If you are curious about the migration process from WordPress.com to Ghost (the SaaS version), you can read all the details about it right here. There is another part of the process regarding the DNS management that will be published soon. So stay tuned.

2023-03-25

Earlier in March, Alisabeth Hayden, from Washington state in the US, was separated from her AirPods – Apple’s pricey micro headphones – while disembarking from a plane in San Francisco. She swiftly realized that they appeared to have been stolen. Source: This woman left her AirPods on a plane. She tracked them to an airport worker’s home | CNN

Sad story for sure. I remember my wife forgetting her iPad in the pouch in front of her seat after leaving the place many years ago. She never got it back after contacting the airliner personnel. It was before “Find my friends”. Who knows what happened to this iPad, but this story tells me that it probably ended up in someone else hands.
2023-03-25

This week I got two unexpected gifts from my readers (fans?). One reader on my Ghost-hoested blog paid a one-year subscription, a 25$ gift! Another sent me 40$ to my PayPal account because he likes my YouTube videos about Craft so much. These are in addition to this Italian who sent my money a few months ago.😊

I don’t do what I do for the contributions, otherwise, I would have stopped a long time ago. Yet, these people make a difference and send good vibes to creators and writers like me.

So, dear past (and future?) contributors: thank you.

2023-03-26

Two years ago, I had this wish list for Micro.blog. As much as I love Micro.blog, my list shows that a lot still needs to happen.
2023-03-26

Senior Apple executives have apparently gotten a peek at the headset every year since 2018, but these demonstrations were discreet looks at the project’s progress rather than showcases of the complete device. Situated at the Steve Jobs Theater, the latest preview was reportedly a far more significant event, being “polished, glitzy, and exciting.” Source: Apple Reportedly Demoed Mixed-Reality Headset to Executives in the Steve Jobs Theater Last Week - MacRumors

If Gurman’s report is anywhere near the reality of what actually happened at the Steve Jobs Theater, why do I think they seem to look to galvanize the troop and get convinced they need to move forward anyway? In other words: throw spaghetti to the wall and see if it sticks. Doesn’t look good to me.
2023-03-26

This morning, I had a heated (and respectful) debate about ChatGPT, what artificial intelligence is, what defines human intelligence, and why I believe we may be on a dangerous slope. We’re far from done with all of this. We need to define a new word to describe what is produced by ChatGPT-like bots. I think the problem stems from the fact that the “brute force” approach used by such tools makes it look intelligent for the mortal who doesn’t understand anything about computers. There is a clear distinction in my mind between what humans can produce and what ChatGPT can produce. The background behind the process is as much important to me as the actual results. Otherwise, we are doomed.

2023-03-26

It’s time for an update to my content creation workflow (on Numeric Citizen I/O). In the coming days (or in a week or two), I’ll add something new to help others find new ways to do simple tasks. Comments and questions are always welcomed. 😊👨🏻‍💻

2023-03-27

Notion releases buttons. The world goes wild🤯. Seriously, I came a cross this announcement on YouTube this morning and god I never thought buttons could be that useful in such a tool. I’m not holding my breath for such a thing in Craft, but yeah, I’m already thinking about a pretext to bring back Notion into my workflow just for the kick of using this🙃.

2023-03-27

Time to update all my devices. There are many.🙃 I’m always impressed by how effective Apple can be to keep the beat going on and on for releasing so much new software all at once. If you’ve been in software development, you probably already know this is a major undertaking, each, and single time. Kudos to Apple.

2023-03-27

Why a dedicated music app for Apple Music Classical? When we first learned that Apple would launch a different app for Apple Music Classical, I was surprised and wondered why not add a big tile in its current Apple Music app. Apple explains this in more detail here about the reason:

Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music Classical app is designed to support the complex data structure of classical music.

I get it. It makes sense. Now, here is another question: could there be a need to create more “genre-dedicated” apps offering different browsing and listening experiences? How much could an app be different for electronic music? How about creating an app dedicated to music videos? All of these apps could tap the Apple Music back end. This needs more time to think about.

Oh, no iPad app, at launch, really?

2023-03-28

For those who are (very) curious about Wavelength. This in an invite link to join a private group. It is called “Microbloggers”. You’re welcome.
2023-03-28

Testing the latest Micro.blog beta with picture upload. This is a screenshot of the current list of threads on Wavelength (invite link). 😎

Quick Thoughts and Observations About Wavelength

After reading Gruber’s article about Wavelength, I decided to try it. I’m not sure I require another messaging solution. Besides using Apple’s iMessage and Telegram to get news from Ukraine, the rest of my messaging app usage is anecdotic.

So, what are my thoughts about this? The initial few moments with Wavelength are not what I call an honest onboarding experience. Well, I already shared my surprise at having to enter my phone number at the very first step of the application onboarding. I thought it was brutal. I was quickly reminded that asking for our phone number is the usual thing to ask in a messaging app. M’ok. 🤨 But hey, Wavelength is still in beta, right? So, let’s give them a break.

So I created a group called Microbloggers (invite link) for hosting people coming from Micro.blog (well, anyone with the link can join). As I’m writing this, there are 25 members. I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting that many people to join. I guess my Micro.blog circle is made of very curious people. I love this. Is @Manton joining? Nope. But @Jean is among the participant, which I find cool!

My general feeling with the application is that its design reminds me of Micro.blog’s simplicity. Wavelength is simple but not simplistic. I love it very much. I’m using Wavelength mainly on the Mac, but also on the iPhone. I prefer the Mac experience. But, again, Wavelength is not complete. I’m looking forward to watching its future evolution.

An interesting byproduct of Wavelength is the inclusion of a ChatGPT client inside. It’s the group called “AI”. We can interact with it at any given time, even include this “guy” in a conversation within a group, using the @AI in a message. Each request to the AI entity is kept as an individual conversation (except the one occurring within a group conversation). It’s fun, valuable and fascinating at the same time.

But now, the big question: why would someone of Micro.blog starts using Wavelength and participates in a group chat? Conversations are already happening on Micro.blog. Just like on Micro.blog, if you are a member of a Wavelength group, conversations are public. I’m still pondering this. I understand people who are also wondering about the usefulness of having Wavelength alongside the Micro.blog. Maybe the instant nature of such messaging platform is something missing on Micro.blog? This is something I liked on Twitter: this ability to enter a private conversation with one of your followers.

Well, that’s it for now.

You can join the “Microbloggers” Wavelength group with this invite link. I plan to leave the group open as long as my experiment with Wavelength lasts.

One last thing: after launching the app for the first time, this wave animation is mesmerizing.

Another thing: my avatar photo is me at 5. 😊

2023-03-29

2010 - “Before printing this email, think environment”.
2023 - “Before using ChatGPT, just think.”

2023-03-29

The maker behind ToolBox Pro has passed away, as reported here and there. It’s very sad. I recently re-installed this utility on my devices for a shortcut project I started working on. There are some features in ToolBox Pro that I could use, but now I’m not so sure. What will happen to this app? Is this developer account be terminated and when? Or maybe someone is going to take over?

2023-03-31

Apple, please do a real but simple password manager. I join my voice to many, like John Gruber and Cabel Sasser. I even suggested Ricky Mondello who’s working on the Safari team and very much involved in the password management side, to consider doing such a password manager outside of Safari on the Mac or Settings on the iPhone.

Is Apple refraining from doing so because they see the future as passwordless, thanks to passkeys? Probably but it is a long road to get there, so what do we do in the meantime? As Gruber said, password management is probably as important as tips about using your iPhone, which has its own app on the home screen.

2023-03-31

Hey, just a reminder that this invite is still open if you are curious about Wavelength, a secure and simple messaging service. We’re currently 26 nice people in there! Come on and join! You can leave at any given time!
2023-03-31

I’ve invested so much of my time into Craft, since I left Notion. I never really left Notion, actually, but my usage of this app dramatically dropped. Only a few very limited use cases were left under the Notion umbrella. Today, I tried something in Notion for a project at work. I’m blown away to see how Craft is so far behind compared to Notion for things like databases, integration via APIs and general flexibility.

Sure, Notion has been around for much longer. Yet, I secretly wish I could use the best of both worlds: the elegance of Craft built on top of the robust Notion foundation. I’m actively looking at use cases that I could do in Notion to keep it alive somewhere in my workflow.

2023-03-31

I’m fascinated by the fact that very notorious people in the tech space depends on so simple workflows or simple tools like Apple’s Notes or Reminders to do their work. I reproduce something found on Kottke “Ask Me Anything”:

What do you use for a mobile note taking app (does it sync with your computer)? — Alan H

I am very low-tech when it comes to note taking. I use the default iOS/MacOS Notes app for most things, including keeping track of my media diet. It’s simple, works pretty well, can handle to-do lists, and syncs seamlessly with all of my devices.

