Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest
Numeric Citizen Blog
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.
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I know Apple's version wouldn't be as features rich as Ubiquiti's, but... ↩
My First Genuine Ah Ah Moment With Generative AI
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.
2023-12-02 ∞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!
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2023-12-02 ∞💥 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! 💌
2023-12-03 ∞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. 😊
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Goals that don't always align with my creative hobbies. But that is ok. ↩
HEY, what about Improving Newsletters Reading Experience?
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.
Wish of the day: I'd like to connect an Apple TV to an Apple Studio Display.
2023-12-06 ∞If Apple were to release an M3 MacBook Air early in 2024, I would be pissed off1.
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I bought an M2 15-inch MacBook Air last August. ↩
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.
2023-12-07 ∞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!
2023-12-09 ∞Strike One
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
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I wonder if I could make my video available elsewhere...🤔 ↩
It seems that at the current rate, 2023 will be my second-most active year on Micro.blog, after 2020. Ref. Blog stats.
2023-12-10 ∞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!
2023-12-10 ∞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. 💙
2023-12-11 ∞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. 🤷🏻♂️
2023-12-11 ∞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.
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CCaaS, TLC, QLC. ↩
iOS 17.2 is now out for everyone! macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS too!
The scale at which Apple releases new software is still mind-blowing for me.
2023-12-11 ∞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/?utmsource=dlvr.it&utmmedium=mastodon
Swipe to Change Watch Face option is BACK baby!
2023-12-11 ∞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…
2023-12-12 ∞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.
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Is this the beginning of an excuse to buy a Mac Studio? ↩
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.
2023-12-12 ∞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
After the My Defaults trend, here comes the My Subscriptions trend.
2023-12-14 ∞Believe it or not, I’m looking at use cases for Capacities. 🙄
2023-12-14 ∞Added Kagi search to my subs. F*** Google and their business model!
2023-12-15 ∞I'm not really fond of this rumoured design.
2023-12-16 ∞Episode 06 — Wrapping Up 2023
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:
- Bye Bye WordPress — Hello (Again) Ghost
- My Creator Workflow
- My Creator toolset
- Craft templates for sale on Gumroad
- Celebrating and Reflecting on my 30 Years Career in IT
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. 😳
2023-12-16 ∞Coffee shop time! 😃 For some reason, I always test their Wifi service each place I visit. Always1. 🤷🏻♂️
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The same goes for hotels while I travel. ↩
I'm curious: who in this room is using Apple Advanced Data Protection? If yes, are there any issues? If not, why? 🤔
2023-12-16 ∞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 🎧🎶🕺🏻
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.
2023-12-16 ∞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.
2023-12-17 ∞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!
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Were you afraid that it would be my last edition like forever? 😌 ↩
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.
2023-12-17 ∞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.
2023-12-18 ∞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/?utmsource=dlvr.it&utmmedium=mastodon
Massive blow. We don't get to see Apple stopping selling a product often.
2023-12-18 ∞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.
2023-12-18 ∞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!
2023-12-18 ∞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/?utmsource=dlvr.it&utmmedium=mastodon
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.
2023-12-19 ∞I’m happy to see Zavala is still being updated. 😊
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.
2023-12-21 ∞I wonder if this QR code could be my next avatar.🤔
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
2023-12-22 ∞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.
2023-12-22 ∞Going to my sister’s house tomorrow for holidays celebration. She got a new MacBook that she wants me to configure 🤓
2023-12-23 ∞Here are my five goals for 2024, as posted on my personal landing page.
About numericcitizen.me visitors for 2023
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.
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It's related to the launch of my weekly creative summary. ↩
About blog.numericcitizen.me visitors for 2023
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!
Playing Christmas music everywhere in the house using HomePods and AirPlay is quite cool. You cannot escape Christmas! 🎅🏻🎶🦌
2023-12-24 ∞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!
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I'll be moving out of it so that I can focus on the Photomator / Pixelmator duo instead. ↩
Synology Photos as a webapp on macOS Sonoma is 👌🏻
2023-12-25 ∞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.
2023-12-26 ∞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
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No sexually explicit content, but it could contain references to some partial nudity. ↩
Is GenAI a Product or a Feature?
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.
2023-12-27 ∞Writing about leaving Adobe ecosystem and embracing once and for all the Photomator / Pixelmator combo: 1500 words and counting. 👨🏻💻😅
2023-12-27 ∞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.
2023-12-27 ∞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.
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.
2024-01-01 ∞