps
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I’m the type of user who always tries to find a use case for an app that I really like, even if it is superseded with a better one.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. 😬🤷🏻♂️
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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.
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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.
Thinking about the Apple Vision Pro, the right way.
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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.
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The Next One Is My Best
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. 🤞🏻
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I'm Sorry but Apple Vision Pro Is Another VR Headset, or Is It?
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.
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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.
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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.
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Third level pun intended. ↩︎
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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. 😑
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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.
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Like Thomas Frank. ↩︎
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Notion is a great app offering many possibilities to talk about for a long time. ↩︎
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Imagining Micro.blog’s Next Big Offering — I Think I Cracked It!
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! 🙏🏻
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Like Apple Events, sports events, etc. ↩︎
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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
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Technologies At Play in a "Compact" Device
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.
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Handoff, Continuity, Digital Crown, 3D modelling, etc. ↩︎
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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.”
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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!