I should pay attention to this and maybe think about it when I’m looking at new tools or new ways of doing my things.🤨

2023-04-01

Spent most of the day working on something that I hope will have some meaningful impact. Expect the unexpected. Hoping for a change of direction for one of my favourite tools. Stay tuned. 🤫
2023-03-18

Dear @vincode, I love your Zavala outliner. It’s a great native Mac app. I found a great use case for it when putting together my YouTube video. One thing I’d like to know, you are still updating the app? Do you plan to add the numbering of outline line items? Thanks, and I hope you’ll positively answer this small request.
2023-03-19

Manuel Moreale writes on his blog:

I dislike the concept of editing old content on personal sites. And the motivation is related to my love for simple, straight to the point, chronologically organised personal blogs. I believe a personal blog can and should be a representation of who you are at different points in time. We change, we grow and our thoughts and ideas grow and change with us. And it’s important to have testament of that. If I change my mind on something and I go back end edit my post from 4 years ago, there’s no way for you to see and be aware of that change. And that’s a shame. Source: Thoughts on an unpolished note – Manu

This post made me think about the process I’m currently going through with my move from WordPress to Ghost. I’m deleting old content. In fact, as of today, I deleted about 60% of my old posts. Why? Because I feel that many posts are too time-sensitive to make sense today. They have little value to me now (and probably for the rest of the planet). I decided to keep only worthy articles that can endure the passing of time and stay relevant. My blog here, the “blog.” part of blog.numericcitizen.me better fits this purpose of expressing all sort of more or less worthy thoughts. There, I don’t care too much. And this is where I’m with Manuel. It’s all about sharing “thoughts”. Nothing more, nothing less.
2023-03-19

I recently discovered two new apps that are now in my documented toolset: Anybox and Zavala. Both apps have something in common: the ability to copy a deeplink to an object like a collection or a document. For example, in Anybox, I select a collection and use the “Copy Link” option. In Zavala, I select a document and use the “Copy Document Link” option. Then, I can use these links in Craft. Here is an example: anybox://collection/2340CA48-16BC-4F33-AFFA-6323FEB6605A. When in Craft, clicking such a link will open the app with the target object in focus and selected. It’s super useful as those apps taken together form a powerful combination.
2023-03-19

Never say never, I suppose.

Proof.
2023-03-20

It Was (Probably) a Rough Day at Craft

Craft version 2.4.5 came out today after more than six weeks since the previous release. Usually, releases come out every two to three weeks. I guess people’s expectations were pretty high after having waited so long.

Not only did the update bring very limited functionality, it broke a seemingly simple gesture that was used by a majority of users, mostly on the iPhone. As you might expect, this caused plenty of pushbacks on this. My guess is that it took the Craft team by surprise. Moreover, a new navigation sidebar design is also causing a some more pushback.

There is a recurring theme on Slack that people are tired of waiting for basic fixes while receiving questionable features they don’t see useful in general, not only for them. It’s a bit of a public relation crisis. Now my question, could this crisis be prevented? My short answer is yes. I gave a longer answer in my recent YouTube video… “A Proposal for Handling Users Feedback Differently” and published an article too.

Craft is a young company. They have plenty of things to learn, and managing expectations is certainly one of them. Managing or at the very least communicating a clear roadmap is another. It’s not enough to publish an article once a year on the company’s blog. Such messages need repetitive reminders and on more than one platform. If they would rather not share a roadmap, then they should probably stop using Slack and Circle. Those are discussion platforms where feedback and feature requests are expressed, albeit in a chaotic way.

What I’m starting to find really troubling and worrisome is the lack of fixes to obvious issues affecting many users, me included. And we are talking about long-standing issues here. Slack is full of users expressing their resentment for unfixed problems. Sure we get answers like “we’re on it”, “will check this out, thanks for the report”, “bla bla bla”. Actions speak louder than words. For the first time since I’m using Craft, I’m starting to wonder if I should reconsider my posture with my dependency on Craft.

2023-03-21

Moving out of WordPress is such a pain. It was a pain to be there. It is a pain to get out of it. My problem: I’m moving to Ghost. I need to use their plugin, but the resulting files will get ingested in Ghost with a format that I don’t like. Each post will be inside an HTML object instead of a native Ghost post. That, I don’t like. Thinking of exporting content using WordPress export option and then translating it to Markdown. But Ghost doesn’t support Markdown files import. I could republish each post using Ulysses for example. But I cannot back-date any post when publishing.

Did anyone try importing from WordPress to Micro.blog?

2023-03-21

Sad news. DPReview is going away. 😔

2023-03-21

I hate Slack. I mean, a lot. What a UX clusterfuck. 🤮
There. I said it.
2023-03-22

Yesterday, I got my first ever paid subscriber to Ghost website, even though it is basically a free website. Thanks to Ghost newsletters feature, I’m offering a way for users to pay anyway as a way for showing their support toward my writing efforts.

Even if my full-time job is in IT infrastructure, I hate playing with DNS and registrars.
2023-03-23

5G+
Is this new?

WordPress to Ghost migration report. Content has been imported on Ghost. Domain name moved from GoDaddy to CloudFlare. WordPress subscription cancelled. Getting ready to rename my Ghost website to take over my blog domain. FYI: Ghost.org concierge service has done an incredible job in moving my content, a much better job than if I had used their WP plugin. I’m really impressed by the service. 😊
2023-03-24

Ok, I’m done with this migration/merge ops. More details tomorrow.
2023-03-25

From A to B — Another Digital Journey Completed

From the Numeric Citizen Blog

to the Numeric Citizen Space.

The former was my WordPress site, now on Ghost and merged with what used to be the Numeric Citizen Introspection, the home for my Friday Notes Series newsletter. It took me a while, but here I am. I’m so relieved from not having to use WordPress anymore. I have learned quite a bit about WordPress since 2015, but my desire to simplify my digital life was pressing me to make some changes.

From now on, in Ulysses, I got two places to push my articles, here or Ghost. That’s it.

Both are under the same domain name, which is something that I wanted for a while. Now, I hope to spend more time writing than moving things around. I will publish my migration process in the upcoming days on my Numeric Citizen I/O, my metablog.

From a design perspective, I’m using Ghost’s Casper default theme, which is relatively close to what I was using on WordPress. I’m ok with this for the moment. I may hunt for alternatives in the future, but for now, that will be it.

Now, returning to normal programming.

2023-03-25

Found this in my archives. This was my old iPhone 7 in its old case. I love when things wear out like this.

2023-03-25

Another big update to my complete toolset website: a new dedicated section for my current projects. Use the newly added table of content to navigate to the new section. Now you know more about how and why I’m spending my personal time.
2023-03-11

After so many iPadOS releases, these two gestures I suggested in 2019 were eventually added. This article was a timid entry in the user interface mockups world. It didn’t last long. Thanks to Apple for having listened. 🤣
2023-03-12

Good morning! The third video in the series “Understanding Micro.blog” is out! It is about understanding the cross-posting feature of Micro.blog. This is something people are struggling with at first when they come to MB. I hope some of you will find it useful.

Rant on.
I love Apple’s Safari browser, but the lack of Safari Extensions support by many developers is starting to make me reconsider my love either of Safari or of Apple’s strict App Store policies. That is why, starting now, I’m switching to Firefox exclusively when I’m using Inoreader.
Rant off.
2023-03-12

For those who watched the Severance series on Apple TV+: sometimes I feel like those guys staring at their screen trying to manipulate numbers… don’t you have this feeling too, that our job is a string of numbers manipulation all day long?
2023-03-13

Spending Most of Your Life Running a Blog

Kottke.org turns 25. It’s quite a remarkable journey. I didn’t know about this website until recently. I’m not a frequent reader of it, although I spent quite some time today on it to better get the gist of it. Yet, I’m barely sure how to pronounce it. But I’m quite impressed to see someone’s life spent running a blog and getting paid for it.

I’ve been into computer tech since I was a teenager. I’m 55 now. I learned quite a lot from writing software, doing digital photography, followed Apple’s story with avid attention. My creativity is at its best with computers. I even found my career by simply being exposed to computers.

For some reason, I didn’t know much about website hosting back then, even less about blogs. I didn’t pay attention, I guess. It’s like being a writer who didn’t know we could write books. This sounds strange.

I wish I had a blog for this long. It’s not the first time that I have written this thought. But Kottke.org turning 25 reminds me that I wish I were this guy. Can you imagine having written 40 000 posts? I don’t know if we can still read them all (it appears we can). You won’t find all my posted content since I first wrote my first post. And I keep deleting stuff while moving from one place to another because I think it makes no sense to keep all that.

Bravo to Kottke.org.

2023-03-15

Any Capacities users here? Is it me, or it looks more and more like another Notion? This small team is on fire with meaningful additions in each monthly release, but each of them seems designed to make Capacities a clone of Notion. Your thoughts? Am I mistaken?
2023-03-15

Microsoft:

Today, we are bringing the power of next-generation AI to work. Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot — your copilot for work. It combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data in the Microsoft Graph and the Microsoft 365 apps to turn your words into the most powerful productivity tool on the planet. Source: Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot – your copilot for work - The Official Microsoft Blog

It’s funny how great some of Microsoft’s promotional videos are in regards to Office and Windows user interface. But why, in actual usage, does Microsoft products’ UI suck anyway? We never seem to get the UI that Microsoft is presenting in their videos. Office doesn’t look like that at all. Windows doesn’t either.

ActivityPub coming to WordPress, Automattic buying the developer of the ActivityPub plugin apparently. Ghost is next to add this to their platform?
2023-03-17

Spent part of the morning trying to do some automation using Hazel and Shortcuts. What a time-consuming task. I’m wondering if I’m not wasting any future productivity gains here. 🤔🤨
2023-03-04

🎦 Smile, guys; you’re on camera! 😃 I’m getting myself ready to record th first video in the “Understanding Micro.blog” video series. This blog post on blog.numericcitizen.me will appear in the video while I’m giving a quick tour of a typical website hosted on Micro.blog.

