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I'm in perpetual experimentation mode
I’m still thinking about the possibility of subscribing to this service. I’m trying to find a specific use case for it. Even though I might not find one, I could consider my subscription as a vote for the service’s mission. It would be a sign of appreciation. Three dollars a month for five years is less than many of the much-less valuable services that I’m already subscribing to. Six days left for the promotion. Continue reading ā
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Health of Developer Relations with Apple in Free Fall
According to this yearās Six Colors Report Card, relationships between Apple and its developers’ community is in terrible shape. The trend isnāt looking good either. Marco Arment said, āAppleās tightening grip on App Store fees, attempts to reach into other parts of businesses that they donāt deserve, and extremely entitled and galling statements on the matter continue to be distasteful and extremely damaging to their reputation. It seems like a huge strategic blunder to inflame developer relations, generate bad PR, invite more regulatory scrutiny, and risk governments imposing much worse changes for such a small percentage of their revenue. Continue reading ā
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What am I doing here?
Here I am, on write.as. What am I doing here? Am I going to subscribe to this service? Do I really need it? Micro.blog being linked with @Apple_Observer, Typefully being linked to Apple_Observer, write.as could be behind @NumericCitizen. I could use it for my Numeric Citizen Twitter account and cross-post to Ghost? It probably doesn’t matter much if there is no native application for Write.as. I’m still thinking about it. Wishing for a final call before the end of the five-year subscription deal, ending this coming Feb. Continue reading ā
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On Sideloading on iPhone ā Itās OK, Iām Changing My Mind numericcitizen.me
I’d love to get feedback on this subject, from this community, here on MB…
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Only 3$ a Month
I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on write.as. For a mere 3$ a month, it won’t be an expensive experience. I think I can do it without going bankrupt. šØš»āš» Continue reading ā
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Apple is clearly crossing the red line here IMHO. They are being disingenuous.
These guidelines from Apple about external payments are even worse than I expected. So many hoops to jump through, and a ridiculous 27% fee. No one is going to go along with this, which means it doesnāt relieve any regulatory pressure on Apple. Burning more developer trust.
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For (more) personal stories of mine, here is the place to go.
Friday Notes #61 ā Knowing Our Parents numericcitizen-introspection.blog
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I’m mostly done with my love letter to Cleanshot, a screen grabber utility for the Mac. I’m close to 500 words. I should be paid for doing this. Oh well… what passion can make us do…
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On December 18th of 2019, Here’s what I wrote on Micro.blog:
Now that Iām closing my account here on micro.blog Iām starting to get more interactions š¤·š»āāļø.
The responses I got were so enlightening, I changed my mind. What a great community. š
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From Appleās AirPort Exterme to Ubiquitiās Amplify HD
As reported in my previous blog post, I had a chance to perform a ātech refreshā of my sisterās WiFi installation at her house. As a satisfied user of Ubiquiti product, the Dream Machine, I suggested to go with a lower end model, the Amplify HD. She has a big two levels home, with numerous rooms that poses a challenge for good wireless connectivity. It was a delightful experience, from the unpacking to final configuration. Continue reading ā
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Replacing (Another) Aging AirPort Extreme Withā¦
In mid-2020, I wrote about my experience of replacing an aging Apple AirPort Extreme with an Ubiquitiās Dream Machine. Today, Iām kind of repeating the experience, but this time with the Amplify HD router, also from Ubiquiti, for my sister. Donāt expect a complete review, but expect a post with a few observations. My sister is having weak WiFi issues in her house and I suggested her to get the kit to form a mesh network. Continue reading ā
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Universal Control ā Finally!
Iām a big fan of Appleās Sidecar. I frequently use it for work. When Apple announced Universal Control at the 2021 WWDC keynote, I was blown away by the technical challenge it might have represented for Appleās engineers. It really makes for great demos. Then, I started to wonder if this feature would enable new workflows, and I failed to find meaningful ones. With Sidecar, the iPad acts like a passive device most of the time, and Iām happy with this configuration. Continue reading ā
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On HomePod mini with a screen - STOP!
Consider this recent article from 9to5Mac: Concept: How Apple could turn HomePod mini into a delightful and adorable smart display - 9to5Mac. Please, stop thinking that a screen on the HomePod mini makes sense because it just doesn’t. Why? Well, by looking at where we put these devices in our house, most of the time, you wouldn’t be able to see the screen from a distance. What Apple really wishes is that you buy an iPad mini with a Smart Folio cover for that purpose. Continue reading ā
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MP3 Files and the iPhone ā Harder Than Necessary
I find it surprisingly hard to find a simple MP3 player for an iPhone these days. I mean, just a simple application capable of downloading an MP3 file locally on the device with good playback controls, simple library management, nothing fancy. Readdle’s Documents (which I know very well) and EverMusic seem to be popular options. Documents offers a good user experience, albeit its multipurpose mission with documents management. (Iām a moderate consumer of Soundcloud (paid subscription) and use Downie to download files from the service. Continue reading ā
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Itās the Time of the Month to Start Crafting the Next Edition of My Monthly Newsletter
Well, itās the time of the month where I start to work on the next edition of my monthly newsletter (itās free BTW). I spend about ten to fifteen hours each month to put this together using my past readings and discoveries, Craft and Ulysses. Each time, itās a pleasure to create. I think I should put together an article about the workflow I use to create each newsletter. Would you find this interesting? Continue reading ā
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Yep, Notion is Bad
I’m nearly done with my Notion to Craft migration. I know I’ve been lazy; I’ve been using Craft for many months while my old content was still sitting there in Notion. While doing the migration, I realized, again, that I don’t really like Notion’s handling of a document. It just feels unnatural and quirky. Export options are very limited, which makes my job much harder. I’m also losing some metadata along the way (and database content too). Continue reading ā
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Give Me Some Time...
…and Iāll move out of 1Password. Itās on my to-do list for 2022. Gruberās article is a reminder that time is ticking. Iām just being too lazy to move my stuff out of 1Password and put that in Appleās Keychain. It takes time, which is a rare resource for me. I donāt like 1Passwordās direction. It seems to me that going the enterprise way is counterproductive for the average users. Continue reading ā
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Dear Apple: Bring Back the Dashboard
I want this so much. We have to voice our desire to get back the Dashboard on macOS. As explained by 512px a long time ago: Jobs pitched widgets as mini-apps that let you look up a quick bit of information without ruining your workflow or train of thought. They allowed for quick interactions. They were present when you needed them, and disappeared when you didnāt. Why try to imagine new solutions to fix the widgets conundrum on macOS? Continue reading ā
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Taking Advantage of the iPad Screen
Consider the previous annotated screenshot from Matter. Way too many applications have the same design issue. Why, in 2022, developers cannot fix these wasted space? I see that the content is of the same width if the iPad is used in portrait or landscape orientation. Why not adjust width dynamically? Is it that hard? Continue reading ā
