Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest
Numeric Citizen Blog
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.
2025-09-01 ∞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.
2025-09-02 ∞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.
2025-09-02 ∞Generative AI is making us suspicious of everything online.
2025-09-02 ∞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.
2025-09-03 ∞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.
2025-09-03 ∞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.
2025-09-04 ∞What is more depressing than spending the day inside Microsoft’s productivity suite, on Windows?
2025-09-04 ∞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.
2025-09-04 ∞Remember Apple Clips? Adobe Premiere for iPhone is coming soon… Was Clips another waste of time by Apple?
2025-09-04 ∞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.
2025-09-06 ∞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.
2025-09-07 ∞With Liquid Glass, Apple really missed the huge opportunity to revisit the Mac beachball. So flat. So sad.
2025-09-07 ∞
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.
2025-09-07 ∞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?
2025-09-07 ∞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.
2025-09-08 ∞While testing MyMind and reading this article, I discovered the existence of Recall. 😳😅
2025-09-08 ∞Will Apple ever fix this? How do you clean this mess?
2025-09-08 ∞
It’s really, I mean REALLY hard to get excited for tomorrow’s Apple announcements. It’s definitely the most leaked-ahead event.
2025-09-08 ∞Why All This?
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.
2025-09-08 ∞Going Apple TV-Only?
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.
2025-09-09 ∞Impressive, But I'll Pass
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.
2025-09-09 ∞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!
2025-09-11 ∞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.
2025-09-11 ∞“Liquid Glass is the software equivalent to the butterfly keyboard” - Jeff Johnson
😳
2025-09-11 ∞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. 😥
2025-09-14 ∞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.
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.
2025-09-15 ∞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. 🫣
2025-09-15 ∞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? 🫣
2025-09-15 ∞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.
2025-09-15 ∞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. 👀
2025-09-16 ∞How long before iOS 26.1 beta 1? Asking for a friend.
2025-09-16 ∞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?
2025-09-16 ∞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.
2025-09-16 ∞While read later services are enticing and convenient, I often forget about the saved content and the service itself. 🤷🏻♂️
2025-09-17 ∞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.
2025-09-19 ∞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.
2025-09-20 ∞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.
2025-09-21 ∞I like this iOS 26 Home Screen customization options for my iPhone when going to bed.
2025-09-21 ∞
There is no clipboard manager on my office PeeCee… at least, nothing that I could install anyway if such a thing exists on Windozzzz. 😒
2025-09-22 ∞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.
2025-09-22 ∞Apple’s iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) is still not updated for Liquid Glass. Mmmmm. 👀
2025-09-22 ∞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.
2025-09-22 ∞I’m still exploring ways around Liquid Glass.
2025-09-23 ∞ Journaling While Traveling - A Third Option?
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?
2025-09-24 ∞The latest ludicrous bug found, this time on iPadOS 26.1 beta1. That is really one of its kind. 🥴
2025-09-24 ∞
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.
2025-09-25 ∞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.
2025-09-25 ∞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.
2025-09-25 ∞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.
2025-09-25 ∞The Future of Technical Training According to Microsoft
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. 😳
2025-09-26 ∞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.
2025-09-26 ∞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.
2025-09-26 ∞How many ways can you write that the iPhone 17 is an improvement compared to last year’s iPhone 16? 🤨
2025-09-27 ∞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. 😳
2025-09-27 ∞
Is ChatGPT enshitification about to begin? It certainly looks like it. Fuck.
2025-09-27 ∞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.
2025-09-28 ∞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. 🍁🍂🚲👀
2025-09-28 ∞What a wonderful weekend in Montreal. The weather is ideal—just the kind that makes fall my favorite season.
2025-09-28 ∞AI Unsuspected Collaterals
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.
2025-09-29 ∞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.
2025-09-30 ∞Another item added to my wish list… 👀
2025-09-30 ∞On the Mac, I consume Apple Music via music.apple.com. Lighter. Faster. Better design. Trustable. 🤷🏻♂️
2025-09-30 ∞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.
2025-10-01 ∞