“Social networks can be a great way to connect with friends and family, but they can also be toxic. Unfortunately, these networks can lead to cyberbullying, trolling, and other forms of online harassment. People can be cruel and insensitive in their comments, even if they don’t mean to be. Additionally, social networks can lead to feelings of envy and inadequacy, as users compare their lives to those they see on their timeline. It is important to remember to take a break from social media and step away whenever necessary to protect your mental health.” — ChapGPT

This text was used for the purpose of demonstrating the posting feature of Micro.blog. Please consider replying to this post so I can show how replies work. Thanks.

2023-03-05

[@numericcitizen](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen) It's a good formal summary of the pros and cons of social networks, written by a textual robot capable of being unintentionally harassing itself...
So this is how the replies appear on micro.blog, a brilliant platform designed by [@manton](https://micro.blog/manton), both uncluttered and optimized for blogging, which seeks through a constrained design to avoid as best as possible the flaws mentioned by ChatGPT.

2023-03-05

Gurman said it is “plausible” that at least the next 13-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with the as-yet-unannounced M3 chip, which will reportedly be manufactured based on TSMC’s latest 3nm process for improved performance. The current 13-inch model was released in July 2022 and is powered by the M2 chip, which is based on a 5nm process. Source: Gurman: New 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Airs Likely to Launch by Summer - MacRumors

I would be really surprised to see the updated MacBook Air product line introduce the new M3 so soon. Why? The MacBook Pro is based on the M2. Even if people buy computers, not chips, it would send a weird signal to have an M3 product at the entry level while the Pro machines are using M2. The 3 nanometer process will probably help reduce heat dissipation, but the last time I checked, the M2 in the 13-inch MacBook Air doesn’t exhibit any problems, even when the machine is running at full processing power.

One possibility, though, is if the M3 chip really helps make a difference from an end-user perspective enough to entice users to upgrade. We’ll see soon enough. And I can’t wait to get my hands on the 15-inch version of the MacBook Air.
2023-03-05

Daniel Jalkut on AI-based art and “prose”

Like everybody else, I was fascinated by AI art and prose. But I’m bored by it already. Why? Because it’s obviously not human. I like human things. Little quirks that make us laugh and cringe. That’s the beauty of life. AI is amazing, but it’s not human.

I don’t think that I’m bored yet, but I certainly feel the same about human-based creations. I’ll never be bored and always be fascinated by it.
2023-03-06

Mind blown. 🤯

If Twitter is broken, it might be a fix here and there, actually. Just saying.
2023-03-06

@numericcitizen@me.dm is my new Mastodon address on Medium’s newly launched Mastodon instance. It’s without enthusiasm that I created this address when Medium opened the door to all Medium members today. I left the Paid Partner Program earlier this year. First, because I was no longer publishing articles over there. Second, because I’m not at ease supporting a closed platform like Medium. I’m not sure where I’ll go from here. That being said, I find it interesting that a closed and proprietary platform like Medium opens up to Mastodon, a distributed and open source network. Call it opportunistic, it will be interesting to see where this will lead in the future. I’ll certainly watch from afar.

2023-03-06

If you can talk about it, explain it, even write about it, then I guess you can call yourself knowledgeable about it. Thought of the moment.
2023-03-07

I finally completed and published my article about migrating to Anybox, a bookmarks manager competing with Raindrop.io. I’m not looking back.
2023-03-08

You are out: Newsy out. Newsify out. Raindrop.io out. Matter out. Readwise Reader out. Medium out. News Explorer out (soon). 😅 Substack Reader… jury is still out. 😂

The year 2023 is the year if cleanup for better focus.
2023-03-08

Riccardo Mori wrote an interesting take about the possible future of the Mac with a touch screen Why do you want to touch your Mac screen so badly? | Riccardo Mori:

the people who’d love to have a touchscreen Mac are people who prefer having the iPad and iPhone as primary devices for work and leisure. It’s the iPad-first guys who on the one hand are frustrated by the still mediocre multitasking and still limited functionality Apple is providing on the iPad, and on the other hand realize the sheer versatility and multitasking dexterity the Mac still has in spades despite the general worsening of Mac OS over the past few years. In short, they say they’d love a touchscreen Mac, but what they mean is that they’d love a hybrid iPad/Mac device that could offer the best of both worlds.

Today at work, during a Zoom call, my colleague found out by error that she could touch the screen of her Windows portable to interact with it. She was totally mesmerized. Then she continued with the conversation. I don’t think it will make a big difference in her world. What people want is an iPad when it makes sense, a traditional computer, when it makes sense. Microsoft seems to have found an enduring combo with its Surface.
2023-03-09

21 years ago today, my first blog post. A bunch of promising social networks have come and gone in that time. Often feels like very little is permanent, so make sure to have your own space on the web.

I can barely remember what I was doing in 2002. I didn’t have a website. I didn’t know about website hosting. I didn’t really care about blogs, for that matter. I started blogging in 2009 when I started doing iPhone application development. I wanted to share my discoveries while learning Objective-C and publishing apps on the App Store. At some point, writing took more of my time than actually writing lines of Objective-C code.

2023-03-09

Do you know MacUpdater? It’s a paid utility to keep your Mac up-to-date. I use it on my M1 Mac mini, but on my M1 MacBook Air, I use “Latest”. It’s open-source and free and a very well-crafted piece of software. I highlight recommend it. Download it here. You’ll thank me later.

2023-03-10

In May 2019 I published this:

Personally, I think this year is too early for ARM-based Mac. Why? Because, my thinking is that Apple wants iOS on these ARM-Based Macs, not Mac. And they want a lot of ready-to-use, yet well-known apps to be available. For this, they are working on Marzipan (which later became Catalyst) to entice developers to write more powerful apps for iOS, especially the iPad. These are the prime candidates to run on this future ARM-based Mac. We are four weeks away from knowing a bit more about Apple’s strategy. Source: Apple Is Done With Intel - Numeric Citizen Blog

The Apple Silicon was announced more than a year later.
2023-03-10

For the time of my life, I downloaded Obsidian and launched it. Wrote something. Clicked here and there. Then, I closed it. I’m afraid. 🫣

Obsidian users: what do you use for syncing across devices if you don’t pay any subs to Obsidian? On the Mac, do you put your vaults on iCloud Drive and let the “magic” happen? Asking for a friend. 🤫
2023-03-10

So, in a nutshell: Obsidian is a Markdown text editor on steroids with a fancy plugin ecosystem. Did I miss something?
2023-03-10

Here is something that I really would like to do. Using Apple shortcuts, Charty for Shortcuts and Plausible analytics APIs: create an iPhone and iPad widget to display visitor statistics on my home screen. Another app like Actions would probably be needed too.

2023-03-11

Coming out of another rabbit hole…

👨‍💻 I’ve been extensively testing Inoreader recently and I have to say that as much as I like the service, I find the support for third-party services seriously lacking.

Inoreader supports many third-party services like Blogger, Telegram, Buffer, Evernote, LinkedIn, Hootsuite, Pocket, Google Drive, Instapaper, OneNote, Hatena Bookmarks and Dropbox.

It certainly a long list of services but the problem is that I don’t use any of them. I recently cancelled Buffer and Pocket. I’m surprised to see Blogger but not WordPress or Ghost. Who’s using Hootsuite these days?

I wish Raindrop.io or Notion would be supported, after all, both of these services support offer APIs. Too bad because with better integration often come more efficient workflows.

Building something around tags, IFTTT and RSS could unlock some form of automated workflow. For example, tagging an article would generate an article in a custom RSS feed built using Inoreader which would trigger an applet on IFTTT monitoring this RSS feed which in turn could create an entry in Things 3. The latter part is a challenge, though. IFTTT can’t talk to Things, but it can talk to Google Sheet.

Nothing is perfect I guess. 🤷🏻‍♂️

2023-02-25

Will be spending the rest if the weekend trying to advance my (many) projects. One being to produce my next YouTube video about using Craft as a website publishing tool.
2023-02-26

Dear developers, be honest with us. In my usual morning rabbit hole digging, I stumbled on Flow, a Pomodoro app for the Mac. According to the website, Flow is free.

I click on the “Available on the App Store” link. Once in the App Store, I look at the app details.

Then, things start to look different. There is an “In-app purchases” tag. Scrolling down to the details, I get to see this.

Now, I go up and read the app description. 😠 The developer fooled me. I feel cheated when basic and core features are under the “Pro” plan (like a timer custom duration). It’s a stupid one-feature app, and the developer manages to put the core feature under the pro plan!! I skip the app and move on because I don’t feel the developer is honest in his approach. Yeah, I know it’s called “marketing”.

2023-02-27

Apple pays $12.1 mln fine for alleged app market abuse in Russia - Antimonopoly Service

U.S. tech giant Apple has paid a 906 million rouble ($12.12 million) fine in a Russian antitrust case alleging abuse of its dominance in the mobile apps market, Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said on Monday.

First, where is the money going once paid by Apple? The current situation in Ukraine mandates more scrutiny. Personally, I would have shut down the App Store altogether in this market. Plain and simple as well as give a middle finger instead of paying the fine. But that’s me.
2023-02-27

Writing Shouldn’t Be Hard

We now live in a world of multimodal communications, and how we communicate is changing. The omnipresence of devices in our lives — smartphones to computers, means most of our conversations and communications happen through text. We have replaced so much of our face-to-face interaction with the written word. Teams, Slack and Discords, are part of our daily lives now. As the volume of text in our lives increases, we need tools that help facilitate and perhaps improve how we write and how fast we write.

