Matthew Shettler responding to my Spoken post about paying attention to analytics:
But I’ve decided on one thing to measure that will matter to me; something I can control: Did I post something today?
Good response.
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Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
Grand Seiko SBGX261February 23, 2023
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022
Recent Articles
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Looking for Love in All the Wrong Metrics
Matthew Shettler responding to my Spoken post about paying attention to analytics: But I’ve decided on one thing to measure that will matter to me; something I can control: Did I post something today? Good response.
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Do you have Chrome installed?
Essentially, Google Chrome is listening into what your computer microphone hears. More information is here. (Glad I don’t have Chrome installed on this new MacBook.)
Essentially, Google Chrome is listening into what your computer microphone hears. More information is here. (Glad I don’t have Chrome installed on this new MacBook.)
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The Continuing Pursuit of a More Perfect Computer
A review of the 2015 MacBook.
Why did I choose this format for my review? Starting almost a month before the new machine and including such minutiae that you cannot believe it? I have no clue.
The Foreword
Below is a timeline of my thoughts, and actions that I took in the lead up to receiving my MacBook. Since the product was severely supply constrained, I was able to take more time to prepare for this change and for writing a better review than I typically have the chance to write.
The entirety of this review is not a chronological explainer, but the forward to the review is. The reason being: showing you my thought process should help you gain additional perspective on where I am coming from with this new MacBook. I took great care to try and best represent an easily comparable baseline for myself. Things like only using my MacBook Pro as a laptop in the lead up, instead of like a desktop, helped to reduce any shock I might have from the new machine being very much a laptop.
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A Context For Computer Reviews
Don’t take people’s word for it, you need to know why before can consider any review.
Most reviewers only tell you why they have the perspectives they have. Saying why, in detail, they do or do not like certain things — or why they believe something is truly important. These reviewers tend to base too much on assumptions — assuming that the reader knows far more about their background than they likely do in reality.
The reviewer just asks you to trust them. They know.
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WebKit Blog on Safari Content Blocking Extensions
Federico Viticci: User privacy is at the center of content blocking for both webpages and extensions. It’ll be interesting to see how many apps that just focus on blocking ads in Safari will be approved on the App Store (and how much they’ll leverage freemium models if so). Really looking forward to this.
Federico Viticci:
User privacy is at the center of content blocking for both webpages and extensions. It’ll be interesting to see how many apps that just focus on blocking ads in Safari will be approved on the App Store (and how much they’ll leverage freemium models if so).
Really looking forward to this.
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Logitech K480 Keyboard: A Review
Shibel K. Mansour: The Logitech K480 is an excellent multi-device keyboard. Those who use different operating systems will appreciate what it has to offer. Strictly as an iPad companion, however, this keyboard isn’t exactly a match made in heaven. I bought one of these keyboards too, also in white. Mansour is generous for it —…
Shibel K. Mansour:
The Logitech K480 is an excellent multi-device keyboard. Those who use different operating systems will appreciate what it has to offer. Strictly as an iPad companion, however, this keyboard isn’t exactly a match made in heaven.
I bought one of these keyboards too, also in white. Mansour is generous for it — and not wrong in it’s multi-device switching being great. But as a keyboard it is terrible. It’s not even the looks or the key feel of the thing. it’s the thickness, it absurdly thick. I really cannot recommend it unless you regularly need to switch between bluetooth devices when typing (it takes 2-5 seconds to connect to another device, which I was actually impressed with).
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Microblogging with WordPress
Big fan of Manton’s approach, and I adopted it myself not to long ago.
Big fan of Manton’s approach, and I adopted it myself not to long ago.
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Spoken: Negativity
A little audio snippet I posted to Spoken.
A little audio snippet I posted to Spoken.
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Dark Sky 5
You've likely seen that Dark Sky version 5 is out. It's quite a change and it's awesome. Custom weather alerts. Push notification forecasts for the day. So many cool things. Do everyone a favor and head into the report button and turn on auto pressure reporting — a clever thing they are doing to improve…
You've likely seen that Dark Sky version 5 is out. It's quite a change and it's awesome. Custom weather alerts. Push notification forecasts for the day.
So many cool things. Do everyone a favor and head into the report button and turn on auto pressure reporting — a clever thing they are doing to improve accuracy for everyone. Love this app.
