Numeric Citizen Blog

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.

2024-01-01 ∞

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.

2024-01-04 ∞

Hey Calendar First Impressions

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.

2024-01-05 ∞

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.

2024-01-06 ∞

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!

{{< youtube "D9HSuhzLte0" >}}

2024-01-07 ∞

Is Apple TV Really Improving With tvOS 17?

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.

2024-01-08 ∞

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. 😃

2024-01-10 ∞

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. 😑🤷🏻‍♂️

2024-01-10 ∞

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.

2024-01-10 ∞

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.

2024-01-11 ∞

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! 🤣

2024-01-13 ∞

One of the things that is cool with Photomator: the before & after view. If find it helpful from a creative and teaching perspective.

2024-01-13 ∞

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.

2024-01-14 ∞

Is Buying a Car Easier Than Buying an Apple Vision Pro?

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.

2024-01-14 ∞

Micro.Blog — How Can I Help?

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?

2024-01-14 ∞

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.

2024-01-15 ∞

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.

2024-01-16 ∞

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.

2024-01-17 ∞

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. 😻

2024-01-17 ∞

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.

2024-01-19 ∞

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

2024-01-19 ∞

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? 🤔

2024-01-19 ∞

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.

2024-01-20 ∞

🌞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.

2024-01-21 ∞

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.

2024-01-21 ∞

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.

2024-01-21 ∞

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.

2024-01-22 ∞

An original Mac. #MyFirstMac. numericcitizen.me/rememberi...

2024-01-24 ∞

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.

2024-01-25 ∞

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.

2024-01-27 ∞

🚨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

{{< youtube "m6yklhdeB-I" >}}

2024-01-27 ∞

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. 😅

2024-01-28 ∞

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. 😅

2024-01-28 ∞

🚨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. 😌

2024-01-28 ∞

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!

2024-01-29 ∞

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."

2024-01-29 ∞

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.

2024-01-30 ∞

Either AirPods Max is overpriced, or Apple Vision Pro is not expensive enough¹.

2024-01-30 ∞

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

2024-01-30 ∞

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! 🙏🏻

2024-01-31 ∞

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.

2024-01-31 ∞

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. 😑

2024-01-31 ∞