Am I alone in having the feeling that people no longer read?
2023-02-28

Testing Micro.blog Bookmarking Feature

For the first time today, I diligently tested Micro.blog’s bookmarking feature. I don’t know if this is a popular feature among MB users, but I wonder if I should find a place for MB bookmarks in my workflow. Let’s see a typical workflow.

So, I start reading an article from my now favourite RSS reader: Inoreader. I decide to open the source website and use the bookmarklet to save the page into MB bookmarks. After a few minutes, MB diligently created a readable article archive stripped of all the noise. Think of it as an MB version of Instapaper.

I open the newly created archive and start my reading. I find an interesting or very valuable passage that I select in the browser. MB shows a very gentle overlay titled “Highlight”. I click on it, and sure enough, the text gets highlighted. But that’s not all.

MB can display a list of all my highlights. If I find a highlight that I want to create a linkpost for, I simply click the “New post” button underneath it. And voilà, I can start writing my linkpost right there.

Moreover, MB offers a simple way to save a bookmark by entering the article’s URL into the provided field at the top of the “Bookmarks” section on the MB website. Very handy.

Bookmarks can be embedded in a blog post too. Just click “Embed” underneath a specific bookmark.

The only downside, for now, is the lack of data portability: bookmarks and highlights can’t be saved or exported outside MB.

The bookmarking feature is part of the Premium subscription tier.

2023-02-28

Got this for the Apple Studio Display and iPhone 13 Pro. With macOS Ventura Camera Continuity, it works much better than I thought. It works great with Microsoft Teams. Best way to add Center Stage to Microsoft Teams (using the Control Center settings while the camera is on). No latency. Surprising how low the battery power consumption is. It would have been nice if the iPhone mount could also recharge the iPhone, though.

Another day, another rabbit hole. This time, meet Anybox, a bookmark manager for macOS, iOS and iPadOS. I’ve been playing with it on macOS and I really like what I’m seeing. It’s a bit nerdy, but I do like it a lot. Everything I tried or wonder if it could do was met with a “ah” or “ooooh”. PopClip integration, easy integration with Things 3, data portability secured (lots of import & export formats), great user interface, Safari extension support. The list goes on and on.

Now, the only thing is to try to find a real use case for it. I’ve been using Craft for the most part for bookmarks collection, so my need for an app like Anybox is still unclear. Stay tuned on that one.

Is this another solution in search of a problem? 🤔
2023-02-28

I want to share a little follow-up to my previous post regarding Anybox. As much as I like what I see in this nifty little app, it must replace something else to make the cut (Raindrop.io?). It must help improve an existing portion of my workflow (putting my monthly newsletter together - possible initial use case). It must make a real difference, not only add a new stopgap.
2023-02-28

Massive migration going on right now… to Anybox. I’m in love with this little app. Currently moving out my bookmarks from Craft. Next up will be Safari. Thankfully, Anybox can import Safari-exported bookmark files.

I’m always anxious when I use an app built and maintained by a single guy, as seems to be the case for Anybox.

😅 Moving all my newsletter subscriptions to Inoreader (instead of Hey Mail) for a better reading and annotation experience. Unsubscribing to many along the way. That’s one of the many benefits of switching to Inoreader. Hey Mail isn’t that good for reading newsletters after all, when you compare it to other solutions (including Matter, Readwise Reader, etc.). Substack doesn’t make it easy to change the subscription email, BTW. 👨‍💻
2023-03-02

👉 Updated my complete toolset website. ➕ Zavala ➕Anybox ➕Inoreader ➖ Raindrop.io
2023-03-02

Another Day, Another Discovery: TimeStory

After Anybox earlier this week, now is the turn of TimeStory to make its debut on my list of apps under consideration. About TimeStory, from the application’s website:

TimeStory is a Mac app for illustrating events on a timeline, designed to help you easily create plans and roadmaps, capture history, tell stories, and more.

I spent quite some time today on a project at work using TimeStory. I’m blown away by the simplicity and the craftsmanship that went into this app. It’s very focused, which makes it easy to learn. At every step of my experimentation with the app, I was met with an evident interaction and response from TimeStory. I built something that took me a few hours instead of days in MS Project. Consider me impressed.

I’m on the seven-day free trial. I’ll probably buy the app for two reasons: it brought me real added value in my workflow, joy, and some rewards along the way. Also, I can see a few use cases in my personal numeric life, for my Apple Rumours hub, for example.

We need more apps like this. Very focused, not trying to impress with undeeded features. On the Mac only. Native: AppKit + Swift. No subscription.

Oh, and I love TimeStory’s About page. It’s always interesting to learn about the behind-the-scenes story of an app. I hope this app continues to evolve and improve for as long as possible.

About This Special Apple Device

I couldn’t agree more with 9to5Mac here: There’s something special about the 2018 iPad Pro - 9to5Mac

The 2018 iPad Pro deserves a prominent spot in the Apple hardware hall-of-fame. No other product from Apple has remained so functional for so long without appearing long in the tooth. The 11-inch iPad Pro, specifically, has held up extraordinarily well for a product from nearly five years ago.

I used my iPad Pro quite often and for so many different use cases. During work days, it becomes a second screen next to my Apple Studio Display. At night, it’s a content-consuming machine. During the weekend, it’s a streaming device while I do some food.

There’s something else special about the 2018 iPad Pro: New features for any given year are often likely to make their way to cheaper versions of the same product given enough time. The 2018 iPad Pro hasn’t had to deal with this.

The 2018 iPad Pro feels snappy and a very capable device, except when Stage Manager is turned on. It’s not.

Upgrading from a 2018 iPad Pro would fetch you a LiDAR sensor, an ultra wide camera, 5G compared to LTE, and a modest new Apple Pencil feature with hover.

Next year I’m pretty sure to upgrade my aging iPad Pro. I’ll be looking for the hover capabilities with the Apple Pencil as well as get an upgraded screen quality with OLED.

As noted by MacRumors:

The second beta of iOS 16.4 that was introduced to developers today appears to have a limited number of new features, but it does have a major update for those who use Apple Books - it reintroduces an option for the page-turning animation. Source: iOS 16.4 Beta 2 Re-Adds Page Turning Animation to Apple Books - MacRumors

One quick question: who decided it was a good idea to remove such page-turning animation in the first place? What problem did it solve? Books are still a big part of our life, and this animation is a great reference to the experience of reading a book.
2023-03-03

Here’s The Weekend… Suggestions Instead of Infinite Social Media Scrolling…

It’s the week-end in a few hours, consider those suggestions by Shawn Blanc: A few alternative things you can do when you’re bored (instead of scrolling social media)

Here are a few alternatives to what I call the “Just Checks”.

– Scroll through your Day One timeline and read a previous journal entry or browse some old photos and memories.

– Launch Day One and log how you’ve spent your time so far for the day. Doing this for a few weeks can also be super helpful for getting a perspective of where your time and energy are being spent.

– Write down 3 new ideas. These could be articles you want to write, business ideas, places you want to visit or photograph, topics you want to research, date ideas for you and your spouse, gift ideas for a friend, etc. These ideas never have to to be acted on — the point isn’t to generate a to-do list, but rather to exercise your mind and build your idea muscle. Ideation and creativity are muscles, and the more we exercise them the stronger they get.

– Send a text message to a friend or family member to tell them how awesome they are.

– Don’t get out your phone at all — do some stretches or take a 5-minute walk.

Me? I’ll be creating, as always. Have a great weekend.
2023-03-03

I rarely post my photography work here on Micro.blog, as I prefer to focus on dedicated photo-sharing services like Glass. But tonight, while doing some cleanup on my WordPress website, I stumbled on this post, “Confinement – A Visual Essay”, published on April 13th, 2020, in the early months of COVID-19. I almost instantly remembered and felt what it was like during these dire moments of confinement.

If pictures can trigger memories of challenging moments, I think they are good enough. This is why I am sharing this montage here tonight. Look carefully at each of them, they each contain a specific message.

2023-02-19

I don’t know if it is a popular opinion or not, but Telegram is such a well-designed messaging app. It looks cool, and it has the right amount of gamification. Telegram.app feels native on all Apple platforms.

I use Telegram passively to subscribe to channels that publish news and information about the war in Ukraine essentially. Many of the publishers were on Twitter too, but I left this shitty platform. I don’t use Telegram for chatting with others.

I’m pondering about subscribing. there are things that I don’t like about Telegram (like insisting on getting access to my contacts and being owned by Pavel Durov). I don’t like the owner’s attitude toward Apple’s App store rules in general. He’s Russian with Ukrainian origins. Thankfully, is fled Moscow a long time ago to live in Dubai, a safe haven for many Russians these days. The fun fact is that Telegram is hugely popular in Ukraine and serves both sides in good and bad ways.

Are there any Telegram users here? Do you share my sentiment? Are you subscribing to the Premium tier?

Seriously, what’s wrong with me? 🤔

I’m still pondering about cross-posting everything from MB to my @numericcitizen@techhub.social mastodon account. Why should I, why shouldn’t I?