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On Writing
The only post I hope to have to write about writing.
[toc]
A lot of people only see me from the perspective of this website, and so to the readers of this site, I am a writer. Naturally then, a lot of the email from this site whittles down to: how do you write so much? ((For the record I do not think I write very much.))
So much?
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Badge That App
Justin Blanton on notification badges: I look at it 1000 times a day to get stuff done and manage my time. He makes solid points, I’m turning back on some badges.
Justin Blanton on notification badges:
I look at it 1000 times a day to get stuff done and manage my time.
He makes solid points, I’m turning back on some badges.
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Travel Apps & Tools
Some useful things.
I’ve found myself traveling a lot more this year, and as such I’ve been able to test out some things that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to in a true travel environment. In most cases I demand two things when I travel: small and reliable.
With that said, here’s a random list of crap that I’ve really liked when traveling this year.
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Twitterrific 5.12 Adds a Host of New Features & Improvements
Including a bottom navbar which means there is no logical reason for Twitterrific to not be your main Twitter client.
Including a bottom navbar which means there is no logical reason for Twitterrific to not be your main Twitter client.
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It’s a Jungle Out There? Carry a Pocketknife
Some time ago the New York Times reached out to interview me about pocket knives. I had no clue what they were working on, but here it is. Neat.
Some time ago the New York Times reached out to interview me about pocket knives. I had no clue what they were working on, but here it is. Neat.
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Privacy, Security, and User Experience
Could not disagree with you more, sir.
As long as people understand the potential risks, the answer to the second question is almost always, “Yes.” And with the emergence of artificial intelligence, the answer to that question will become increasingly more clear. The vast improvements in user experience far, far outweigh the potential security risks to private information.
I obviously disagree with this notion. But I defer to someone with far better knowledge than I, Edward Snowden:
Technologists have worked tirelessly to re-engineer the security of the devices that surround us, along with the language of the Internet itself. Secret flaws in critical infrastructure that had been exploited by governments to facilitate mass surveillance have been detected and corrected. Basic technical safeguards such as encryption — once considered esoteric and unnecessary — are now enabled by default in the products of pioneering companies like Apple, ensuring that even if your phone is stolen, your private life remains private. Such structural technological changes can ensure access to basic privacies beyond borders, insulating ordinary citizens from the arbitrary passage of anti-privacy laws, such as those now descending upon Russia.
Once the information is out there, it is out there. You can’t reel it back in. Google has it all and knows how to find it all, which means it can be exploited.
If Apple isn’t storing it, and even has a hard time making sure I get all my iMessages across devices ((Which I have never had a problem with, personally.)), then that seems like a small price to pay to protect myself in a small way from the exposure I get with Google.
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Initial Thoughts on iOS 9’s iPad Multitasking
Federico Viticci: The iPad is on the cusp of becoming a completely new computer. This is not an overstatement. Anyone who uses the iPad enough has known for a long time that the device could be capable of a lot more, and iOS 9 is Apple's answer. Very exciting stuff.
Federico Viticci:
The iPad is on the cusp of becoming a completely new computer. This is not an overstatement. Anyone who uses the iPad enough has known for a long time that the device could be capable of a lot more, and iOS 9 is Apple's answer.
Very exciting stuff. -
The Apple Watch
My poor, lonely, iPhone.
I didn’t know what to expect, and in a lot of ways I still don’t know what to expect, from the Apple Watch. I’m a person who wears a watch everyday, so looking at my wrist for the time is habit. And like many others, I wasn’t sure I wanted an Apple Watch, well I wanted one, but wasn’t convinced I needed one.
Still, I got one.
And it is, by far, smaller than I thought it would be. I thought it would be some bulbous G-Shock style gadget, but it’s small and sleek. So sleek that my chronograph automatic sits off my wrist higher.
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The World Says No to Surveillance
Edward Snowden: Yet the balance of power is beginning to shift. We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear…
Edward Snowden:
Yet the balance of power is beginning to shift. We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear in favor of resilience and reason.
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Micro Snitch
Speaking of new apps, this is a great new app that I have been testing. It shows you if there is anything using your microphone or webcam. Love it.
Speaking of new apps, this is a great new app that I have been testing. It shows you if there is anything using your microphone or webcam. Love it.