Year: 2017

  • 512 Pixels: What’s in my Tech Bag

    You don’t see many people rocking the Echo, but it’s a great bag. Just a bit too small for my abnormally long back.

  • iPad Productivity Report — 12/11/17

    A quick look into how I manage a wishlist for myself, and a not on read later services.

    You must be a member to read this article.

  • Top-selling handgun safe can be remotely opened in seconds—no PIN needed

    Dan Goodwin:

    In a blog post disclosing the vulnerability, the researchers included most of the code required to exploit the vulnerability. A competent developer would need 20 to 60 minutes to supply the missing portion. With that, the developer could build a smartphone app that could silently break into any existing VT20i safe in seconds, as long as Bluetooth was turned on.

    Yikes.

  • A Rucking Side Effect

    I was getting ready to take a trip and started packing up my GR1 for travel. I had been using it as my bag for rucking as well. And then I noticed it.

    That smell.

    (more…)

  • Thoughts on Camera Gear

    Shawn Blanc:

    A good camera will only become obsolete if you neglect it or else outgrow it.

    I stopped with my X100T. I’d love to upgrade it, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I used it. The iPhone X camera is fantastic. So is the X100T.

  • Some thoughts on the Blog Post Bribe Scandal

    Om Malik:

    This isn’t going to end because the publications are still trying to pump out as much content, get as many falling dollars and prostitute themselves in the name of growth. Marketers will keep pushing their clients and making them influencers.

  • Amazon Prime Video app rolling out to Apple TV App Store

    Even bigger news: the UI won’t make you hate life, like say Hulu’s UI does.

  • MarsEdit 4 Is Here

    MarsEdit was a staple of my Mac days. I’ll always love this app.

  • iPad Life: My iPad Pro Usage post-MacBook Pro Purchase

    Mark Crump:

    Your identity can be wrapped up in “that guy who went iPad-only. Inevitably, you hear from all the people who gave you grief about it two years ago with an extra helping of “told you so.” So, being able to publicly and critically assess whether a tool works for you, and change course if it isn’t, is a good trait. It’s disheartening that Fraser feels that iOS 11 doesn’t meet his needs anymore and he needs to use a Mac again.

    I don’t follow anything on twitter so I’m out of the loop on the complaints. But it doesn’t strike me as an iOS 11 issue, as the iPad is decidedly better today than it was a year ago. Seems more likely requirements of the users have changed.

  • Stop Messing About With Crap

    A running theme on this site is how absurd some of my searches get when it comes to the cost of the single items I often find to be “the best”. A lot of people don’t see the point in spending $300 on a backpack, or $200 on a pair of pants, or even $30 for one pair of socks.

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  • iPhone X Home Screen (December 2017)

    Shawn Blanc:

    Also, after nearly a decade of using Simplenote, I’m giving Bear a try. Bear is, without a doubt, far more polished and sophisticated than Simplenote. But it’s the — ahem — simplicity of Simplenote that has always been its charm.

    I loathe Bear, but many like it. Notes is the best Note taking app you can get on iOS, especially if you move between iPads and iPhones.

    As a side note: it’s really great to see Shawn back to blogging on his site again.

  • Things Blog

    By the way, we’ve also released 3.2.4 for iPad, which adds some basic shortcutsfor external keyboards. We hope you enjoy these updates!

    I didn’t realize this was added, but this makes me very happy. I gave Things shit for a long time, but Things 3 is the best productivity app you can get.

  • iPad Productivity Report — 12/4/17

    Circling back to iPad sizes, and an annoyance with Workflow to watch out for.

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  • Car subscriptions: Ford, Volvo, Porsche, and Cadillac offer lease alternative

    Christina Bonnington:

    First, you choose a car—in its case, a pre-owned vehicle less than three years old—and then you choose a monthly mileage package ranging from 500 miles to unlimited. Additional miles add to your monthly subscription cost, but like some smartphone data plans, if you don’t use all the miles you paid for, they’ll roll over to the next month. From there, you schedule a delivery, and the car arrives with everything else included—registration, warranty, insurance, roadside assistance, and maintenance. At the end of each month, you can renew your subscription or return the vehicle.

    I’ve said for a while that this is the best way to make cars work as we move towards self-driving. Fastest way to get everyone a self-driving car is if no one owns a car.

  • You Don’t Understand Bitcoin Because You Think Money Is Real

    This is a solid primer on the how and why of Bitcoin’s value.

  • Finding a New Watch

    As I recently noted in my Apple Watch thoughts post, I am not a fan of wearing my Apple Watch — even when I work out. I noted in my Rucking post that I occasionally wear the Apple Watch for tracking my mile times, however I’ve moved to using Gaia GPS on my iPhone for that purpose and now I don’t use my Apple Watch at all.

    For me, there’s nothing more appealing than putting a lovely mechanical watch on my wrist. I wear one almost all day long — typically only removing my watch when I shower. I have many reasons for this, but I tend to think you either already understand why you would do this, or you never will understand it — so I’ll leave it at that.

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  • Reylight Pineapple Flashlight

    Massdrop has my favorite flashlight right now. It’s not very bright, at 110lumens, but it is so close to perfect. It feels amazing in hand and the CRI is great. Highly recommend. $36.99 is a good deal.

  • Move over iPhone X, Apple just got a patent for a foldable phone

    Fuck putting this into an iPhone, give me my Westworld phone/tablet.

  • iPad Productivity Report — 11/27/17

    This week I look into iPads in classrooms, as well as my own note taking shifts *away* from the iPad, and give a quick nod to a new writing typeface and a new writing theme I am trying.

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