Hint: I don’t want to de-focus from Micro.blog as my hub for feeling part of the larger fediverse microcosm.
2023-02-19

Attorney General Ashley Moody:

“We must ensure that consumers have the information needed to make informed decisions about their data privacy and security. The existing lack of transparency in app stores can create a significant risk for American citizens, and could cause their personal information to be exploited by foreign entities of concern. That is why I am calling on Apple and Google to bring more transparency to their app stores—so consumers know what products are owned or developed by nations that may pose a national security risk.”

I think this is a great idea. In challenging times, I want to know if an app is created or owned by someone who brings money into bad actor pockets. I do have internal debate about this issue from time to time, having such labeling in the App Store would certainly help in my buying or subscription decisions.

2023-02-22

And here we go again with the new Mac Pro “problem”. Jason Snell writing about the challenges Apple is facing with the unfinished Apple Silicon transition of its Mac line:

And all that custom work, all those distortions to what makes Apple silicon so successful, would be done for a product that’s a niche of a niche–and it’s work that Apple’s chip design team could have spent on a next-generation chip for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Remember the Trashcan Mac? The black cylinder Mac Pro was a closed system with very limited internal expandability beyond memory and SSD drive. Criticism from pro users lasted so long that Apple reverted his take on the Mac Pro with the return of the expandable machine in 2019. Pro users rejoiced as they could again add the PCI cards of their choices as well as adding as much memory they could afford. Problems fixed? Think again.

Now, enter the Apple Silicon chip: a highly regarded and efficient system-on-a-chip design with fixed amount of RAM and GPU (except for Pro, Max, Ultra flavours). A Mac Pro built around this chip would go against having 1 TB of RAM or external GPU without sacrificing latency and performance with support for RAM or eGPU. Apple Silicon makes the Mac a more closed system, just like the 2013 Trashcan Mac was. How ironic this is.

2023-02-22

Glass introduces “Highlights”. Oh I like this a lot. They keep adding more and more dimensions to an already solid, simple, honest, photo-sharing service. I’m glad to be supporting them.

2023-02-22

👉🏻 Day One, now available on the web. Woah! This is cool.

I’m a big fan of Day One. I use it 99% of time for documenting my numeric life (details here if you are curious). When Automattic bought them a while back, I was curious to see how it would influence its future. Now we get a much better idea. The web access maybe was an obvious “next step”, but they did a superb job of transposing most of the Day One experience on the web.

What could be the next step for Day One? Well, what about being able to blog from Day One? A dedicated “public” journal could be created and any entry saved into that journal would go online. Boom.

Now, if only I could spend more time writing personal thoughts in it.😒

2023-02-23

A Typical Morning Rabbit Hole

I’m heading to Micro.blog and start reading on my timeline, I read someone’s post about note taking apps, mentioning how Bear Notes is great. I switch to Bear Notes website. After watching the introduction video, I head to the website’s blog section. Bear Notes certainly looks great. This particular blog post looks at how Bear Notes can work with other apps like Things 3 and Readwise. I wonder how I could use Brea Notes for my workflow. I’m reminded that we can export Readwise highlights in markdown files. I head to Readwise website and give it a try. I play with the export options for a while and export all my highlights, more than 1400 in total. Easy and quick. Next I wonder if I could import them in Craft. Yes I can. What about importing them in Ulysses. Yes I could. Then I remember that Ulysses, my go-to writing app, is great. And forget about Bear Notes.

Written and posted using Ulysses on my M1 MacBook Air.

2023-02-23

Tonight, following one of my year’s goals of focusing on and reducing my digital footprint, I deleted my Tumblr account, where each post was cross-posted from Micro.blog ➡️ Tumblr. This platform seems like a ghost town.

I’m also testing the new “Show cross-posting” feature to push this post on my Mastodon instance. Zoom zip and hop to @numericcitizen@techhub.social!
2023-02-24

👉 It’s Friday, and it is time for another quick experiment. For the next few days, I will cross-post from the Micro.blog to my Mastodon account and see how it goes. I’m unsure if I will add more confusion than anything else.
2023-02-24

AI Comes to WordPress… Who Knew

The pervasiveness of AI is starting to look troubling at best. This week as I was heading to my WordPress admin page, I got this message at the top.

Who knew? I was curious so I read the official “AI Engine” plugin page on WordPress.org. Here’s something that I found dubious.

Five stars reviews only so far. I won’t have the pleasure to test this plugin or implement any of this on my website as I’m getting ready to move out of WordPress this year. Now, who’s next, Ghost?

The official plugin page can be found here.

2023-02-24

Since last June I’ve been producing YouTube videos about Craft (the note taking app, not the game! 😜). I’m closing in to having fifty videos done. I like doing this quite a lot actually.

Now I’m looking for the next product or service to talk about. 🧐

It seems there is a lot to talk about with Micro.blog, don’t you think? 🤓
2023-02-25

The funny thing about posting ideas on Friday nights, writing out loud ideas, it goes out unnoticed; nobody is paying attention. Everyone is too busy enjoying their weekend!
2023-02-25

👉✅ I’m running a quick poll on my YouTube Channel, in the community section! I’m curious about your interest in “how-to” videos about Micro.blog. Thanks for taking the time to vote! 🙏🏻
2023-02-25

Are there any Inoreader subscribers here? How do you take advantage of the service’s features? Do you use the Broadcast feature? How about tags and annotation features?
2023-02-12

The rumoured launch of a 15-inch MacBook Air this early Spring brings me joy and excitement. As an M1-MacBook Air owner, I understand the actual value of a lightweight and mighty Mac. I’m not looking for a much more powerful machine, but a bigger screen in a still-light package is something that I’m looking for. One of the reasons, you might be surprised, is the notch presence which removes some real space in the menubar to display menubar icons. Even with Bartender, a bigger screen could help reduce competition for the menubar on the left portion of the screen. That’s a small detail but an important one for me. I still have over a year of active Apple Care coverage, which should help resell my Mac.

Now, about the possible pricing. After spending some time on the Apple website looking at the current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro offerings, I expect the new 15-inch MacBook Air to be priced at around $1499..$1699 for an 8 GB of RAM, 8 cores CPU, 10 cores GPU and 256 GB SSD. So the starting price would represent a $300-$500 difference.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 13-inch MacBook Pro to be dropped from the product line too.

Spring can’t come soon enough.

2023-02-14

🤔👀👇🏻

Apple is exploring a stand-alone device that combines an iPad with a speaker hub. The idea is to offer something that users can place on a kitchen counter, in the living room or on their nightstand. But Apple also has worked on an iPad docking accessory that it could sell separately and would accomplish much of the same thing. Source: Apple Working on Whole New Way to Use iPad at Home - MacRumors

Nearly every day, I use my iPad in the kitchen while preparing food to listen to the news or to YouTube videos. I can imagine the iPad UI to be something like CarPlay UI (or HomeKit UI?) with tiles where I could see a video source, some HomeKit controls, the weather, etc.
2023-02-14

👨🏻‍💻I’ve spent quite some time recently on Inoreader, and I must say that I like it a lot. I’m on their generous three-month subscription. I can test everything without worrying too much about hitting the paywall. I must say that I’m more of an RSS-type-of-guy which fits Inoreader’s mission perfectly. I’m seeing fewer and fewer reasons to consider Matter or Readwise’s Reader… who knew.
2023-02-15

🤔 @help @manton could look into this error message that I’ve been getting on my timeline for a few days now? Thanks a lot! Love ya! Sorry for the interruption. Returning to normal programming.

Mailbrew still works but sadly feels increasingly abandoned by its founders fooling around with TypeFully, a writing tool for Twitter. Now Twitter is dead. TypeFully too. And Mailbrew is dying too. How sad this story is.

Better late than never. As a content creator, these are goals for 2023. More in my Digital Garden.

2023-02-15

OK, I’m excited. According to recent leaks, the iPhone 15 Pro could be ultra interesting (puns intended). I’m ok with USB-C; the time has come for standardization. The thing that gets me excited is the softer, slightly rounder hedges. I like the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro flat edges, but they are too rough for my taste. So flat edges with a softer corner radius will be a welcomed tweak.

Next, still about the edge, is the titanium brushed finish, similar to the titanium Apple Watch finish. I Digg this choice if that’s the case. I don’t like the Pro line’s current flashy chrome finish.

This leak of the possible iPhone 15 Pro also reminds me of the iPhone 4, which was a great design, BTW.

Oh, and the black bezels are becoming even thinner, which is also cool. Sure, some Android phones go way further than that, but on the iPhone, it’s a mandatory evolution, in my opinion.

For someone like me who takes his iPhone as a camera, these design changes could make a real difference in holding the iPhone like a camera. I’m really looking forward to this iPhone.

2023-02-17

Micro.blog things I like:

• No ads
• No likes
• No brands
• No metrics
• No algorithms
• No influencers
• No follower count
• No suggested/sponsored posts
• Reverse chrono social timeline
• Bookshelves feature
• Simple, clean, UI
• Customizability
• Photos feature
• Friendly folks
• Blog hosting
• iPhone app

😕 Installing iPadOS 16.4 beta1 on my iPad Pro. This cannot be worst than anything since iPadOS 16.
2023-02-17

The Computer is Wrong — Stay Critical & Curious

This evening, using an Apple Shortcut called Clips, I imported the « Apple in 2022 The Six Colors report card » by Six Colors into Craft. It’s a 25 000 article that I started reading on my iPad, within Craft. Then, fifteen minutes into my reading, I asked Craft assistant to summarize the Mac section. It came out with this summary:

« In 2022, Apple released the M2 MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display. The hardware in the Mac lineup is powerful and impressive, and the M2 MacBook Air has become a favorite of Mac users due to its light weight, zero noise, and long battery life, as well as its ability to handle workloads that used to require a pro-level desktop. macOS Ventura has some great features, but there is still backsliding represented by bugs that have gone unfixed and apps that don’t work well. While many users are disappointed that an expected Mac Pro did not arrive, Apple is still praised for their strong hardware lineup and the Mac Studio, which might be a success except for the long shipping delays. »

Because I’m an Apple pundit; I read a lot about Apple in general, I find this summary « plausible », but also because I read the entire Mac section of the Six Colors report. Otherwise, I could I really know? This is where this article ChatGPT from Matt Birchler comes into view « The Computer is Wrong »: it’s fun to play with ChatGPT or any derivative services but staying critical, curious is still a mandatory thing to be these days.

2023-02-18

You might have noticed that I’m experimenting with YouTube shorts. They are easy to create using the YouTube app but the next ones will be created with Apple’s Clips, if it’s even possible. 🧐
2023-02-04

A few people here probably already know that I’m a big fan and power user of Craft, the document creation app. Over the years, I created and shared many documents online for different purposes. Today, I’m sharing an index of all the published documents. My goal is to showcase many of Craft’s capabilities. If you are curious, you can ask me questions about these. I’ll be more than happy to respond.
2023-02-05

In the “Competition in the Mobile Application Ecosystem” report published by the NTIA recently:

Pre-installed apps, default options, and anticompetitive self-preferencing should be limited, including in search results. Source: Biden Administration Report Recommends Sweeping Changes to Apple’s Ecosystem - MacRumors

Can you imagine unboxing your brand-new iPhone, powering it up, and after completing the initial setup process, you end up on a mostly empty home screen? What should the user do next? Could Apple provide a single icon pointing to their App Store to download “The Full iPhone Experience” package? Would Apple even be allowed to do just that? Reading the recommendation again, I think it would go against it. It there a more effective way at killing a product?
2023-02-05

Benjamin Mayo commenting on laptops with touch screen:

All the time, I see people swipe up and down on their vertical laptop screens to navigate webpages and zoom into photos with a pinch gesture. The ergonomics of this are naturally poor. Stretching your arm out forwards to reach the laptop screen quickly becomes uncomfortable. And yet, people still do it frequently. The touch screen is used as an accessory to primary mouse input. They swipe around a bit, then they go back to the mouse. They read a screenful of content, then they swipe to the next page, and put their arm back down. It’s a surprisingly subconsciously natural thing to do. Source: Apple Working On Touchscreen Mac Laptops — Benjamin Mayo

I wonder if Apple could get away with only supporting minimal gestures on their touchscreen Mac. I’m thinking about things like “pinch to zoom” or “swipe” but nothing else… I could imagine using my left hand for a vertical swipe and the right hand on the trackpad to click on a button or text field. This way, I see only a need for a minimal macOS user interface rework.

Just found out about iA Presenter, from the makers of iA Writer. Looking at the website, this app looks like a superb macOS app! I can see a specific use case here for me: writing queue cards for when I’m recording my YouTube videos. Is anyone on the beta from TestFlight here? Any thoughts?
2023-02-05

Continuing with this usability musing on possible touch-based MacBook, Jack Wellborn writes in response to an article by Federico Viticci:

The Mac was also built for a mouse, and while I would argue macOS is more usable than Windows, there is no getting around the fact that controls optimized for pointers are inherently unfriendly to touch input. It’s foolishly optimistic to think that Microsoft or even Apple can make pointer interfaces as touch friendly as iPadOS without also destroying the very thing that makes them more productive than iPadOS — information density. Smaller controls means these platforms can disclose more information and interactivity to their users at once. That’s why a bunch of windows on even a 11″ MacBook Air feels natural while only four windows on a “large” 13″ iPad feels ungainly.

Conversely, it’s impossible to make iPadOS more information dense without sacrificing the very thing that makes it the best tablet OS — touch friendliness. iPad users want more information on screen because that will help them be more productive, but the only way to present more information in iPadOS without sacrificing touch friendliness is a larger display. Not only is a larger display not portable, iPadOS’s support for larger displays still sucks. There’s nothing Apple can do about large displays not being portable, but better support for larger displays? That’s a problem Apple can solve. Source: Touchability, Productivity, and Portability — Pick Two – Worms and Viruses

I couldn’t put my finger on it (pun intended), but this article brings up an interesting point that might explain something I couldn’t do myself: The size of controls in a user interface largely dictates information density. Many longtime Mac users decry the iPadification of its UI. I’m not one of them but I value information density a lot.
2023-02-06

I really hope we get iPadOS 16.4 beta this week because right now, I never experienced so many weird behaviours on my iPad since iPadOS 16. Stage Manager is one problem, weird keyboard placement is another, rotation bugs, etc.
2023-02-06

Microsoft Authenticator for Apple Watch to be retired:

The Microsoft Authenticator app for Apple Watch joins a long list of third-party watchOS apps that have been discontinued over the last few years, either because of perceived redundancy or lack of user uptake. Other notable Apple Watch apps that have been discontinued include Twitter, Instagram, Target, Trello, Slack, Hulu, and Uber. Source: Microsoft Authenticator Discontinues Apple Watch App - MacRumors

There is a clear trend.
2023-02-06

Matt makes a compelling case for the feasibility of touch-based macOS:

I think Apple should add touch to Macs, and I think that this will allow them to not only make current form factors better, but it will allow them to create Macs that are more flexible, more powerful, and more accessible than any Macs before them.

That said, there are people in the Mac community who disagree with me here, and their number one concern is that macOS has a UI that is simply unusable with touch. It’s the ace-in-the-hole argument, and it’s honestly something I haven’t pushed back on because it feels true.

Yeah, I’m one of them. 🫣

There’s a narrative out there that touch is just so incompatible with macOS and that in order to make it work, the macOS UI would have to get blown up to comical proportions, but I don’t think that’s the case. Changes will be made, but I think macOS is more touch-friendly today than many people give it credit for. Source: macOS Isn’t as Small As You Think

I’m happy to report that I’m convinced that macOS is closer to being touch-friendly than I originally thought. Matt spent the required time to demonstrate that 90% of the job was already done. I’m happy to change my mind on this. Would I jump to use a touchscreen Mac? I hate fingerprints on any screen except on the iPad. 🫳🏻😵‍💫

No more questions, your honour.
2023-02-07

TechCrunch interview with Apple’s exec Millet:

One rationale for shipping M2 is also that Apple wanted to establish the line in a regular cadence. It was important, Millet says, to make sure people didn’t see the M1 as a “one and done.” Source: Apple execs on M2 chips, winning gamers and when to buy a Mac • TechCrunch

The Mac has never been this thriving, thanks to Apple Silicon. Specs bumps and general redesign when needed are moving the Mac forward. Next stop: Macs with touch screen with an Apple twist.
2023-02-07

No. Great mockup design but no, I don’t want to get an Apple Watch Ultra in the form of an iPhone. First, I prefer flat edges over rounded ones. They make the iPhone easier to grab from a table and hold for taking pictures. Second, I want the rumoured rounded glass surface on the screen edges which would make the phone a little bit more organic.

What I would LOVE ❤️ to get though is a dedicated multipurpose button, like on the Ultra. Yet, the probability that Apple add another button is low in my opinion. They would rather prefer to get rid of all physical buttons if they could without compromising usability (which I don’t see how this could be done). A less prominent camera assembly would be welcomed too, even if this means a thicker device (and bigger battery along the way).

2023-02-07

Dear Apple, I’m done. It took me a long time, but I get it. Today, I turned off Stage Manager on my iPad. I tried with all my heart. I tried. But, even at iPadOS 16.3, after betas and final releases, six months later, I tired of fighting. Stage Manager is a mess on the iPad. In fact, Stage Manager breaks the iPad experience. Plain and simple. What is a nice improvement on the Mac, is a disastrous UX on the iPad form factor. Apple, go back to the drawing board, let me know when you’re done. Thanks.
2023-02-08

I digg the updated design of Apple.com. The drop-down menus remind me of the Mac in its early days.

2023-02-08

I thought I was done with the “macOS user interface isn’t touch-friendly” debate but tonight, I’m reading this piece from Jack Wellborn (emphasis is mine):

The Mac was also built for a mouse, and while I would argue macOS is more usable than Windows, there is no getting around the fact that controls optimized for pointers are inherently unfriendly to touch input. It’s foolishly optimistic to think that Microsoft or even Apple can make pointer interfaces as touch friendly as iPadOS without also destroying the very thing that makes them more productive than iPadOS — information density. Smaller controls means these platforms can disclose more information and interactivity to their users at once. That’s why a bunch of windows on even a 11″ MacBook Air feels natural while only four windows on a “large” 13″ iPad feels ungainly. Source: Touchability, Productivity, and Portability — Pick Two – Worms and Viruses

And

Conversely, it’s impossible to make iPadOS more information dense without sacrificing the very thing that makes it the best tablet OS — touch friendliness. iPad users want more information on screen because that will help them be more productive, but the only way to present more information in iPadOS without sacrificing touch friendliness is a larger display. Not only is a larger display not portable, iPadOS’s support for larger displays still sucks. There’s nothing Apple can do about large displays not being portable, but better support for larger displays? That’s a problem Apple can solve.

I don’t agree with the author’s suggestions at the end, but it shows that the debate about macOS being touch-friendly or not is still raging and far from being settled.
2023-02-09

Eternally Unsatisfied With My Reading Apps

I’ve been a News Explorer RSS reader user for a long time. It’s a less-known RSS reader compared to Reeder or anything else. It’s really good, but missing a few things that keep bugging me. There is no web version, no filtering feature, and no text highlighting either.

I started testing Inoreader yesterday and Feedbin. Both seem good RSS readers, but none of them is satisfying. In fact, I’m never satisfied with anything when it comes to RSS readers and reading applications or services in general. It’s been going on forever.

Read-later apps are unsatisfying, too, for me. None of Instapaper, Pocket, Matter, and Readwise’s Reader satisfy my needs. Readwise is too busy and still immature, Matter is nice, but some things like tags handling don’t scale well.

The perfect combination of a read-later function with an RSS reader doesn’t exist. If I were twenty years younger, I would write my own.

2023-02-10

Well, expect a change of mood for the next couple of days. It’s seems that my mother, 89, is at the very end of her road. Not only that was expected but also I’m relieved somehow. 😔
2023-01-28

I’m back. Mostly. It was an enduring experience to see my mom go as she did. It was an unintentional instructional experience too. Life has many lessons in store for us. We just have to open our minds and our heart. Easier said than done.

Writing is part of the healing process, I guess.

2023-02-01

A special message to all the people who expressed their support for the loss of my mother. It really means a lot, even though I don’t know you personally. Thanks.
2023-02-01

Any Little Snitch users here? Thoughts? I’m using NextDNS to block tracking sites, but what would be the added value of using Little Snitch?
2023-02-01

Wow, I spent 10 minutes searching for “how to save an email into a .EML file on the iPad”. It’s not in the action menu. The only way is to do a “drag & drop” of the mail into Files.app (or any app that understands this file format, for that matter). Who knew it could be that hard to discover such a simple thing. It should really be in the action menu too.
2023-02-01

It is so slow to recharge an Apple Magic Mouse. Considering how we need to connect this thing for a recharge, Apple should have made it much quicker to recharge. 😒
2023-02-01

CarPlay in 2023 will see its most significant upgrade since its launch. I don’t know when we’ll actually be able to get this in a real car, but I certainly look forward to it.

I recently spent some travel time in a high-end Mercedes. The Dashboard was very impressive. Still, the future CarPlay version seems a bit pale in comparison.

Why did Apple choose to make this early announcement?

2023-02-01

Some telling excerpt from a recent story in the Globe and Mail about a Canadian helping Ukraine:

“There’s a couple of shots I made that day that will be with me,” he said. One was a Russian in a T-shirt who was carrying a box of ammunition more than 1,800 metres behind the front line – a distance Teflon says was the longest shot he’s ever made. “He saw no threat, he thought he was safe. But it’s my job to ensure that they know that they’re not safe anywhere,” Teflon said. “The role of a sniper is to ultimately push into the minds of the enemy and make them question everything.”

And

“There’s allegations that all these Russians must be drugged. There’s no way. I think it’s just lack of training. Because they still act like human beings. I’ve watched guys cry and I’ve watched guys scream and I’ve watched guys try to pull their friends back when they get killed. They’re humans but they don’t have an ounce of training when it comes to fighting a war.”

And

“Sadly, it’s working. That’s why they’re doing it. We’re defending until we can’t defend that spot any more because they just destroy it with tanks. And they just keep sending another wave. It’s just relentless,” Teflon said. “So, they’ve gained 500 metres of dirt, but they just took over a completely destroyed position and lost hundreds of guys to do so.”

Finally

“The world deserves to hear the truth and after losing Joe and Greg, they need to understand we’re not stopping this work,” he said. “There’s no point me dying without telling my story.”

This a poignant story about a Canadian snipper “working” on the front line in Ukraine.

2023-02-02

If I had enough time on hand, I would build a one-pager website comparing all Mastodon clients. Then, I would update it as new app releases come out. I can see the feature-by-feature comparison table with an overall score at the bottom. I think it could be helpful for new Mastodon users and developers to better understand their app’s position in the client landscape.
2023-02-02

**Highly Troubling—Ops are Taking Over Apple My Friends **

Don’t bother reading too much into the latest Apple financial numbers. They’re not too bad. What you should be paying attention to is this:

Apple is eliminating one of its most high-profile executive positions. According to a new report today, Apple is eliminating the role of “industrial design chief” as part of a broader shake-up. This role was once held by Jony Ive, and most recently held by Evans Hankey.

More specifically:

Under this new structure, the design team will report to Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams. Source: Apple is eliminating its iconic ‘industrial design chief’ position

This comment by one of the 9To5Mac staff members is not reassuring at all:

I think it’s important to keep in mind, however, that Williams has been involved with the design team for several years at this point. Hankey has reported to Williams since 2019. The difference now is that the middle ground between Williams and the rest of the design team is being removed.

Maybe Hankey saw this coming and couldn’t adhere to this direction. Here’s my take: ops are taking over Apple, and design is no longer the top priority. It is utterly troubling to read rumours of Williams possibly replacing Cook which looks like being more of the same if you ask me. Maybe Williams has more design experience, but not as a first-party involvement. Troubling.

2023-02-02

DHH’s concluding words about testing an Android phone:

I’m no fan of Google in general. And I still prefer the fit and finish of iOS over Android, but there’s something deeply appealing about having a phone where at least it’s actually possible to install Forbidden Software, like Fortnite, without wild interventions like jailbreaking. The fidelity gap is real, but the freedom gap is bigger. Source: Another Android

His post is a reminder for me that I never tried or used an Android device for real. Never ever. Should I? Why would I? But then I read this article from Gruber commenting about his perception of the Android app landscape:

Android enthusiasts don’t want to hear it, but from a design perspective, the apps on Android suck. They may not suck from a feature perspective (but they often do), but they’re aesthetically unpolished and poorly designed even from a “design is how it works” perspective.

After all, I might never waste my time testing an Android phone. Life is too short.

2023-02-03

Tim Cook’s introductory comment on Apple’s latest quarter:

“As we all continue to navigate a challenging environment, we are proud to have our best lineup of products and services ever, and as always, we remain focused on the long term and are leading with our values in everything we do,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “During the December quarter, we achieved a major milestone and are excited to report that we now have more than 2 billion active devices as part of our growing installed base.”

How many devices count as being active if a user has an iPhone and two Apple Watch, two HomePod and an Apple TV? Six. That’s a lot of devices but not as many users.
2023-02-03

I took back the iPad Air that my mom was using a few years ago. I would like to repurpose the iPad as a photo frame. It was updated to the latest iPadOS release the iPad can support, but unfortunately, slide options in Apple’s Photos are pretty limited. I wish there were a “Photo frame” mode in Photos. Synology Photos required iPadOS 13.

How would you reconfigure this iPad, so it becomes a photo frame?

2023-02-03

Rumours and articles like this one about Apple’s upcoming headset, supposedly called “RealityPro” is simply getting out of hand. I wish we could put an end to them. I mean, this is ridiculous.

Even if Apple actually comes out with something this year, I’ll consider this as a technological proof of concept, nothing compared to the actually useful and usable iPhone we got back in 2007.

Use cases for a headset are not what the tech pundits would like us to believe. Family reunions with everyone wearing these things on our heads will not happen. Office meetings with people wearing them don’t make sense either. We can barely stand meetings in hybrid modes where some employees are working from home and appearing on the big screen while others are “present” in the meeting room staring at their laptop or tablet screen and doing something else.

The Apple headset could be the next HomePod or the next iPod HiFi. Set your expectations accordingly and better pay attention to what will come out from Hu.ma.ne, instead. Something that looks to be much more natural and less rebarbative.

2023-02-04

Integrating Adobe Enhance Voice Tech Into My Video Production Workflow — In Search of a Solution

I don’t know if anyone knows about this free web tool by Adobe: Enhance Voice (link), but it is really impressive (@MattBirchler knows about it). Here is what I’d like to do: find a way to integrate this tool into my video production workflow.

So, I’m producing YouTube videos with ScreenFlow (my YouTube Channel). So far, I’m ok with the results, but I think my voice, and the sound in general, could be improved (I’m using the Blue Yeti Microphone, but Adobe Enhance Voice is really impressive).

So, how can I:

1. Do my recording sessions as usual
2. Do my video montage as usual
3. Extract the audio track
4. Use Adobe Enhance Voice to re-process the audio track
5. Replace the audio track in my Screenflow document
6. Export the final video

Step 3 and 5 are not possible in the current release of Screenflow. Any suggestion of tools I could use instead?

Here’s what I know or already use:

• Permute allows for easy conversion of audio files, including converting video files into the audio-only version.
• QuickTime Player can export the audio track only out of a video file.
• I know how to use iMovie.
• I’m a happy user of Audio Hijack
• I don’t really want to get rid of Screenflow. LumaFusion, FinalCut Pro, etc., maybe could do the job here, but it would be ok if I could find a simple utility that can replace the audio track easily instead.

This question has been posted to the Screenflow Telestream forum.

Update #1: corrected a few typos but added the solution using iMovie. Here’s the solution.

1. Do my recording sessions as usual
2. Do my video montage as usual and export the video
3. Extract the audio track using Permute in .MP3 format
4. Use Adobe Enhance Voice to re-process the audio track
5. Convert .WAV into .MP3
6. Launch iMovie and create a new Project
7. Import the produced video in step 2
8. Detach the audio track and delete it
9. Add the enhanced version of the audio track
10. Export the final video using iMovie’s share option

Voilà!

Update #2: there is a major issue with this process, the video and audio are not in sync over time, even though both files are of the same duration. This is not something easy to fix. Back to the drawing board. 😒

2023-01-21

I’ve been testing Continuity Camera mode with my iPhone 13 Pro as the video and audio sources for recording with Screenflow. I must say that I was very impressed and positively surprised.

First, the video quality is excellent, and I get Center Stage as a bonus. Screenflow sees this as a standard camera source. Second, using the Voice Isolation option, I no longer hear background noises in the house, which is cool because I’ll stop asking people to be less noisy neighbours. Now, If only I could integrate Adobe Enhance Voice into my workflow… 🙏

Solution found (link)!

I may have a Blue Yeti microphone for sale soon!

2023-01-21

I’ve been watching a few beginner videos about Final Cut Pro just because I’m searching for ways to improve my video production workflow. The new problem now is this: how do I export recording segments out of Screenflow so I can import them in Final Cut Pro? There is currently no easy way to do this automatically. The process is manual but documented in a Telestream forum. I’m not so sure the use of Final Cur Pro would be a boon to my workflow. Back to square one, but I learned a few things about Final Cut Pro and Screenflow export options. It’s a good thing in the end, as I won’t find a reason to upgrade to an M2 Pro Mac mini. 🤣

2023-01-21

Spent most of the day in front of a computer. Thankfully, I learned quite a bit about video production. I saved 400$ by not buying Final Cut Pro. I produced my first video of 2023.
2023-01-21

On the web, I prefer Matter, but on the iPad, I think I prefer the Readwise Reader. In particular, I prefer the customizable home screen of the latter. But I prefer the reading experience of the former. Today that is what it is. Tomorrow? Who knows. 🤷🏻‍♂️

2023-01-22

So, the only way to set a profile image in IFTTT is to use one of the following services?? Not possible to upload a picture. My profile image is now blank because I deleted my connection to Twitter. Weird.

2023-01-22

OK, I’m mind blown. I went to see the latest Avatar movie today. I was blown away. It’s probably the most beautiful, entertaining, touching, impressive and well-balanced movie I have ever seen. I’m just in awe of the ingenuity and craftsmanship that went into this movie. Wow.
2023-01-23

For 2023, Apple is reportedly working on a larger 15-inch MacBook Air to join its Mac lineup. The new MacBook Air will feature the upcoming M3 chip, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The 15-inch MacBook Air is expected to feature the same design as the current 13.6-inch model but with a larger display and longer battery life thanks to the efficiency of the M3 chip and the inclusion of a larger battery. Source: What’s Next for the Mac: M3 iMac, 15-Inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and More - MacRumors

The possible 15-inch MacBook Air makes a lot of sense from a product line perspective (non pro machine with high portability but a larger screen). Where I disagree with Gurman is the possibility of the device getting an M3 chip. This is way too early. The rest of the product line is still on the just-released M2. When the Mac Pro finally makes the switch, then the M3 is a higher probability. In other words, I expect to see the 15-inch MacBook Air to get the same M2 chip as the current but smaller ones.
2023-01-23

More details are emerging about the rumoured Apple’s headset… and this is troubling…

Using the headset will “feel familiar to Apple users,” with an interface that is close to identical to the look of an ‌iPhone‌ or an ‌iPad‌. There will be a Home screen with app icons that can be rearranged, as well as customizable widgets. Source: Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset to Feature iOS-Like Interface, Advanced Hand Tracking, and Will Work as Second Display for Mac - MacRumors

Oh boy… I would expect a brand-new metaphor for the brand-new form factor. Otherwise, by using a familiar interface, it’s as if Apple is locked into their own creation.

Likely to be named “Reality Pro,” the headset will be able to switch between augmented reality and virtual reality. Augmented reality will overlay virtual objects on the real world, while virtual reality is an entirely virtual environment that shuts out the wearer’s surroundings. Augmented reality functions will work through a pass-through mode that will use the exterior cameras on the headset, and swapping between AR and VR will be done with a Digital Crown-like control knob.

“Reality Pro”!!!?? Someone must be kidding about that one, right? What an awful name! What about “viewPod”? Or something less “Macintosh Performa 620”-type of thing, please.

For those who wear glasses, Apple will provide custom lenses that are able to sit within the enclosure, and Apple is expecting users to wear AirPods to get an audio experience on par with the visual experience that the headset provides, though it will have built-in speakers.

I do.

As previously rumored, the headset will have an external battery pack to prevent it from overheating on a user’s face due to the high-end Mac chips used for the device. The battery is approximately the size of two iPhone 14 Pro Max models stacked on top of one another, and it will power the headset for around two hours. An external battery will allow users to swap one battery and charge another to use the device for a longer period of time.

No. Just no. It’s a proof of concept sold to consumers.
2023-01-23

My Taxi Ride to The Past

I recently took a taxi ride to leave the airport as Uber taxis were unavailable and plagued with longer than usual delays. We were directed to the traditional taxi lines. I couldn’t use an app on my iPhone to call a taxi instead.

Boy, it was a trip in the past. The taxi driver had no Google or Waze open to know where to go, only his memory and his knowledge of the city. The taxi timer was this old and ugly box installed on his car dash, partially blocking his view.

It was disorienting not to get any feedback about how long the trip would go, what was the best road alternatives along the way, and not having a driver reputation score.

You would think that Uber would kick the butt of taxi companies so they evolve the customer experience and get their shit together to build a competitive experience, but no. They seem to have given up a long time ago.

My message to taxi companies: enjoy the ride while it last.

2023-01-24

Sometimes I’m reminded that I wish I had picked out “Digital Citizen” instead of “Numeric Citizen” as my “nom de plume”. In English, Digital has a better significance than Numeric. Am I correct? 🧐
2023-01-24

I’m seriously warming up to Readwise Reader. I get the feeling that I’ll be able to build a database of references and notes while I’m reading. The close proximity to Readwise is also a plus. It’s really geeky stuff for power readers, which I’m probably not. I’m waiting for the filtered view builder, they are working on a simplified and more visual version. Filtering the feed’s content by removing things like “Deal” or “Special Deal” would help remove some noise. I also keep an eye on the mobile app.
2023-01-25

I’m super happy to see Ivory going out to light and all. I was on the beta, downloaded the official release and played with it a bit. It’s really a great client. For now, I’ll let things settle down and see how Tapbots delivers on its promise. I’m focusing on Micro.blog for now, but I’m curious about Mastodon ecosystem evolution. I don’t want a new Twitter in disguise. Micro.blog in its current form is a very good compromise.

2023-01-25

For those who don’t know me, I love photography. I’m an amateur photographer myself. Today, I want to share a link about an inspiring photographer named Adrian. If you like the B&W style, consider subscriber to his work (he’s on YouTube too).
2023-01-25

Adam Mosseri, Instagram boss, spoke about the controversy growing on its platform:

We definitely have a number of photographers who have been upset. I want to be clear: though we are leaning into video, we still value photos. Photos will always be a part of Instagram. Source: Instagram showed people too many videos last year, admits Adam Mosseri - The Verge

If you like photography, go elsewhere than Instagram. They focus on user engagement, not photography. There are so many great platforms these days that are built for photography enthusiasts.
2023-01-25

9to5Mac reporting about a short Financial Times article on a silent war between Apple and Google:

Former Apple engineers say that Apple still holds a grudge over how Android allegedly copied iOS, and is steadily working to remove Google from the iPhone. Source: Apple is engaged in a ‘silent war’ against Google, claim engineers | AppleInsider

If there is something that I’d like to see Apple do: Apple (oops, Siri) Search for the web. No user tracking, no ads, full integration within Apple’s ecosystem. Imagine the possibilities.
2023-01-25

Well well well, 15-25cm approaching. Winds should be under 60 KM/h. Some blowing snow is expected, more expected along the river. Very mild but snowy winter so far. I’m a weather enthusiast, as you can tell. The map is from Ventusky.

Is there something like Shortcuts on Windows? I’m asking because, with the release of Things 3.17, I made a few tweaks to my blogger workflow, thanks to the addition of many Shortcuts actions. This new Shortcut can run on the iPad, the iPhone and the Mac. That’s so cool.

2023-01-27

Apple every second. Mind blown. Source.

2023-01-27

I’m no longer spreading Twitter content. Today is a cleanup day in my bookmarks collection, acting as a repository for future editions of my monthly newsletter: Numeric Citizen Introspection. Each bookmark is stored in one of the six “buckets” in Craft, as shown in this screenshot. What is noteworthy today is the fact that many of those bookmarks were links to tweets. They were all deleted. Quitting Twitter also means stopping spreading references to the platform’s content.

2023-01-28

I don’t have many subscribers to my Ghost-hosted website. I always find it sad when someone unsubscribes the very same day I send out a new edition of my newsletter. If I had hundreds of thousands of subscribers, I wouldn’t notice.

What did I do wrong? Was the content not worth reading? These are the questions that come to my mind every time.

I shouldn’t pay attention to that. 😔

2023-01-28